DoAT

Looking for the most intuitive and powerful search experience on your mobile device? Look no further than DoAT. A revolutionary application, DoAT enables users to break free from the status quo of mobile search. How? Instead of static, text-based searches, DoAT gives users the ability to search through myriad mobile-optimized sites and get the full power of web-apps without any downloads. DoAT also provides a bridge between mobile sites and native apps, helping users discover even more value with their mobile phone.

Launched in 2011 as part of TechCrunch Disrupt, the app was an instant hit among consumers and media alike. In preparation for the launch, DoAT Co-Founder and CTO Joey Simhon wanted to get the application tested and review by an objective third party - and set his sights on uTest’s global community of software testers.

“We did a lot of testing internally, but we wanted to see how people would use the application before it hit the App Store,” said Joey. “It’s also a complex app, with advanced search algorithms, so it was important that the people reviewing were experienced in software testing, which made uTest a no-brainer for us.”

This brief case study will show how uTest helped the founders of DoAT achieve comprehensive functional testing of their application, which was released exclusively on iPhone at launch with versions for Android and other platforms to come.

DoAT: Testing Goals and Objectives

With an in-house staff of ten people, Joey understood the importance of increasing the application’s exposure prior to launch, as well validating the app’s core features and functionalities on real devices in the hands of real users. With the help of his dedicated uTest project manager, Joey assembled a handpicked group of testers diverse in terms of devices (3GS and 4), OS (iOS 4.0 and above), connections (3G, Wi-Fi) and geographic locations (United States and Canada).

“It made no sense to test outside of North America, since that’s where all of our initial users would be located,” said Joey, in reference to why a typical offshore testing agency would not have made sense. “uTest made it easy for us to get the right testers with the specific devices and operating systems we needed to test against.”

Additionally, Joey decided to only invite the most reputable members the uTest community, as he and his team were concerned about the privacy of their application (with uTest, testers can be required to sign NDAs, preventing them discussing the application outside of uTest’s firewall).

Over the next ten days, his 20-person test team would review DoAT from top to bottom – everything from download and installation to the app’s main search functions. During this time, Joey was able to review bug reports and user feedback in real-time via uTest’s online platform.