Pre-Launch Mobile QA for a Healthcare Appointment Booking App

The Challenge

A UK healthcare technology provider was two weeks from launching an NHS-integrated appointment booking app on iOS and Android. Internal testing had been limited to the development team's own devices. No testing had been performed on the oldest supported iOS and Android versions, on lower-spec Android hardware, under poor network conditions, or with accessibility features enabled. The app handled sensitive patient data, making data handling errors particularly serious.

Our Approach

We conducted a structured pre-launch engagement covering four areas. First, compatibility testing on a real device matrix spanning iOS 16, 17, and 18 across three iPhone models, and Android 12, 13, and 14 across five devices including mid-range and entry-level handsets. Second, network condition testing using Charles Proxy and device-level throttling to simulate 3G and intermittent connectivity during the appointment booking flow. Third, a WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility audit with manual VoiceOver and TalkBack testing of all primary journeys. Fourth, a data handling review examining local storage, caching behaviour, and what patient data persisted after logout.

The Outcome

Compatibility testing found the booking confirmation screen rendered incorrectly on Android 12, with text overlapping a navigation element. Network testing showed that dropping connectivity during form submission resulted in duplicate appointment bookings rather than a graceful error state. The accessibility audit identified that appointment time slots were announced without surrounding context by VoiceOver, making the booking flow unusable for blind users. The data handling review found that appointment history was retained in local storage after logout: a GDPR non-compliance risk. All four issues were resolved before launch.

Tools & Techniques