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Importance of QA in Custom Web Development and Mobile Apps

September 15, 2025

Quality Assurance (QA) ensures that digital products function smoothly across devices, browsers, and operating systems before reaching end users.

Why QA Matters

Bugs and glitches are a normal part of software development. Even industry giants face them-Apple once had a bug in iOS 11 that caused the calculator app to give wrong results due to animation delays, while Microsoft Windows 10 updates occasionally disabled printers. Android’s early versions also had Bluetooth connection issues. If global companies encounter such problems, smaller teams without structured QA are even more vulnerable.

According to industry studies, fixing bugs after release costs up to 5x more than catching them during the QA stage. For example, one mid-sized e-commerce project avoided an estimated $30,000 in losses by identifying checkout errors before launch.

Common QA Practices

  • Functional Testing: Ensures features work as expected (e.g., login, checkout, data forms).
  • Cross-Browser Testing: Verifying compatibility with Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge.
  • Cross-Device Testing: Checking performance on iOS and Android phones, tablets, and desktops.
  • Regression Testing: Making sure new features don’t break existing ones.
  • Performance Testing: Ensuring page loads stay under 2–3 seconds on average internet speeds.

Tools That Help With QA

Several tools assist QA teams in streamlining the testing process:

  • Selenium: Automated browser testing for web applications.
  • Appium: Cross-platform mobile testing for iOS and Android.
  • Postman: API testing to verify backend services.
  • Jest / Mocha: JavaScript testing frameworks for frontend and backend validation.

Bug Reporting Tools

Reporting and tracking bugs effectively is just as important as finding them. Popular tools include:

  • Microsoft Azure DevOps: End-to-end project management with bug tracking.
  • Jira: Widely used in agile teams for reporting, prioritizing, and tracking issues.
  • GitHub Issues: Simple but effective bug tracking for open-source and private repositories.

Example of a clear bug report:

Title: Login form does not validate incorrect password properly
Steps to Reproduce:
1. Open login page
2. Enter incorrect password
3. Press login
Expected Result: Show “Incorrect password” message
Actual Result: Page reloads with no message
Severity: High
Environment: Chrome 117 on Windows 11

Supported Browsers, Devices, and OS Versions

A common rule of thumb is to support the latest version of each major browser plus the two previous versions. For mobile, testing should include:

  • iOS: Current version and two previous releases (e.g., iOS 18, 17, 16).
  • Android: Current version and three previous releases due to wider fragmentation.
  • Browsers: Chrome, Safari, Edge, and Firefox (latest + 2 versions back).

This coverage ensures compatibility for roughly 95% of users worldwide based on market share statistics.

The Role of a Qualified QA Team

QA is more than just running tests-it’s about thinking like a user, identifying edge cases, and preventing costly mistakes. A qualified QA team knows how to design test cases, file detailed bug reports, and communicate effectively with developers. Without skilled QA, businesses risk higher costs, dissatisfied users, and damaged reputations.

For example, a financial services company once avoided a major compliance fine by catching a calculation error during internal QA. Without that, thousands of client reports would have been inaccurate.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is QA really necessary for small projects?

Yes. Even small projects can suffer from bugs that hurt user experience or sales. A simple login bug can cost a business hundreds of users on launch day.

2. How many devices should we test on?

At minimum, cover iOS and Android (latest + 2–3 versions back) plus desktop browsers. For larger user bases, testing should include mid-range Android devices as well.

3. Can automated testing fully replace manual QA?

No. Automation helps with repetitive tasks, but manual testing is crucial for usability, visual checks, and edge cases that automation may miss.

4. What’s a good bug report format?

A good report should include title, steps to reproduce, expected vs actual results, severity, and environment details (browser/OS). This saves developer time and ensures faster fixes.

5. How do big companies handle bugs?

Apple, Microsoft, and Google all release frequent updates. Bugs are considered normal, but their QA teams ensure that most critical issues are caught before release and patched quickly after discovery.