Testing the Tests - Mutation Testing for UI Automation

As testers, we would never let a new feature get released without first testing it. Automated tests are a software application in their own right and should be treated that way. This means that all new tests should be rigorously tested the same way a new feature might be rigorously tested. 

Mutation testing is typically used for verifying the feedback of unit tests. It involves making changes to the source code, which should cause the unit tests to fail. Similar methods can be used for assess the quality of UI Automated tests. 

In this talk, I will be discussing various methods for testing UI Automated tests. The aim of these tests are to reduce the risk of false positives, test flakiness and wasted time in test runs.