While some organizations may be excited about incorporating chatbots in their apps and websites, testers should be objective and ensure the bots are providing actual value to the user.

3. Rise of Voice Assistants

In addition to the current rise in the popularity of chatbots, the technology is already available to unlock other methods of communication and it's being adopted at an alarming rate. The days when of text input are dwindling. The age of voice assistants is here. 

Amazon’s Alexa, OK Google, and Facebook Messenger capture the imagination of users and software developers. For QA testers, it’s vital to ensure speech recognition accuracy. This technology should distinguish between all voices, dialects and accents to make the users more inclined to use a voice-active interface, rather than than the screen. In a mobile environment this is even more important. Whether a smart phone or wearable device, the smaller the screen the more likely users rely more heavily on voice - so it needs work and it needs to work well.

Checking the user flow also needs to be thoroughly tested. QA engineers should make sure the assistant can be asked on the go and without being pushed. Interruption testing is another type of testing that should be considered. Testers should create non-verbal natural sounds that imitate coughing, inhaling deeply, having the smartphone ring. Will the app handle it or not? Is it easy to get what I am looking for? These are the question all professional testers should be asking. It’s all about the experience.

4. Mobile Payments

Innovative mobile payment solutions like Android Pay, Apple Pay, and Microsoft Wallet, are deployed all over the world, allowing customers to use their smart devices as convenient payment instruments.

In 2018, we are likely to forget about the traditional online payment methods like PayPal or at least use it less frequently. New types of payment options such as Samsung Pay, Microsoft Wallet, Apple pay and so on, based on internal proprietary protocols, will be used more often. 

Testing for payment gateway should include functional testing, integration testing, and, of course, profound security testing.

5. Focus on Security

People use their smartphones today more often than ever before. We are always online, surfing the Internet or chatting with friends. It is obvious that possibilities of apps are developing at a rapid pace and there is a need to provide a sufficient level of security for end users and their private data.  

Today, people are increasingly aware of security issues, thus they tend not to click on suspicious links or download unverified data. However, testers cannot rely on user practices alone.