Gamification in Crowdsourced Testing
Many applications today are customer-centric and are accessed by users from different geographic locations with different levels of computer literacy. Though dedicated testers rigorously test these applications before the release, some bugs may have been overlooked. There is an added challenge of finding issues related to user experience because of limited availability of testers from different cultural backgrounds.
Testing an application’s compatibility on different devices with different browsers is virtually impossible. Non-availability of a wide range of devices to test on and high costs of setting up a lab and deploying human resources are some of the factors that limit testing capabilities. Crowdsourced testing activities such as getting users from different geographies and testing applications for compatibility on multiple devices can help tackle some of these challenges.
Crowd testing, however, is not a replacement for traditional testing. It can provide good value when the crowd chosen participates in testing actively and covers all parts of the application. Crowd testing, however, comes with its own challenges. They include – motivating testers to test, increasing the depth of testing coverage, and rewarding the right testers. Gamifying testing activities can help address some of the challenges in crowdsourced testing.
Published with the permission of Testing Experience Magazine
Author Profiles
Mahesh Gudipati, Senior Project Manager, Infosys
Mahesh has more than 10 years of testing experience. During this time, he has honed his skills in data warehousing / BI testing, demand forecasting testing, big data testing, and product testing. He has implemented automation techniques in multiple ETL / DW testing projects, and holds a patent for developing an end-to-end solution for ETL / DW testing.
Mahesh is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and is currently building technical test solutions for data projects.
Jaya Bhagavathi Bhallamudi, Group Project Manager, Infosys
Jaya has over 16 years of experience in the IT industry. She is a Certified Function Point Specialist (CFPS) and a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). She specializes in test automation and is part of the ‘Innovate & Improve’ wing of Infosys Validation Services (IVS).
Currently, Jaya focuses on big data validation, and contributes to thought leadership papers and Infosys blogs.
