Testing infrastructures to support mobile application testing: A systematic mapping study

Author(s)

Kuroishi, Pedro Henrique ; Paiva, Ana Cristina Ramada ; Maldonado, Jose Carlos ; Vincenzi, Auri Marcelo Rizzo

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: INFORMATION AND SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY; v. 177, p. 19-pg., 2024-09-13.

Abstract

Context: Testing activities are essential for the quality assurance of mobile applications under development. Despite its importance, some studies show that testing is not widely applied in mobile applications. Some characteristics of mobile devices and a varied market of mobile devices with different operating system versions lead to a highly fragmented mobile ecosystem. Thus, researchers put some effort into proposing different solutions to optimize mobile application testing. Objective: The main goal of this paper is to provide a categorization and classification of existing testing infrastructures to support mobile application testing. Methods: To this aim, the study provides a Systematic Mapping Study of 27 existing primary studies. Results: We present a new classification and categorization of existing types of testing infrastructure, the types of supported devices and operating systems, whether the testing infrastructure is available for usage or experimentation, and supported testing types and applications. Conclusion: Our findings show a need for mobile testing infrastructures that support multiple phases of the testing process. Moreover, we showed a need for testing infrastructure for context-aware applications and support for both emulators and real devices. Finally, we pinpoint the need to make the research available to the community whenever possible. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 23/00001-9 - Study and evaluation of mutation test parameterization alternatives aiming at its use in software systems production environments
• Grantee: Auri Marcelo Rizzo Vincenzi
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• FAPESP's process: 19/23160-0 - Mutation-based software testing with high efficiency and low technical debt: automated process and free support environment prototype
• Grantee: Auri Marcelo Rizzo Vincenzi
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants