Internet of Things

Types of Testing

in IoT

Chapter

8

TYPES OF TESTING IN IoT

IoT testing is concerned with the analytics, networks, platforms, standards, operating systems,

processors, and the security of the entire IoT infrastructure. Here are their types.

Usability Testing

Since there is a wide range of devices with dierent form of factors and sizes, thus usability

testing is based on all targeted end users who can use them practically.

IoT testing is a category of testing which is used

to assess and check up on the devices in the

Internet of things ecosystem. With the passage

of time, expectations for the speed, performance,

and reliability of the IoT devices are increasing

from the consumer’s point of view. Therefore, it

is no surprise that people want more control and

insights from their IoT devices, hence testing of

your IoT infrastructure is absolutely crucial.

After completing this chapter, you will be able to:

• Learn about types of testing in IoT

• Understand the usability testing

• Learn about considering user behaviour in testing

• Understand the stumbling blocks

• Learn how to perform functional testing

• Learn compatibility testing

• Learn about performance testing

• Learn about scalability testing

• Understand the IoT testing challenges

• Learn IoT testing tools

• Learn about future of testing on the Internet of Things, and

• Learn about testing automation in IoT

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Internet_of_Things_CH08_pp201-230.indd 201 9/3/2019 10:15:09 AM

To begin with IoT usability testing, you have to make sure that all your team members are

aligned with the same vision of how the testing procedures should undergo. Mostly, this can

include assessing a product in terms of three aspects:

• What is the purpose of the IoT device?

• Who is going to use the IoT device?

• How is the IoT device going to be used?

When you can clearly explain the answer to the above-mentioned questions then you can

decide better about how your testing strategy should be carried and how to select your testers.

What are the benefits of usability testing?

Flash Question

Target Audience of the IoT Device

This section is concerned with the advantages of the IoT device like how exactly your IoT device

can facilitate people to perform tasks and to which extent they can gain productivity in their lives.

You also have to ponder about the reasons for manufacturing the IoT device by your company.

For instance, if they were designed to resolve consumer requirements or if the company created

it to increase eciency and decrease the burgeoning costs. On a similar note, you have to assess

if your IoT device serves as a tailored solution to a problem or is it more of a ‘fun’ device.

In simple words, the purpose of the device is crucial in order to work with usability testing.

It is expected that the end user will be more serious regarding the device if the device provides

more benefits and advantages rather than only serving a specific goal.

The User

The second aspect of usability testing is the end user. Some of the expected end users are the

following.

• The standard ‘average’ user.

• Those individuals who are tech-savvy and are enthusiastic to test the device.

• Those individuals who plan to purchase the device for entertainment purposes.

• Students from schools, colleges, and universities who want to use the device for research

purposes.

• Users from the government departments.

• Workers in the commercial, retail, and industrial sectors.

• Patients for whom the device is part of the MIoT (medical internet of things).

Keep in mind that other than the common applications of internet of things, there will be

times when there are new types of use cases. For instance, a farmer can create a tractor which

is composed of an IoT infrastructure. Such a tractor can contact the mechanic shop when-

ever a tractor part requires repair by using SMS-based or email-based alerts. Farmers can also

use such a tractor to assess their employee performance by going through the tractor’s sensor

data which includes information of crops, areas, and acreage. Hence, make sure you keep up

to date with the latest IoT inventions so you are prepared to deal with the unexpected. All such

domains have their own IoT device requirements which are used for specifying the parameters

of usability testing.

202 Internet of Things

Internet_of_Things_CH08_pp201-230.indd 202 9/3/2019 10:15:09 AM