testing

Articles

Mug of beer A Tester Walks into a Bar: Reviewing Test Techniques

A tester walks into a bar and orders a beer. Then he orders ten beers, negative one beer, zero beers ... There are many variations of this joke. So let's try to think of every variation! Continuing the scenario of ordering beers at a bar, let's build test cases for how we would test the beer-ordering process as though it were software.

László Szegedi's picture László Szegedi
Car steering wheel photo by Nicolai Berntsen A Case for Test-First Development

You may feel you don't have time to write unit tests, but you really don't have time not to. Steve Poling makes the case that writing tests first not only will yield better code, but will help you get that code working right sooner. Here's how using a test-first approach changes your thinking about coding, lets you see mistakes immediately, and helps you create more testable code.

Steve Poling's picture Steve Poling
Sign directing "Right" one way and "Wrong" the other Ethics in Software Testing

When we speak of “test ethics,” the given examples usually are trivial dilemmas. Do we avoid reporting a bug? Do we report that testing is progressing as planned, even though it’s definitely late? These questions are kids stuff: easy because the situation is so black-and-white. But life will present you with complicated cases where the answer is not that obvious.

Michael Stahl's picture Michael Stahl
Shovel digging into dirt Uncovering Hidden Boundary Values in Testing

Boundary value analysis is a stable of test design, but sometimes the boundaries are not so obvious to the black-box tester. These are called hidden boundaries. This article provides several examples of hidden boundaries, along with some tips to design your test plan in order to reveal hidden boundaries.

John Ruberto's picture John Ruberto
telescope Agile Trends to Watch in 2018

With 2018 well underway, it seems like a good time to look ahead and think about what we hope to accomplish this year. Find out which agile trends these software experts are most looking forward to in the coming months.

Heather Shanholtzer's picture Heather Shanholtzer
Little green house Understanding Accessibility Testing: Think like a Dweller, Not a Builder

Digital accessibility aims to make any software usable by the widest possible audience. Assistive technology tools, such as screen readers, can help testers model interactions of users with special needs. But testing software design and implementation requires particular test techniques and a certain mindset: You need to think not like the builder of a house, but like the person who will make it their home.

Albert Gareev's picture Albert Gareev
Fraying rope Designing a Valuable Stress Test

If you're in a line of e-commerce that sometimes experiences site-crashing levels of volume, executing periodic stress tests is part of a good business plan. Nels Hoenig works for an electric company, so for his site, the main source of stress is power outages. Here, he details his search for a stress-testing tool, what he learned from the tests, and how he convinced others of the value of these tests.

Nels Hoenig's picture Nels Hoenig
A pair of rubber ducks The Many Advantages of Pair Testing

Pair testing can be done with various disciplines within the software development lifecycle. It has many advantages, both for the quality of the product and the benefit of the testers, and it doesn’t require any special training. You only need two brains and two pairs of eyes. Would your team try pair testing?

Simon Schrijver's picture Simon Schrijver
Sparkly "2017" sign Top 10 StickyMinds Articles of 2017

With the rise of technology like AI and practices like DevOps, teams everywhere are looking for ways to speed up testing without sacrificing quality. The articles in 2017 reflect that, with the most popular topics being test automation, testing machine learning systems, next-generation exercises, and the future of software testing. If you're looking for cutting-edge testing techniques, check out this roundup.

Heather Shanholtzer's picture Heather Shanholtzer
Graphic of gears Complex, Critical Software System Testing: When Automation Is the Only Option

While some testers are unfamiliar with test execution automation, the growing trend into automation necessitates new skills for manual testers. Project test teams need to become aware of this trend, as automation represents not only business opportunities, but also increased quality and fewer risks in complex, safety-critical, and mission-dependent projects.

Jon Hagar's picture Jon Hagar

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