Quality-Assessment Items in Technology

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The world is constantly striving for standardized tests in order to compare the quality of similar people or businesses. Software designers utilize numerous testing techniques to debug their programs. There are no definitive statistics to measure if software is performing at its maximum capabilities. Instead, an agency has their own set of standards to meet their customer’s needs. 

The good of quality-assessment items

One of the strengths of standardized testing is that all of the information is available to the user end. This allows them to become familiar with all of the material and make their own conclusions. There is also a sense of accountability because both parties know the standards that are used. So, if an application or software does not work, there is a clear-cut way to discover what is not operating appropriately. But what if these standards do not always measure the full quality of something?

Subjective vs. Objective

The problem with using a homogeneous set of standards is they do not always properly measure the quality of software. For instance, when an agency is grading a program, in many occasions there are subjective elements to their guidelines that can disguise how well software’s performs. For example, a programmer could consider their application easy to use, while a normal consumer could think it is impossible to operate. So, the performance grades are only as good as the organization that supplies them. If the clients do not trust the agency’s analysis, the score does not matter. This is true of many industries that utilize quality-assessment items to review their products.

In the tech world

When software designers create a new product, quality assessment checks are vital in fully developing the software. A business can fail without the analysis because their product will not be able to perform correctly. As a consumer’s needs change so do the quality-assessment items. The process is never ending in order to make sure the excellence never falters. There are various types of tests that companies use such as web application testing, mobile app testing, B2B and B2C portal testing, and business process automation. These tests have different techniques that are implemented in order to correctly debug the specific program or application.

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Different quality-assessment item techniques

In the world of technology, there are various ways to test software and web applications in order to confirm it will work properly. However, there is no one set of guidelines to software evaluation. Based on the customer’s needs, there are different ways to evaluate software such as script and usability testing. An engineer utilizes script testing, when they want to identify if their software is functioning correctly. When a company employs usability testing, they are attempting to see if a person who has never seen an interface before can accomplish a certain task. This allows developers who are intimate with a certain program to hear fresh perspective about their product.

Analysis

Consumers want to make informed decisions and rely on an agency’s standards to help make their choices. Many businesses outsource their software development, meaning they rely on a third-party to create a program or application at a high level. Some industries that utilize these developers include banks, entertainment and media companies, and e-commerce companies. Many technology firms have different sets of standards for their products. However, there are common sets of principles for a high-quality assessment item. The item must have clear targets, be able to function properly, run on its expected operating systems, and meet the client’s goals. If a method can meet the basic requirements of a quality-assessment item and is tested and proven to work, then it can have a positive effect on a business.

What’s next in the post-app world?

If someone wants to look up the weather or book a flight, they open an app on their phone. Mobile applications are supposed to make people’s lives easier. However, a person only uses five apps 80% of the time. With the decreasing use of apps and the advancement of virtual assistants, many experts claim that we are about to be living in a post-app world.

Messaging Apps

The app store is full of messaging applications. Each one has a slightly different interface and retains a distinctive user group. The problem some experts’ raise about messaging apps is that there are too many, which can make it harder to contact certain people because everyone is on various applications. Although, what some experts ignore when they critique apps is they forget a cellular phone can receive text messages and phone calls. This type of seamless integration has been around before the Apple Store and the simplicity of it is going to fuel the post-app world.

What’s next in the post-app world?

Apple went all in on apps, whether it was with the Apple TV, the IPhone, or IPad apps are extremely prevalent on the company’s assorted platforms. They also have invested seriously in Siri, an intelligent assistant that can help a user throughout their day. Siri will soon be on all of Apple’s devices marking a shift in the tech giant’s app heavy strategy. Even Google has tried to combat the application revolution by creating it’s own artificial intelligence assistant named Google assistant, which is integrated with all of Google’s products.

The virtual assistant

With the invention of smart watches and devices that have AI and machine learning capabilities, apps are going to become less prevalent. An Apple Watch is small, so fumbling on the screen with your fingers is time consuming and frustrating. Comparatively, the ease of asking a virtual assistant to look up the weather instead of accessing an app makes much more sense. Also, as screens become less prevalent, the typical single purpose apps located in the Apple or Android Stores will become less needed because a virtual assistant will have the ability to do everything.

People should come first

Smart devices like Google Home or Amazon’s Echo showcase artificial intelligence’s competency. Both companies want to seamlessly blend their products into a person’s life. For instance, the Amazon Echo (Alexa) is moving business from screens to the virtual assistant. There are studies that show consumers have an emotional connection to when key performance indicators are presented by the friendly voice of Alexa.

Problem Solving

The post-app world will only become a phenomenon once consumers can completely trust their virtual assistant. Google’s search engine is used because it is a trusted central location of information but once there is confidence in virtual assistants, there will be no need for people to visit Google. Instead, Siri, Alexa, or Google assistant will access the information it’s user wants and display it in an easy and convenient fashion.

Conclusion

Countless technological advancements have been made with human convenience in mind. The post-app world is the next step in making everyone lives’ less complicated. However, people also want to enjoy the same features they are used to having. Devices must maintain a high quality if the walls between apps and devices are going to be successfully taken down. People just want results and they do not care how they get them. Buzz words and fancy developer conferences will not drive the average person into wanting to change how they interact with their devices. Instead, the new technology must make the transition into people’s day-to-day activities as seamless as it is supposed to make their lives.