We Tried and Failed: An Experience Report on a Collaborative Workflow for GUI-based Testing

Modern software development is a team-based effort supported by tools, processes, and practices. One integral part is automated testing, where developers incorporate automated tests on multiple levels of system abstraction, from low-level unit tests to high-level system tests and Graphical User Interface (GUI) tests. Furthermore, the common practices of code reviews allow collaboration on artifacts based on discussions that improve the artifact’s quality and to share information within the team. However, the characteristics of GUI-based tests, due to the level of abstraction and visual elements, introduce additional requirements and complexities compared to code or lower-level test code review, delimiting the practice benefits.The objective of this work is to propose a tool-supported workflow that enables active collaboration among stakeholders and improves the efficiency and effectiveness of team-based development of GUI-based tests.To evaluate the workflow, and show proof of concept, a technical demonstrator for merging of GUI-based tests was to be developed. However, during its development, we encountered several unforeseen challenges that forced us to halt its development. We report the negative results from this development and the main challenges we encountered, as well as the rationale and the decisions we took towards this workflow.In conclusion, this work presents a negative research result on a failed attempt to propose a tool-supported workflow that enables active collaboration on GUI-based tests. The outcome and learnings of this work are intended to guide future research and prevent researchers from falling into the same pitfalls we did.