Mobile App Testing Research Articles

A MACHINE LEARNING BASED APPROACH FOR DETECTING NON-DETERMINISTIC TESTS AND ITS ANALYSIS IN MOBILE APPLICATION TESTING

Hundreds of different mobile devices are on the market, produced by different vendors, and with different software features and hardware components. Mobile applications, while running on different devices, may behave differently due to variations in the hardware or O.S. components. Since mobile applications are expected to be deployed and executed on diverse mobile platforms, they must be validated on different mobile platforms and devices. Due to the peculiarities of mobile application development, there is a need for a quality assurance approach that focuses on its challenges. Moreover, mobile test executions take a long time because all the tests were executed in different environments and developers had to create complex tear down procedures. Such procedures were lengthy and far from perfect, leading to unpredictable failures. Regression testing is a crucial part of Mobile app development and it checks that software changes do not break existing functionality. An important assumption of regression testing is that test outcomes are deterministic and tests are expected to either always pass or always fail for the same code under test. But unfortunately, in real projects multiple release cycles, some tests— often called flaky tests—have non-deterministic outcomes. These tests undermine the regression testing cycle as they make it difficult to rely on test results. These results significantly reduced the trust in the tests and thus undermined the whole mobile app test automation effort. We trained machine learning classifiers separately on each test result dataset and compared performance across datasets. The proposed model predicts result types as Non-Deterministic or Deterministic tests from the regression suite results executed in various release cycles.

Building a Model-Based GUI Test Automation System for Mobile Applications

With the rapid advance of mobile computing technology and wireless networking, there is a significant increase of mobile applications (apps). This brings new business requirements and demands in mobile software testing, and causes new issues and challenges in mobile test automation. Existing mobile application testing approaches mostly concentrate on GUI-based testing, load and performance testing without considering large-scale concurrent mobile app test automation, and model-based test coverage analysis. In this paper, a mobile hierarchical GUI model is proposed to present mobile operation scenario flows and gesture features in a hierarchical manner, in order to facilitate test dependency analysis in test automation. Mobile app test coverage analysis is performed based on GUI ripping models. The paper also presents a developed system that provides a test automation solution using GUI models. Finally, the paper reports a case study to indicate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Music Streaming Services as Adjunct Therapies for Depression, Anxiety, and Bipolar Symptoms: Convergence of Digital Technologies, Mobile Apps, Emotions, and Global Mental Health

Mobile technologies and music are recognized as opportunities to address mental health challenges (1–3), while clinical and economic benefits of mobile health (mHealth) are currently studied (4–6). Herein, we describe feasibility of repurposing music streaming services as therapies for affective disorders. According to the World Health Organization, there are 350 million people worldwide suffering from depression, and 60 million people living with bipolar disorder. Patients with affective disorders such as depression, anxiety, or bipolar spectrum, and their caregivers are challenged with managing disease symptoms, long-term treatments, and disabilities. Between 1990 and 2010, there has been a 41% increase in public health burden of mental, neurological, and substance use disorders, as measured by disability-adjusted life years (7). Depression accounts for 40.5% of total disability-adjusted life years among mental and substance-use disorders, whereas anxiety and bipolar disorder account for 14.6 and 7%, respectively (8). A long-term morbidity in bipolar spectrum disorders emphasizes the needs to improve treatments for depression (9). Treatments of affective disorders include mainly antidepressant, antipsychotic medications, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The efficacy of antidepressants for children and adolescent patients (10), medication adherence, and limited access to CBT in many countries continue to be a challenge for public health. Treatments of depression, anxiety, and bipolar symptoms comprise CBT, psychosocial, and self-care interventions, also delivered via online and digital technologies (7, 11, 12). Opportunities for developing mobile apps and web-based interventions for neurological and mental disorders are economically feasible and coincide with the global adoption rates for smartphones (6, 13–16). Promising findings from clinical testing of mobile apps, e.g., in depression (17), are accompanied by challenges in patient engagement (18) and alignment of clinical and digital contents (19). Converting a mobile phone into low-cost virtual reality devices (exemplified by a Google VR cardboard) extends its potential medical applications (20, 21). Growing number of health-related wearables and devices measuring electrodermal activity (EDA), heart rate variability, or mobile electroencephalogram (EEG) systems, expand the use of digital technologies in medicine, including mental health [a 5-week treatment with EEG-based musical neurofeedback improved depression scores by 17% (22)]. Companies like Apple, Samsung, LG, Microsoft, Fitbit, Empatica, Emotiv, NeuroSky, or Muse develop smart watches and mobile EEG systems with health/wellness applications, whereas WellDoc, Akili Interactive, or Pear Therapeutics are engaged in converting mobile apps and games into medical device-based therapies for specific chronic diseases. Given accessibility of smartphones and the internet, we discuss opportunities for music streaming services to be developed as adjunct therapies and prevention of depressive, anxiety, and bipolar spectrum symptoms.

Mobile Software Testing: Thoughts, Strategies, Challenges, and Experimental Study

Mobile devices have become more pervasive in our daily lives, and are gradually replacing regular computers to perform traditional processes like Internet browsing, editing photos, playing videos and sound track, and reading different files. The importance of mobile devices in our life necessitates more concerns of the reliability and compatibility of mobile applications, and thus, testing these applications arises as an important phase in mobile devices adaption process. This paper addressed various research directions on mobile applications testing by investigating essential concepts, scope, features and requirements for testing mobile application. We highlight the similarities and the differences between mobile APP testing and mobile web testing. Furthermore, we discuss and compare different mobile testing approaches and environments, and provide the challenges as emergent needs in test environments. As a case study, we compared the testing experience of hybrid application in an emulator and a real world device. The purpose of the experiment is to verify to which extent a virtual device can emulate a complete client experience. Set of experiments are conducted where five android mobile browsers are tested. Each browser will be on a real device as well as an emulated device with the same features (CPU used, memory size, etc). The application will be tested on the following metrics: Performance and function/behavior testing

How to the Smash Next Billion Mobile App Bugs?

With users increasingly dependent on their phones, tablets, and wearables, the mobile app ecosystem is more important today than ever before. Creating and distributing apps has never been more accessible. Even single developers can now reach global audiences. But mobile apps must cope with extremely varied and dynamic operating conditions due to factors like diverse device characteristics, wireless network heterogeneity, and varied user behavior. App developers and operators of app marketplaces both lack testing tools that can effectively account for such diversity and, as a result, app failures and performance bugs (like excessive energy consumption) are commonly found today. To address this challenge to mobile app development, we have developed key techniques for scalable automated mobile app testing within two prototype services --- VanarSena and Caiipa. In this paper, we describe our vision for SMASH, a unified cloud-based mobile app testing service that combines the strengths of both previous systems to tackle the complexities presently faced by testers of mobile apps.

Development, Testing and Reporting of Mobile Apps for Psycho-social Interventions: Lessons from the Pharmaceuticals

The mobile Health offers great potential for delivery of Psycho-social Interventions. So far, the researchers have focused mainly on efficacy, and to some extent feasibility of Psycho-social Interventions. Poor reporting of development and initial testing has been highlighted in the recent published literature. This is not surprising considering the lack of guidance from the national regulatory agencies in developed countries. A lack of standard ways of development and testing of apps makes scientific evaluation of the intervention and replicability almost impossible. Replicabiliy is an essential component of good science. We are proposing a pathway to develop, test and report new mobile apps that deliver Psycho-social Intervention, that is based on current practices of approval of new drugs by the US, Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This proposed process consists of modifications in the current app development process, i.e., planning, alpha and beta testing. We are also suggesting an additional delta stage of testing. We note the advantages and limitations in using such approach.

GUI 버그 검출을 위한 블랙박스 기반의 시험

A variety of applications that are accessible through app markets provide useful features and functions. However, those applications can present many GUI bugs due to the deficiency of testing processes. Even though various approaches have been developed for mobile app testing, GUI bugs in applications are still difficult to be identified due to the absence of efficiency, lack of automation, and necessity of access to the source code. In this paper, we propose an automated black-box testing method for efficient GUI bug detection. Our experimental results show that the proposed method achieves better code coverage and uncovers GUI bugs when compared with existing black-box testing called Monkey.

Mobile app reading speed test

AimTo validate the accuracy and repeatability of a mobile app reading speed test compared with the traditional paper version.MethodTwenty-one subjects wearing their full refractive correction glasses read 14 sentences of...

I Have an App for That: Introduction to Mobile Application Development in Horticulture

T he adoption of mobile smart devices by the general public is rapidly increasing. It has been estimated that more than 100 million subscribers in the United States now use smartphones (Bae et al., 2012). This represents an opportunity for deploying horticulture-related mobile applications, or ‘‘apps,’’ for research, teaching, and extension. What is an app? The name is an abbreviation for ‘‘application,’’ a piece of software that is specifically designed to run on a mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet (Salz and Moranz, 2013). An app is typically downloaded and installed by the device owner. Such ‘‘native’’ apps run in conjunction with the device’s installed operating system (OS) and require an Internet connection only if a web-based service is necessary. Some examples of mobile OSs include Google’s (Mountain View, CA) Android OS, Apple’s (Cupertino, CA) iOS, and Microsoft’s (Redmond, WA) Windows Phone OS. Alternately, an app can simply be a webpage that is optimized for viewing on a smart device with access to the Internet; i.e., ‘‘web app.’’ Native apps are typically distributed via a third party, commonly known as an app store. Web-based apps are represented by icons on the device’s screen that direct the user to the webpage. Apps can be downloaded freely or are available for purchase. Some apps allow users to purchase ‘‘in-app’’ content to gain access to additional features. As the trend toward mobile learning and support grows, it is important for horticulture professionals to be aware of horticulture-related apps, and how these apps are developed, distributed, and installed. The overarching goal of this workshop is to provide an overview of the design, development, testing, and deployment of mobile apps with emphasis on horticulture-related functions. The first paper provides an overview of how apps are downloaded and installed on a mobile device. It describes how to search for apps with specific functions. Some examples of horticulture-related mobile apps will be presented. These include food safety, geographic information systems, image enhancement, hydroponics, insect scouting, turfgrass management, plant growth regulator calculations, landscape design, and plant and tree identification. It outlines how to find these apps and describes the general procedures involved in downloading and installing these apps. The remainder of the session will be devoted to the presentation of two related papers by a multidisciplinary team representing different institutions. This team has the unique and valuable experience of releasing two versions of a mobile app designed for horticultural professionals and the home horticulture market, respectively. The first paper will provide an overview of app development from conceptualization, to planning for programming and other costs, to user interface design using the team’s experience as a model. This presentation underscores the fact that app development is a dynamic process that requires detailed planning and close coordination among team members. The last paper will focus on testing, launching, and promoting an app. Proper testing and a well-planned promotional campaign are seen as key steps in releasing a properly functional app to the appropriate markets. The team’s real-world experience underscores the significance of the suggestion by Salz and Moranz (2013) to ‘‘build relationships, not just apps.’’ The papers from this workshop provide unique lessons in the development and deployment of horticulturerelated apps and help to provide guidance for others who are interested in developing apps to promote research, teaching, and extension.

Smartphone Medical Applications for Women’s Health: What Is the Evidence-Base and Feedback?

Background. Smartphone medical applications have a major role to play in women's health with their roles being very broad, ranging from improving health behaviours to undertaking personalised tests. Objective(s). Using Medline, Web of Knowledge, and the PRISMA guidelines 15 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified, with mobile interventions being tested on 1603 females, in relation to key aspects of health. Using a similar systematic approach an iPhone database search identified 47 applications (apps) developed to improve women's health. Findings. Ten RCTs used text messaging or app interventions to support weight loss, with significant improvements being observed in eight studies. For other aspects of women's health RCTs are needed to determine possible health benefits. iPhone store data analysis identified that a substantial number of women's health apps did not have star ratings or feedback comments (68 and 49 per cent, resp.), raising concerns about their validity. Conclusion. Peer-review systems, supporting statements of evidence, or certification standards would be beneficial in maintaining the quality and credibility of future health-focused apps. Patient groups should also ideally be involved in the development and testing of mobile medical apps.

Editorial for MobiCASE 2011 Special Issue

Editorial: This special issue features five selected papers with high quality from the Third International Conference on Mobile Computing, Applications and Services (MobiCASE 2011), which was held in Los Angeles, CA, USA, October 24–27, 2011. The first article, “Cross-Compiling Android Applications to iOS andWindows Phone 7”, co-authored by A. Puder and O. Antebi, considers a cross compilation approach, whereby Android applications are cross-compiled to C for iOS and to C# for Windows Phone 7. This paper describes different aspects of the cross-compiler, from byte code level cross-compilation to API mapping. A prototype of this work (XMLVM) is available under an Open Source license. The second article titled “Mobile Decentralized Search and Retrieval Using SMS and HTTP” from I. M. Lombera, L. E. Moser, P. M. Melliar-Smith and Y-T. Chuang, describes a decentralized search and retrieval system, named iTrust, that provides resistance against the vulnerabilities of centralized services. The SMS interface and the iTrust SMSHTTP bridge enable SMS-capable mobile phones to communicate with and obtain information from HTTP nodes in the iTrust network. iTrust over SMS protocol enables mobile phones to communicate directly with each other and share information in a peer-to-peer fashion bypassing the Internet. This paper also describes the Android user interface, which builds on the basic SMS capabilities of mobile phones and offers a user-friendly way of accessing the iTrust with SMS or iTrust over SMS implementation. In “Mobile Networks and Applications: A Mobile App Search Engine” the authors investigate a mobile App search engine. The authors (A. Datta, K. Dutta, S. Kajanan and N. Pervin) proposed an independent unbiased search engine Mobilewalla for mobile apps with semantic search capabilities. It has also developed an objective scoring mechanism based on user and developer involvement with an app. The scoring mechanism enables Mobilewalla to provide a number of other ways to discover apps—such as dynamically maintained ‘hot’ lists and ‘fast rising’ lists. The fourth article, “MobiSens: AVersatile Mobile Sensing Platform for Real-world Applications,” from P. Wu, J. Zhu and Y. Zhang, discusses a versatile mobile sensing platform for a variety of real-life mobile sensing applications. MobiSens addresses common requirements of mobile sensing applications on power optimization, activity segmentation, recognition and annotation, interaction between mobile client and server, motivating users to provide activity labels with convenience and privacy concerns. Based on the MobiSens platform, authors have developed a range of mobile sensing applications including Mobile Lifelogger, SensCare for assisted living, Ground Reporting for soldiers to share their positions and actions horizontally and vertically, and CMU SenSec, a behavior-driven mobile Security system. In the last article with the title “Design and Implementation of a Toolkit for Usability Testing of Mobile Apps,” the authors (X. Ma, B. Yan, G. Chen, C. Zhang, K. Huang, J. Drury and L. Wang) describes a toolkit that embeds into mobile applications the ability to automatically collect user J. Zhang (*) Silicon Valley Campus, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA e-mail: joy.zhang@sv.cmu.edu

Design and Implementation of a Toolkit for Usability Testing of Mobile Apps

The usability of mobile applications is critical for their adoption because of the relatively small screen and awkward (sometimes virtual) keyboard, despite the recent advances of smartphones. Traditional laboratory-based usability testing is often tedious, expensive, and does not reflect real use cases. In this paper, we propose a toolkit that embeds into mobile applications the ability to automatically collect user interface (UI) events as the user interacts with the applications. The events are fine-grained and useful for quantified usability analysis. We have implemented the toolkit on Android devices and we evaluated the toolkit with a real deployed Android application by comparing event analysis (state-machine based) with traditional laboratory testing (expert based). The results show that our toolkit is effective at capturing detailed UI events for accurate usability analysis.