When GUI‐Based Testing of Web Applications Meets Code Review

ABSTRACT

Code review is a well‐established practice to ensure code quality, identify potential bugs, promote knowledge sharing and maintain coding standards within a team or organization. This study aims to investigate the specific practices, challenges and information needs encountered when reviewing GUI‐based test artefacts for web applications, which remain poorly understood. We conducted a qualitative interview study with 14 software testing professionals from six different companies to explore the distinct aspects of reviewing GUI‐based test artefacts. We identified four practices, six challenges and four information needs related to reviewing GUI‐based test artefacts. The foremost challenge is the validation of GUI‐based tests under review. Furthermore, challenges concerning levels of abstraction and test robustness were not addressed in related studies. Additionally, participants proposed six potential improvements for tools and practices to better support the code review process. Notably, the absence of standardized practices and the need to run tests locally were common themes across participants. The code review process for GUI‐based test artefacts differs from that of production code, highlighting the need for practices and tools tailored specifically to the unique demands of GUI‐based testing.