For the success of our apps, we often add end user documentation in the form of help notes, tutorials and app demos/tours. Such end user docs are often outdated leading to confused users who make noise on support channels and worse on the play store. Tests also have the same problem — they need to be updated after the app changes to keep them in sync. However, tests produce pass/fail reports to indicate out of sync problems. So, why not kill two birds with one stone? I’ll show how end-to-end UI tests can generate beautiful user docs for happy cases and make sure they're never out of date.

1. Test and Docs: Hand in Hand
Shauvik Roy Choudhary, PhD
Founder, MoQuality
https://moquality.com

2. Documentation: Developer v End-user

3. Developing Apps is Hard …
Photo credits: blog.fullstory.com

4. Your
App
Expectations / Background
Device Capability
Languages / Symbols
Other apps installed
Network conditions
Usage patterns
Distant from servers

5. User is King

6. I need a ONE CHANCE
I need a
ONE CHANCE

7. How do we create docs today?

8. Online Help

9. In-App Help
Source: helpstack.io
Source: Google Maps App

10. In-App Chat
Source: intercom.io Source: smooch.io

11. Walkthroughs / Hints

12. Video promos

13. So, what’s the problem?

14. 1. DIFFERENCE (existing)

15. 2. CHANGE (new)
App
Version 1
App
Version 2

16. Tests have the same problem

17. Regression Testing
App
Version 1
Tests
Version 1
?
App
Version 2
PASS
FAIL
CHANGE
IN THE APP
OR

18. Idea:
Test Reports could become Docs

19. Test Structure (JUnit 4)
@Before
public void runBeforeEveryTest() {/*Setup*/}
@Test
public void actualTest() {
result = doAction();
assertTrue(result);
}
@After
public void runAfterEveryTest() {/*Teardown*/}

20. Example Test Actions: Espresso
onView(Matcher)
.perform(ViewAction)
.check(ViewAssertion)

21. Example Test Actions: Espresso
onView(withId(R.id.greeting))
.perform(click());
onView(withText("Hello Steve!"))
.check(matches(isDisplayed()));

22. Example Test Actions: Appium
driver.findElement(By.id(“Greeting”))
.click();
driver.findElement(By.id(“Text Field”))
.sendKeys(“Hello World!”);

23. Detour: Test Capture (Recording)
Android Studio Test Recorder
generates Espresso Tests
Barista App for recording tests
generates
Espresso, Appium & UIAutomator Tests
http://moquality.com/barista

24. Ok, i’m sold.
How can Tests generate Docs ?

25. BDD: Readable Tests and Test Reports
Feature: Adding item to Todo list
Scenario: Add item in Empty todo list
Given The Todo list is empty
When The user clicks “Add Task” button
And The user enters “item A” in “EditText”
And The user presses “ADD” button
Then Todo list contains “item A”
Feature: Adding item to Todo list
Scenario: Add item in Empty todo list
Given The Todo list is empty
When The user clicks “Add Task” button
And The user enters “item A” in “EditText”
And The user presses “ADD” button
Then Todo list contains “item A”

26. Generating better Test Reports
Goals:
● Still have Reliable Tests
● Generate easy to read end user docs
○ With detailed steps
○ With latest screenshots

27. DocTest Tool
Tests
DocTest Android
Emulator
Or
DeviceAppium
Test
Reports
Docs

28. https://github.com/moquality/doctest

29. Thanks!
Parting thoughts:
Does your app have End-user Docs?
Would you reuse Test Reports as Docs?