Testing of the eBook Reader with 3G

Customer

Customer is one of the most popular Internet shops of the Russian Federation. Its website is a complex personalized dynamic tool using advanced technologies in electronic commerce.

Project

The project involves the creation of eBook reader to support 3G connectivity and an electronic content delivery system for further promotion at the Russian market. The project was implemented on the basis of the finished device, but without 3G support and with limited functionality.

Objective

1. Perform testing of 3G module samples, provided by the customer, to select the most suitable option for the project.

2. Perform an in-depth testing of the device. The functional, automated and regression testing services should include:

• The product’s software usability testing
• The product’s graphic interface testing and localization testing
• Testing operation of the device with different text formats
• Testing operation of a built-in audio player with different audio formats
• Testing operation of the device with different image formats
• Testing quality of the selected 3G module
• Testing of an electronic content delivery system

3. Create a complete set of the necessary documentation for the device and test it for conformity with the existing corporate style of the customer.

4. Develop a specific test plan to verify consignment, received from manufacturer, to determine the number of marriage devices.

Solution

1. To determine the more suitable 3G module, 4 different samples with different antennas were tested:

• Automated testing mechanism to verify the quality of 3G connection was developed
• In-field 3G module testing with the use of specialized software and hardware was performed

2. To ensure proper operation of all functions of the device and, consequently, the finished product quality, the following steps were performed:

• Development and testing of functional requirements
• Generation of test documentation (test plan, test cases and test specifications)
• Functional testing and testing of the graphic interface:
• The first stage involved full testing of the product’s current functionality, compilation of reports for the customer and the developers’ team. Full testing of the electronic content delivery system. As a result of testing, a report that contains all of the identified defects and recommendations for necessary improvements for the devices hardware and software, and also for the electronic content delivery system was drawn up
• The second stage involved a full array of testing services for the maximum project quality enhancement
• Regression testing for more in-depth analysis and uncovering new errors, as well as testing new functionality.
• Automated testing (all scripts were written using the Shell Command Language):
• Writing scripts for testing the quality of the battery
• Writing scripts for testing the quality of the product’s 3G connectivity, using AT commands
• Usability testing involved an analysis of all aspects of both the website’s and the product’s operability. A report with suggestions on usability enhancements was compiled based on the findings
• Playability testing (testing support for various formats):
• Testing the operation of the device with different text formats (pdf, fb2, htm, rb, rtf, doc, chm, txt, djvu, epub, lit, lrf, mobi, oeb, pdb, prc, tcr, rtf.zip, fb2. zip, txt.zip). The files of various sizes, with different number of pages, different image quality, with various typographic options were used
• Testing the operation of the device with different audio formats (mp3 - 16-320 kbps, stereo and mono; wav - 8-32 bit, 8000-9600 Hz, stereo and mono; wma, ogg)
• Testing the operation of the device with different image formats (bmp, jpg, gif, png, operation with images and image collections in zip archives, etc.)

3. A set of required documentation has been defined and written: user manual, quick start guide, service manual, etc.
4. Consignment, received from manufacturer, was thoroughly checked by our experts. As the result the percentage of marriage products was determined, defective devices were removed from the party.

Specific Tasks Under the Project

The project was implemented under the following conditions:

• It involved three development teams in different countries, working collectively: Promwad testing experts, electronic content delivery system developers and the developers of the product. Online bug trackers were used to achieve effective interaction
• New assemblies without a change log were released each month
• The project involved simultaneous parallel testing of the product and the content delivery system. The tasks of correcting identified defects were distributed between two developers’ teams. To achieve well-coordinated interaction, a common project management system was used Short project time

Promwad experts’ high qualifications and extensive experience helped them achieve effective collaboration between the remote teams and the customer. This interaction was based on the Redmine project management software platform, which was used to register all detected defects as well as suggestions for improvement. Also, this system was used for human resources management under the project. This strategy of cooperation made it possible to cut both the money and time needed for finding required solutions, which became the key to a timely completion of the project.

Advantages

• An accurate and transparent quality assurance process was developed, which helped achieve the project objective in the shortest possible time
• An effective process of cooperation under the project between remote developers’ teams and the customer was set up. It resulted in reduced risks, time and money
• After the product’s testing and improvement, the customer received a high-quality device that can compete on equal terms with its analogs worldwide in terms of its functionality and usability
  

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