7 B2B web application testing challenges and solutions Dayana Mayfield , Dayana is a QA engineer turned technology writer living in Milan, Italy. She's always down for a smoothie. March 23rd, 2021 Testing web applications comes with many challenges like covering the entire platform, testing with real devices, and protecting data security. B2B customers have high expectations for the web apps they use. They rely on them for their day-to-day jobs or small business functions. The failure of a consumer app can be frustrating. But even a small issue with a B2B app can have a huge impact on a busy professional, who might be likely to churn if they can’t trust that the application will always work. Here are some of the top concerns with web app testing and the solution for each. 1. Real testing environment With a B2B web app, testing the real user environment can be a challenge for engineering and QA teams. It’s impossible to test all of the different scenarios that a user could experience. Here are a few of the key things that add up to create a real test environment: Interaction with other applications Real user load Real user data Wifi strength Companies are time-pressed simply to test their B2B web app in a test environment, let alone all of the different combinations of real environments. Web app testing solution The solution for this testing challenge is to use a scalable, networked testing service. By engaging with a company that offers burstable resources, you can expand your testing team as needed. For example, you might want extra manual testers to test real user environments for the launch of a new feature. 2. Cybersecurity Cybersecurity is a huge problem for any web application. The issue is even riskier with B2B apps, where an enterprise software provider can not only put their customers’ data at risk, but also their customers’ customers’ data. Protecting data integrity and securing against data breaches are a must. But many software companies don’t have enough cybersecurity professionals on staff. Smaller B2B SaaS companies, in particular, might not be able to afford a full-time professional in this role. Web app testing solution A dedicated penetration testing company that specializes in cybersecurity can help reduce the burden of maintaining data security. Companies can in-house or outsource both penetration testing and vulnerability scans. It’s essential to use automated vulnerability scans to make sure security tests are always running in the background. But at the same time, pen tests are needed to simulate real, manual hacking. 3. Mobile optimization Users might not download your mobile app because they have a quick use case or don’t want more apps cluttering their phone. Even if you ask users to use your mobile app instead of your web app in the sign-in flow, many will hit the “maybe later” link and proceed to use the mobile-optimized version of your web app. This means you need to create a quality mobile web app experience too. However, doing so can be a huge challenge. A mobile web app brings with it major usability issues. Web app testing solution Testing with real devices is essential to uncover any issues with usability. Complex features can be a real challenge when it comes to UX copy character length, drop-down menus, form selections, unexpected user gestures, etc. Partner with a testing company that offers expert testers using their own real devices. 4. Multiple browsers Your B2B web app customers all use their favorite browsers. While it’s easy to assume that everyone is using Chrome, you’d be wrong. Chrome has so many extensions that users might switch to another browser when it gets slow rather than remove some of those extensions.Web app testing solution Cross-browser testing is a must. Any web app must be tested in the major browsers that users might be using. The most popular web browsers today are: Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Chromium Vivaldi Torch Partnering with a scalable testing service can help you test all of the right desktop and mobile web browsers. 5. Usability Usability is a challenge for any web application, but it’s especially difficult for B2B apps. The reason being, these apps are very complicated. The consumerization of B2B software is a phenomenon whereby enterprise software users expect simple user flows like what they are used to with consumer software. However, many B2B products include many different feature sets, options, databases, and analytics, so it’s a challenge to keep things simple and usable. Web app testing solution Usability testing should be conducted with real customers as well as manual testers. Quick interviews with real paying customers can help your team make important functionality decisions, but manual testers can spot ways to make workflows easier and simpler that customers (who don’t do software testing for a living) might not spot. 6. Application test coverage B2B web apps often have far more features than consumer web apps. The most used types of enterprise software applications are CRMs, ERPs, supply chain management software, and business intelligence software. These sorts of platforms have dozens of features and hundreds of user flows, causing a big strain on full test coverage. Web app testing solution B2B web app companies should utilize in-house QA resources, automated testing, and manual testing services to cover their app. A simple example would be to have automated test scripts running for regression testing and two manual testers continuously testing existing functionality alongside the QA manager. Then, with major updates, more expert human testers might be needed. Plus, new automated test scripts should be activated for each update. 7. Application performance Performance is another big concern for B2B web apps. How scalable is the app? Many B2B web apps have experienced major hurdles with their sudden popularity. Loom, an excellent example of product marketing and viral growth, temporarily fielded complaints via social media about the poor quality of its app during the months when its adoption skyrocketed around the globe. Fortunately, they’ve adapted to the growth and quality has improved. Even if your company isn’t poised for such rapid growth, peak usage times can cause performance issues. Web app testing solution Performance issues are solved with how the app is built, what features are built, and with what code. For example, Laravel can make B2B web apps smooth and lightweight. Testers can discover performance issues by testing during the peak times provided by product analytics. Using different browsers and hardware can also help discover performance problems. Ultimately, B2B customers have high demands. They rely on web applications to do their job or run their businesses. Even small dips in quality can destroy brand loyalty. Use these solutions to provide top-notch web apps. Using networked testing approaches, Testlio equips enterprise, mid-market, small business, and other B2B software providers to shine. Learn more.