  Automotive engineering is recognized as a combination of software and
mechanical engineering due to the ever-increasing number of software-based
components in vehicles. Since vehicles have become more sophisticated than
before to ensure robustness, testing of automotive electronics is performed in
high volume, producing immense test-related data.
  This study investigates how unstructured and decentralized test-related data
from testing of automotive electronics creates issues in decision making during
the testing and analysis process of test artifacts by performing an exploratory
case-study at one of the leading automotive companies, Volvo Cars. From the
findings of the exploratory study, a prototype was designed to improve the data
and information structure and presentation for test analysis and diagnostics
for automotive electronics. The prototype's results showed that providing
better data and information structure significantly increases the efficiency
and reduces the workload for testers when conducting test analysis and
diagnostics. Testers showed a decrease in task load for tasks related to
testing due to better information structure, presentation, correctness and
accessibility. Hence, the improvements aided the testers to arrive at decisions
regarding root cause analysis of failed tests efficiently. The findings of this
study can assist automotive companies in systematically investigating and
improving the testing process of automotive electronics in regards to managing
and structuring test-related data.
  Keywords: Testing, Automotive Electronics, Electronic Control Unit, ECU,
Unstructured Data.
