End-to-End Testing Gamification: A Novel Approach to the Verification and Validation of Web and Mobile Applications

Software testing is one of the most important phases of the software development process, since it allows to assess and improve the quality of the software product. One of the most common testing approaches is End-to-End testing, which consists of validating the entire application under test as a whole, not focusing on the individual components, but on the higher-level workflow. This kind of testing gives high confidence in meeting business requirements. However, End-to-End testing typically requires human intervention, which makes it a slow and expensive technique. At the same time, several studies suggest that software testing is often perceived as a tedious activity by human beings. A potential solution to this problem is gamification, i.e. the application of game design mechanics to non-ludic activities, to increase the motivation of the subjects involved. In recent years, gamification has become increasingly popular in the software engineering field, being applied to development, design, and testing. My Ph.D. path explores the possibilities given by the application of gamification to End-to-End software testing, with a focus on mobile and web applications. The goal is to realize, assess and evaluate software systems that integrate the classic End-to-end testing techniques, such as exploratory testing, with gamification aspects, such as leaderboards, competition, and levels.