In an ever changing world where all people use many different devices in their every day life – it is very important that new applications are released quickly and in a high quality – in order to achieve the commercial goals of the applications. Due to this need in the market, 3 specialists have come together – in order to bring a simple coordinated solution to the new stakes in the mobile market.

360 Mobile Apps is a mix of: Ergonomics, Development and Cross-platform mobile applications testing.

A/ Context

The increase of terminals families (smartphone, tablet, phablette), screen sizes and OS widens the conception of native mobile applications.

What are the challenges and what solutions could we find in order to meet the expectations?

B/ Stakes

1. For the end user

• Understanding the functioning of a mobile application in 30 seconds, find the ergonomics appropriate to his OS.
• Have a pleasant and fluid user experience
• Have a reliable mobile application, without visible bug on his phone.

2. For the client or the MOA (Project owner)

• Take into account the vast number of technologies and platforms without increasing the budget
• Protect itself from the volatility of the park
• Industrialize the process and optimize the ROI (Return on investment)
• Decrease project development time (TTM – Time To Market)
• Decrease costs
• Send a maximum of potential users (cross-platform)
• Guarantee the quality of the mobile application on whatever device

3. For the developer or the MOE (Project supervisor)

• Good command of various languages
• Good command of different devkit (SDK)
• Establishing a tool-chain compilation and development
• Ensuring the know-how in time
• Mobile access
• Mobile experience

4. For the test engineer

• Having access to various mobiles and tablets on demand, remotely, during the project
• Being able to automate the tests for native applications
• Having a unique tool to manage all the test campaigns

C/ In order to bring a solution to all these challenges, while simplifying the approach for our clients, three specialists have set up a common offer called: 360 Mobile Apps.

This offer approaches the following points:

• Consulting/ advice in ergonomics, HMI validation by ergonomists and ergonomics tests starting from the first design phases.
• Multi OS applications development and maintenance.
• Functional and performance testing, non regression tests automation.

We can take in charge the entire process or only one phase.

This association allows us to:

• Integrate the ergonomics (prototyping and tests) from the beginning of the project and to confide it to a specialist.
• Use a tool and a method allowing developing only one code for all the applications.
• Manage tests on multi OS and multi devices.
• Test the applications on large number of mobiles while meeting the deadlines of the project and the budget (tests in Cloud)
• Plan various tests families: functional, performances (if server connection), ergonomics. This requires tools and specific technical skills.

Here are a few details about the offers of the three associates:

Our software engineering company manages cross-platform mobile applications development and the industrialization of the associated tests in turnkey (deadlines and results commitment).

Here is our offer:

• To have access to various mobiles “on demand” and in different countries (Cloud tests).
• Tests automation (non regression) using tools capable of managing native and hybrid applications.
• Decrease manual tests costs via a Nearshore manual test platform.
• To have a unique testing tool for all the applications versions.
• To capitalize in one reference table and one test strategy appropriate to the company or to the concerned mobile application.

For more information, please see our offer: Tests outsourcing for mobile applications.

LudoTIC specializes in designing digital interfaces. The “human factors” approach, user-centered design, our experimental research methodology, and our expertise in eye tracking (analysis of eye movements) are all guarantees of the quality of our work.

UX and use context

How the use of a mobile support is different compared to a PC:

• The user is walking (less fixations on the screen)
• The user has double task (he cannot pay too much attention)
• The lightning conditions are different compared to a PC (very dark or very bright)
• He may be in a very noisy place
• His position is not the same as in front of a PC.

LudoTIC’s solution

User testing ensures that your product meets user needs and respects the usability standard ISO 9241-210 as for:

• effectiveness
• efficiency
• user satisfaction
• as well as for all the HCI issues
• TETO method: test early, test often

Neomades is NeoMAD’s editor, an integrated solution which provides portability for your mobile applications on both US and European phones. It enables you to create and test applications, generate runtimes for all targeted phones and manage local distribution requirements while taking care of the naming convention, language, logos, etc.

NeoMAD is perfectly suited to the world of Java and gives developers a tool to write cross-platform applications with a single source code and a project description file in XML.

NeoMAD relies on the flexibility and robustness of Java to develop and produce an application that will be 100% compatible and portable on all phones. A NeoMAD project fully written in Java helps clarify the source code, makes development more simple, allows the application to be ported to various technologies and adapted to all phones, thus making maintenance easier.

The whole project takes place on the developer’s computer. No connection is necessary to use NeoMAD.

• Local compiler: the source code stays on the developer’s computer
• Command Line: simple interface, quick and usable for production scripts
• Java code conditioning: relying on an optimization step using Java constants, this feature of NeoMAD allows binaries to be produced adapted to every functional case of the application and to every phone using one source code
• Binary optimization: compiled code is optimized for the handset and useless code parts are removed
• Obfuscation: compiled code is hidden in order to protect it from piracy
• Emulation: Binaries can be executed using manufacturer emulators
• Debug: Step by step execution, on-device debug

NeoMAD’s solution

Many clients have already used Neomades tools for their cross-platforms mobile applications projects (Sony, AlloCiné, GFI, Dior, Rue du commerce …) see the references

The group can be contacted by email: contact@360-mobile-apps.com