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EuroSTAR Conference

Europe's Largest Software Testing Conference

Fiona Nic Dhonnacha

20 Skills You Will Learn at EuroSTAR

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This year the EuroSTAR conference is bigger and better than ever before! We’ve got a timetable packed with interactive tutorials, hands-on workshops and amazing keynote speakers.  What does that mean for you? More learning, more connections – and lots of new skills.  There are too many to count so below we’ve narrowed it down to top 20 skills you will learn at EuroSTAR:

1 Develop a super power

We’re about to let you in on a secret. Those who have achieved a work/life balance have a superpower: excellent communication skills. They possess the art of knowing when to be effective and disliked, and when to be liked but less effective. You can learn this superpower too! Get the tools and understanding you need to be an efficient (and beloved) ninja.

2 Solve a chicken-and-egg problem

Question: If you haven’t already found bugs, how do you know where they are going to be? Yes, it  seems obvious to focus where the risk is in order to test efficiently but this leads to more questions. When do you stop testing? How much is enough? It’s a chicken-and-egg problem. This workshop answers all your questions – and more. The trick is to think of risk differently…

3 Learn how to play like a pro(tester)

Play! We all love our downtime – but did you know it can really help your team to build connections, to grow and gain valuable insights? If you want to learn how to teach through play, this tutorial is for you. Games include Mend a Spaceship (broad-bandwidth comms and task urgency), Defuse a Bomb (narrow-bandwidth coms and uneven expertise) and Are We Done Yet (task estimation in a discovery environment).

4 Make test management exciting

The best way to learn is from experience – and this double whammy tutorial is based on direct learnings from two expert speakers in test management. With exercises and discussions to help you understand the topics, you’ll go home with some crafty lesser-known test management topics and learnings. Even better, you can apply them straight away to your organisation!

5 Become ace at agile

Agile is continues, non-sequential – and evolving. Software testing expert Fran O Hara’s tutorial nails key elements and practises you need to know for the most commonly used methods and frameworks in agile. You’ll get solutions to real-world issues, insights on challenges and leave ready to implement agile solutions in your company.

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6 Become a (risk)storm trooper

Having the right strategy in testing is important to stay as effective as you can – but sometimes you can get stuck in a rut. This RiskStorming session will help you focus your test strategy using 3 key questions, and leveraging the power of teamwork to become a deadly (risk)storm trooper!. Tackle real life cases and problems and leave the tutorial with a proposal for your manager.

Two people gathered around a laptop working on a project

7 Learn a new way to do UI testing

You know how it goes with UI testing – sometimes your tests pass, and sometimes they fail, without a clear cause. So, this tutorial looks at options beyond Selenium to complete UI testing. Cue Cypress.io, a new kid on the block, based on familiar open source frameworks. Get behind your laptop and experience it firsthand, with guided exercises to write your first test in minutes!

8 Discover a new test design technique

The Process Cycle Test: You may not have heard of it, but this tutorial is dedicated to this elegant, efficient and highly effective technique for testing business processes. The ISTQB world hasn’t picked up on it yet, but after you’ve tried it during the tutorial you’ll see how easy and effective it is! You’ll leave with the test cases for a life-like business process, so you can apply this technique in your work.

9 Improve your writing

Want to know how to write better, more expressive Behaviour Driven Development scenarios? Say hello to new and different writing styles by reviewing prepared scenarios. You’ll also write your own scenarios during this tutorial using Gherkin, the syntax used by Cucumber and SpecFlow. Leave armed with a checklist of tips that you can use the next time you sit down to write a scenario.

10 Elevate your performance testing

Get a first-hand insight into the life of a performance tester. Expert speaker (and EuroSTARConf 2018 Best Tutorial Winner!) Mais Tawfik Ashkar shares her performance testing experience. She also explores performance stories, challenges and solutions in a collaborative learning session. Learn new skills, techniques and strategies that will help you tackle performance testing challenges and grow holistically in your performance engineering approach.

11 Develop Your BS Detector

Debunk popular myths about what AI is, and what AI will bring in the future with Chris McKillop. AI can be deceptive and as a software tester, your BS detector ensures that your AI systems are valuable, ethical, and successful! You’ll also learn the importance of empathy in testing systems, especially those that make decisions affecting people.

12 Solve an ethical quagmire

Who exactly is watching us, how and why? We are now in the midst of a technological change that the world could not have anticipated – the 4th Industrial Revolution. AI brings brings both power and questions about accountability and liability. Join Fiona Charles in tackling the hard questions about AI and robotics, and get to the truth behind the cost to our privacy.

Group at EuroSTAR conference gathered around a laptop learning new skills

13 Learn the best way to test complex systems

Alexandre Bauduin shares his experience leading the complex system testing challenges of a real-time Boeing 777 Flight Simulator. Learn how he overcame the challenges he faced by combining his skills in test design and his expertise as an airline pilot. Afterwards, you will have strategies to organize and prioritize automation and develop regression checking suites for very large mission-critical software systems. You will also be able to report meaningful information to stakeholders.

14 Be the lord of your own rings

Hear about how one of the biggest software projects in the world, Windows 10, built a community of 16.5 million global Windows Insiders! Now, these customers are a vibrant community who are co-creating with Microsoft. Come away from this session with the knowledge to set up your own community and fan club and more importantly, how to co-create with them.

15 Master the art of failing faster – and learning faster

What happens when your working method and processes are turned upside down? Enter “Conceptual Development”, a design-driven, lean development process. Here, it’s important to fail quickly and test with actual users before a single line of code is written. Learn how to approach this new way of thinking and implement it in your software development.

16 Evolve from tester to specialist

Do you know about the Knowledge Model? Marta Firlej shares the secret to people growth and company stability, the issues around it and how it’s evolved to this day. Learn about the value of the a knowledge/competence model, how to create one, and go from a good software tester to a professional specialist.

17 Become adept at DevOps

Newsflash – QA isn’t dead, it’s evolving to a higher consciousness! QA is crucial for most DevOps implementations to succeed – but DevOps has a dramatic impact on the way we do QA. This session gives you concrete tips on how you can leverage some of the DevOps principles for your job. Get equipped with the necessary changes you need for this new DevOps world!

18 Learn lessons from a start up

Get a firsthand account of what’s it’s like building a company from the ground up from tesena CEO Phil Royston; the skills he needed, and the challenges he faced. Learn how challenges facing testers can be met with the help of professional development PLUS one of the key elements to growing your professional and business career.

19 Become a test data master 

Good test data is hard to get, and unfortunately it’s not unusual to use production data for testing. This causes problems of its own, not least that GDPR (the new EU privacy lay) applies to not only using production data directly. It also applies in almost all situations when test data is based on scrambled or anonymized production data. Here you’ll get inspiration on how to improve test data quality, and learn what it takes to generated high-quality test data from production data in a compliant way.

 20 Rediscover exploratory testing

Exploratory testing often leads to more confusion than clarity. Is exploratory testing an activity? Or is it a style of doing something? Isn’t all testing exploratory? These are questions, and Ingo Philipp will answer them- what exploratory testing is, why to use it, and when to practice it. Bring your curiosity to this hands-on, interactive session. Learn how to use this highly productive approach and put the adventure back into your testing.

How to bring the whole software project right inside your Jira

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In general, Jira is considered to be project management software, but not everyone knows that it can also serve as a functional testing tool. While Atlassian suite may not be a dedicated solution for executing tests, it may turn out to be the most convenient for you and your team, if extended with the right app. As testing process is complex and includes the work of many people, including analysts, developers, and testers, it’s important to make the communication between the stakeholders maximally transparent. Performing not only tests but the whole software development in a single place helps each member keep track of all the changes implemented throughout the process. And this is not the only advantage!

The Atlassian product was originally created for bug tracking, therefore it seems to be a smart idea to use it for tests, which in the first place aim at spotting and fixing defects. So, how to implement testing into a software project into Jira? There are three ways of doing that: standalone, with Confluence, or a dedicated testing app.

How to bring the whole software project inside Jira?

When the process isn’t very complicated, standalone Jira Software might be the right solution, as it allows to manage both requirements and test cases on the elementary level. The team should agree with the Jira Admin on special issue types for requirements and test cases that need to be set up. Jira lets us use tasks and subtasks to build simple structures and seamlessly link the issues between each other. This speeds up relations tracking and makes cooperation between the stakeholders easier.

If the project requires some more space, it’s a good idea to use Confluence. External testing tools often don’t include requirements management, and Confluence permits to precisely describe them. Underestimating this initial phase often cause problems later on, so it’s worth a while to use a special product requirements page in Atlassian software and save time and money in the end.

The third option to successfully execute the whole software project in Jira is adding a dedicated app from the Atlassian Marketplace. One of them is Requirements and Test Management for Jira (RTM). The app adds five modules to the software project which allow you to manage requirements, test cases, test plans, executions, and defects, and organize all these elements into transparent tree-structured views. This kind of solution provides you with plug-and-play configuration, full traceability of the objects and implemented changes, and also makes it possible to generate necessary test reports.

If your team uses Jira Data Center and needs more flexibility, another app of ours – TestFLO – gives you this possibility. You can choose if you prefer executing the whole process inside one Jira project or store requirements separately. The app allows creating test case repositories for cross-project testing as well.

Test management tools for Jira answer the problems of even most demanding teams, and their high-level tracking system prevents possible bugs in the final product. Read more on bringing test management process inside Jira on Deviniti blog:

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  • Author bio: Katarzyna Kornaga is a Content Specialist focusing on requirements and test management at Deviniti – an Atlassian Platinum Solution Partner based in Poland. Kate discovers the mysteries of software development in order to share the knowledge with the readers interested in the subject.

Transition to Taas with the Sales Guy and the Goats

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Most good testing service providers see the advantages of Testing as a Service (TaaS) for both their clients and themselves.  However, client concerns about the risks of transition can be a roadblock.  To see how goats can help to remove that roadblock, read on ….

 

“Crossing the River” to TaaS

I first heard “crossing the river” from a sales guy.  He explained that his sales technique was to show the client that they were currently on one side of the river, that his product was the other (more attractive) riverbank, and his job was to show them how to cross the river.

The Client’s Riverbank

Introducing a client to TaaS usually starts with a discussion about the pains of the way they currently engage external test resources – which, for most of them, is team augmentation (“body-shopping”).  Sometimes they are surprised to hear us, a supplier, admit that body-shopping is a win-lose relationship where the supplier is the winner, because body-shopping usually means certain profit with little effort and no real responsibility – and the client is the loser.  By the end of the discussion they are usually nodding their heads in agreement about the pains of body-shopping: the time and effort needed to find and select external resources; the struggles with performance and knowledge not matching claims made in a CV or an interview; high turnover and having to go through the process again and again.

Where the Grass is Greener

Then we explain how TaaS can create a win-win relationship.  We describe the principles and the specifics of our delivery models.  We show them how the burden of responsibility is transferred to the supplier and how the client can take advantage of the supplier’s expertise to boost the quality of their overall test process.

Where’s the Bridge?

By now the client usually agrees that the other riverbank looks greener and pleasanter.  When they start to think about crossing the river, however, they imagine that it will have strong currents, be filled with crocodiles and have no bridge; at this stage, panic can set in.

Sometimes the first reaction is “TaaS is not for us, we’re moving to Agile”.  This reaction may be a legacy of TaaS being offered by major vendors as a ‘test factory’ service, where the software and its specification are sent out for testing and a test report comes back.  This is a centralized testing service.  In Agile testing is devolved to the Scrum teams and centralized testing may look largely incompatible.  However, TaaS is highly compatible with Agile.

The foundation of TaaS is definition of services that meet client needs and provide value.  Services can be defined that support and extend Agile’s devolved testing.  Using services some functional or non-functional testing can be “outsourced” from Scrum teams, and some test support activities can be provided.  These can free up the scrum teams from repetitive tasks or help them with activities that require specialist skills.  This allows the Scrum team to focus on their core responsibilities and be fully involved in Agile’s key rituals.  When Agile is scaled up then TaaS can reduce costs significantly through economies of scale.

Whatever the SDLC TaaS can look scary to those with no previous experience with it.  For services to work well, the expectation of their outcomes must be clear from the start.  Clear means quantifiable, and that means metrics, but many potential clients will not be mature enough to define what they want in measurable terms.  TaaS also requires good governance and many clients will not, initially, know what this should look like. 

The Three Billy Goats Gruff

All change carries risk.  As testers we know that it’s critical to mitigate risk – it’s the core of what we do.  Risk is also partly why many people resist change.  “Better the devil you know”, as the English say.  If the transition to TaaS is to make it across the river, it has to be carefully managed. 

There’s a Norwegian nursery rhyme called ‘The Three Billy Goats Gruff’.  The goats were brothers: one was small, one was medium-sized and one was large.  They wanted to cross the river to eat the lush grass on the other side, but the only way was a bridge guarded by a hungry troll (who, by the way, was on a body-shop contract).  How did the goats get across?  They sent the small one over first.  When the troll tried to stop him, saying that he would “gobble him up”, the little goat said “Don’t eat me, I’m too small, wait for the next goat because he’s bigger”.  And so the troll let the smallest goat across.

Starting with something small is just one risk management approach we recommend.  Other good transition approaches are start with the familiar and start with the unpopular.  Let’s take regression testing as an example.  For most testing teams this is usually both familiar and unpopular.  If you have a well-maintained regression pack that has been run several times then you already know: 

  • how many tests it has,
  • what data are required,
  • how long it takes to prepare and run the tests,
  • what knowledge is needed to run them,
  • how many errors you typically find during execution,
  • how many regression bugs typically escape to production.

So, you have a set of metrics that can define your initial expectations about service performance and let you monitor the outcome.  You can try out both TaaS and your chosen provider in a relatively low-risk way, and make yourself popular with your testers who are freed of this monotonous job.  You can expect to get added flexibility and cost savings from the supplier.  When you are happy, you can send a medium-sized goat across.

In the nursery rhyme, the medium-sized goat played the same trick on the body-shopped troll that the smallest one did.  The biggest goat, last across the bridge, killed the troll.  We believe that, once a client starts with TaaS, they’ll soon wonder why they stuck for so long with that troll.

 

 

Phil Royston – CEO, Tesena

Having wandered reluctantly into IT about 30 years ago, my first contact with formal testing came unexpectedly in 2002 when I was told that I would be the Test Manager on the project I was working on. Maybe it was fate, but it seems I found my true calling. Or maybe my fate was to become the guy they called when there was a “problem in testing”. Whilst fire-fighting on troubled projects I began to tire and wonder if there wasn’t a better way. So five years ago I co-founded a testing start-up in Prague with a mission to change the testing world by making it work better.

Find out more about Tesena on www.tesena.com

14 Hidden Gems in Prague

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Join us for this year’s EuroSTAR Software Testing Conference, 11-14 Nov in the Czech Republic. While you’re here, dive into Prague’s treasure chest of culture and history – you’ll be surprised at where you surface…

1. Sip coffee at a height

Prague is known for its impressive cafés – once the headquarters of cultural societies, poets and writers, it’s where history was shaped over a Viennese melange, or a Czech beer! You’ll have to look up to see our hidden gems – the Café Orient is sitting pretty above the Cubist Museum; while the Café Louvre on the second floor of the Louvre museum was a favourite haunt of both Frank Kafka and Einstein. Soak up literati vibes while you’re sipping your coffee.

2. See a square from a different angle

Jiřího z Poděbrad Square (or Jirak to locals) isn’t far from Old Town, but you’re strolling into an entirely different setting. The square is comprised of a city park, constructed in the 19th and 20th centuries with a beautiful church in the centre, the work of architect Joze Plecnik. There’s a tramstop and a metro station close by, so it’s a breeze to get to. The square is lined with cafes and shops, and hosts a semi-weekly farmers’ market and open-air festivals.

National Technical Museum Prague

3. Get inspired by industrial history

Founded in 1908, The National Technical Museum is a dazzling demonstration of the country’s industrial heritage. It holds more than 58,000 objects and a library stacked with over 250,000 books and reading material. Start off in the main hall, which is packed to the rafters – literally – with historical planes, trains and automobiles. There are separate halls with 14 permanent exhibitions devoted to exhibits on astronomy, photography, printing architecture, electric engineering, mining, industrial design and so much more.

4. Celebrate art – in all forms

The streets of Prague are a celebration of contemporary art, such as the dozen gigantic babies crawling along the Zizkov TV Tower and the 34 bright yellow penguins located outside Museum Kampa. If you dream of leaving your mark on Prague, get creative at one of the few legal graffiti walls in the city: Tesnov is open to anyone looking to show off their skills, and a 15 minute walk from the city centre (aim for early in the morning).

Prague Penguins

5. Go underground for a liquid legacy

Hidden away in the basement of the Hotel U Prince in Old Town Square, the Black Angel’s Bar is a must visit. Despite the fact that it’s located directly across from the famous Astronomical Clock, it gives off the illusion of a secret hideaway. Designed like a prohibition-era speakeasy, the gothic and Romanesque masonry creates a cosy atmosphere. The cocktail recipes were discovered by the original owners hidden in a chest, untouched since the beginning of the century!

6. Explore a fortress

It’s not far from the metro line, but few tourists make it to the towering fort of Vyšehrad: a blissfully leafy oasis with stunning views over the city. Meaning “upper castle” in Czech, this fortress is on the right bank of the gorgeous Vltava River, offering epic views of Prague’s bridges and the famous Prague Castle. Bonus: you can see this fort from the Vltava river onboard the Grand Bohemia during the EuroSTAR Community Dinner!

Check out our current EuroSTAR Conference ticket offers for both individuals and teams.

7. Read on a zeppelin

Once a sprawling 1920s metal factory, the DOX Centre has been open since 2008. The exhibitions highlight video, sculpture, photography and painting. The piece de resistance is ‘Gulliver’. Inspired by early 20th century airships, this 42-metre long 10-meter-wide zeppelin is made of steel and wood, and suspended between two buildings. Stairs lead up to a massive reading room inside, where you can marvel at the stunning workmanship of the sculpture and appreciate literature in what is probably the most unique library in the world.

8. Forget what you know about ceramics

The oldest Czech ceramics date back to 25,000BC. The most popular modern style, blue onion porcelain, has been manufactured in the Czech lands since 1885 and is exported worldwide. If you want a souvenir that combines tradition with a quirky contemporary twist, head to Qubus: a whimsical ceramics gallery at the back of the Old Town square with cool and curious gifts. You may pick up a quirky souvenir from Prague!

9. Don your steampunk goggles

To really experience Prague at night, head for Cross Club: a thumping, thrilling steampunk style industrial factory with three floors of music, art, and hardware. It’s unabashedly industrial – everything is metal, and it’s usually moving. Think twisting shafts, cranks and pipes pulsating with psychedelic lights.

10. Hunt statues around the City

Step outside your door in Prague and it’s not long before you come across a statue – or three. Like a surrealistic sculpture in the Jewish Quarter depicting a mini Frank Kafka riding on the shoulders of a giant, empty suit (inspired by his short story ‘Description of a Struggle’). Or the life-sized ‘Man Hanging Out’, which depicts Sigmund Freud hanging one-handed from a pole, sticking out from a roof high above the Old Town. Don’t miss The Statue of St John of Nepomuk, one of the 30 sculptures mounted to the balustrade on the famed Charles Bridge. Touching the statue supposedly brings good luck and ensures your return to Prague!

12. Explore the dark arts.

Did you know that Prague was once the unofficial capital of the dark arts? Rudolf II (Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and Croatia, King of Bohemia and Archduke of Austria) was fascinated in the occult arts, and during his reign became a patron for magicians, alchemists and sorcerers in Prague. The Museum of Alchemists and Magicians of Old Prague bring this era of occult science to life with evocative, fantastical displays. Tucked away off Old Town Square, it’s well worth a visit.

Book Tower Prague - one of 14 Hidden Gems in Prague

13. Get to grips with a grisly relic…

The Church of St James was founded in 1232, and given a baroque facelift in the 18th century. This massive three-aisled Gothic basilica is the third longest church in Prague. Look up to the right as you enter and you will see a severed human arm (yes, you read that correctly!) on the inside of the western wall. This shrivelled memento among the gilt and lustre is reputed to be the arm of a thief, caught trying to steal the jewels from the statue of the Virgin Mary. She gripped his arm in a such a vice that it had to be chopped off.

14. Spiral in a book tower

‘Idiom’ by Mateg Kren at The Prague Municipal Library is a must-see for bibliophiles. Both a dream and a nightmare for book lovers, it’s an infinite cylindrical Jenga tower of books that cannot be dismantled, (even with the most concentrated extraction techniques!) But it does make for a wonderful sight. Hundreds of books are carefully stacked in this staggering installation reaching to the ceiling, and the mirrors placed at the bottom and the top of the funnel give the exhibit the illusion of being infinite.

When planning your software testing training, we hope you will include the EuroSTAR Conference in your calendar this November and join us at Europe’s best software testing event! Book before 27th September and avail of 10% savings with our Early Bird Offer.

Bring Your Team To EuroSTAR Software Testing Conference

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Spark Ideas, Share Solutions and Solve Problems at the Most Energetic Gathering of Software Testers in Europe

The EuroSTAR Software Testing Conference is not only the biggest and longest-running conference in Europe… it’s also the best! This is 4 days of high-energy learning and fun, with 1000 delegates from 50 countries and 350+ companies.The programme offers a mix of intensive tutorials ideal for in-depth training, visionary keynotes, hands-on workshops and experience-based track sessions.

We  do our best every year to give our attendees maximum opportunity to improve as test professionals! We also have networking events to help you meet new friends, fortify your passion for software, and return to your office with valuable connections.

This is where you’ll evolve your testing, and improve technical knowledge and connections. Bring your team to EuroSTAR from all areas and disciplines of your company – QA engineers, test architects, scrum masters – and reap the benefits of doing it together!

Bonus: if you test together, you save together! Get 5 tickets for the price of 4.

Cover more sessions at a team to increase learning and share knowledge. There’s plenty of choice for every type of tester team, with keynote sessions, tutorials, workshops and track talks to choose from.

“I’ve made friends at EuroSTAR who are friends for life. The people you meet at conferences like this, you bond with them over discussions about our industries, our shared problems, our shared solutions. It’s just a wonderful thing to do. It’s so powerful to meet other people and understand that you’re not alone – and to find the answers to problems together. Every year I come I learn such a lot from other people. It’s just great. I can’t recommend it enough.”

ISABEL EVANS, INDEPENDENT QUALITY & TESTING CONSULTANT

3 Things To Do as a Team at EuroStarConf 

1. Check out the Test Lab for a team-building experience

The EuroSTAR Test Lab gives you hands-on testing experience on ideas you’ve heard about at the Conference. It’s run by testers for testers, with a range of environments and testable systems to help you practice what you’ve learned. So, don’t worry about your level of experience because there’s something for everyone! Join your team – and fellow delegates – in completing practical challenges, exercises and games to improve your testing. Above all, it’s about having fun!

2. Ask the Test Doctor about your testing problems

The EuroSTAR Test Clinic is your chance to solve software testing problems, with the help of onsite test experts. Is your team stuck on something? The Test ‘Doctors’ offer coaching and guidance on ideas and solutions. Our Test Doctors are industry experts with years of testing experience and knowledge. Every year they strive for 100% of problems solved, and do their best to ensure you have a solution to implement on your return to work. So far, they have a 100% success rate!

3. Make new friends together!

So, after a hard day of learning it’s time to unwind our nighttime networking events. The Tester’s Party is on Tuesday night at the Municipal House, Prague’s most exuberantly art nouveau building. One of the biggest highlights of the conference each year is the EuroSTAR Awards: this is an amazing evening dedicated to celebrating the testing community. Celebrate with your crew and fellow testers or split attendance between both events and meet even more people!

There are lots more reasons to bring your team to EuroSTAR – strengthen bonds, forge new connections and get inspired by incredible new experiences. Furthermore, your team will retun to the office invigorated and ready to apply all your new knowledge!

AI Test Automation and Human Factor

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One of my childhood superheroes was the Terminator. The machine sent from the future to save the future. I remember tears in my eyes when the T-800 was lowering himself to the melted metal. Do you remember what he said before he did it? What were the last words he said to John Connor?

The Terminator: I now know why you cry, but it is something I can never do.

Was the Terminator true AI? Yes, he was. Did he have limitations? Yes, he did. Could he do everything that a human could do? No, he couldn’t.
As you know AI doesn’t exist. Period. If any of the test automation tools out there claims that they have AI, they are simply lying. They might have smart algorithms, advanced object identification methods but they are only as good as the developers who wrote them. That is not Artificial Intelligence. That is Human Intelligence wrapped in nice algorithms. And like the T-800 it can have its flaws and cannot fully mimic a human user. If the true AI would in fact exist, then would there be a need for any test automation platform at all? If the true AI would exist wouldn’t it just upgrade the test automation tool itself to work faster, better, more reliable? That would be a true AI.

Smart algorithms allow to work faster, but…

The greatly advertised AI functionalities of your new testing tool are nothing else than algorithms which allow to automate the manual steps you would need to take. Imagine that each time you want to find an object you need to go through the whole html tree and see what the best way is to identify it. The smart algorithms will do it for you, they will be faster, but they will only follow a pattern or in other words – follow the identification methods that their inventor thought of. That means that there might be edge cases where you will still need to do some manual work as the “AI” didn’t consider your pattern/scenario. Either way they will increase your productivity, you just need to keep in mind that they will not do everything for you.

Use “Smart” where it matters

Consider the following scenario: you are manually executing a test case which checks the login functionality to your standalone software. You see the UserName and the Password field along with a Login button. So far so good. Now, imagine that instead of seeing the logo of your software you see a black image. You, as a human can interpret that as a bug. The automated test cases cannot, as it will only check the login functionality. You as a manual tester will report this bug, the automated test case will happily say that all is passed. As long as you won’t add a test case which will just check the logo each time you will never automatically find this bug. Bad, isn’t it? However, there is a way to solve this problem without having to implement dedicated automated test cases. Visual comparison. This is something that an algorithm can do better than a human. Look at the picture below.

If you have kids, you probably know the game of spot the differences. How many differences can you find? How much time would it take? I have found 15 and it really took me some time. I am sure there are quite a few more.

How does spotting the differences apply to automatic test cases? It’s quite easy. Imagine you have executed your test case for the very first time. During the execution you have collected screenshots after executing each single test step. Those pictures should be your reference point.
Each time you will execute your test cases, your test automation solution should compare the screens with the reference screenshots and automatically detect the differences.

What is the result of the test case?

The valid question to ask is – what should happen to the automated test case result? There is no simple answer to that question. Depending on your approach you can either fail the test case (when you don’t expect a single deviation) or just throw a warning on the result. In the end what matters is that the visual difference doesn’t come unnoticed and that you will always be able to identify that something has unexpectedly changed in your software.

At TestResults.io we are using the Human Factor to give our customers the option to easily spot the changes in their UI. If you want to learn more email us or contact us directly.

Bonus

Just that you see how the UI differences could be shown for the user, look at how an output of a Human Factor algorithm could look like in reality.

Did you spot all the differences? 🙂

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Wojciech Olchawa is a Product Manager and ISTQB certified Test Automation Engineer at progile, home of TestResults.io.

He worked as a SW Tester and Test Manager in various projects in the medical devices industry and airline sector. He applies his experience in software testing to shape TestResults.io and enable customers to benefit from high-class reliable Automated Testing.

Follow him on Linkedin where he likes to share his knowledge in videos or blog post.

 Test Results Resources

8 Things You Need To Know About EuroSTAR Testing Conference Sessions

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Keynotes? Track Talks? Lightning Strikes? Get to Know All the Different Conference Sessions!

Every year the EuroSTAR Software Testing Conference invites thought leaders, industry innovators and global trailblazers to share their knowledge, showcase their expertise and spark new ideas. What does this mean for you? 4 days of invaluable learning, new connections and fresh inspiration – all in one place.

We’ve got incredible keynote speakers, and many of the world’s leading experts presenting tutorials, track talks and so much more. But what’s involved in these sessions? Here’s your chance to find out, and make sure you know your Track Talks from your Lightning Strikes. Read on and get ready to accelerate your career!

Keynotes

Our keynote speakers this year give their expertise and insights on hot testing topics: Chris McKillop looks at popular myths about what AI is, and what the future of AI means for a wider society. Fiona Charles tackles difficult questions on the ethics of technology, and unveils the truth behind the cost to our privacy.  Dona Sarkar explains how to run your own insider program within your organisation; and Alexandre Bauduin shares his experience leading the complex testing challenges of a real-time Boeing 777 Flight Simulator!

Tutorials

Every year we carefully select the EuroSTAR Conference Tutorials for our delegates. They are designed to allow you to choose an area you want to explore in greater detail, or just dive into. There are 12 amazing tutorials to choose from and they are divided between Monday (6 tutorials) and Tuesday (6 tutorials). Topics include Python, Risk in Testing, Games & Testing, Performance Testing, Test Designs and much more. Tutorials are in-depth training sessions with expert speakers. This is where you learn practical new skills that you can apply to your job right away!

Track Talks

Track talks are 45 minutes long, and feature a range of themes and topics such as tools and automation, techniques, engineering and more. This year we’ve worked incredibly hard to ensure that there’s something to suit every tester – we want you to leave enlightened and inspired! Over 30 new & expert speakers will give a track talk on UI, agile, DevOps and lots more. We have invited many great speakers, including Jaroslaw Hryszko, Marina Bechaalani, and Martin Boesgaard, to name a few.

Lightning Strikes

The concept of Lightning Strikes is to challenge speakers to give an engaging talk in just 4 minutes! Five speakers each have 4 minutes and just two slides to give a complete presentation on their chosen topic. If they don’t finish on time, lightning will strike and they have to leave the stage immediately! Who will convey their points clearly and quickly? Who will be unceremoniously struck down? This year, we have added a second Lightening Strikes session on diversity (Thursday), where 5 speakers briefly share their thoughts on inclusion and diversity in testing.

Workshops

Workshops last 1 hour 45 minutes, and are designed to stimulate your logical and critical thinking, as well as spark creativity. It’s an energetic, hands-on way for you to learn new skills and get valuable testing practice. Workshops this year include planning and testing releases, puzzle solving and storytelling for testers.

What Else is Going On at EuroSTAR?

On top of our amazing speaker sessions, we also run interactive sessions. These help you find solutions to your testing problems, make new friends, and get hands-on testing experience!

Test Lab

First, it’s Test Lab: run by testers for testers, it’s your opportunity to gain hands-on testing experience on ideas you’ve heard about at the conference. It’s also a chance to learn something new outside of the conventional conference talks and your everyday working environment. Test Lab is for everybody, no matter your level or experience. Join fellow testers and QA professionals in completing practical challenges, exercises and games. A perfect way to improve your testing in an open, friendly atmosphere.

Test Clinic

The Test Clinic helps you solve your software testing problems, with the help of our onsite test experts. Our ‘Test Doctors’ are industry experts with years of testing experience and knowledge. They’re on hand to offer coaching and guidance on ideas and solutions. Every year the Test Doctors strive to solve 100% of problems, and won’t send you home until you have a solution to implement on your return! Is there something slowing your team down? Do you have an  idea that could help others improve? Bring it to the Test Clinic!

Huddle

Everything we do at EuroSTAR is to help testers achieve their full potential and grow as a community. A huge part of this is Huddle, where experts share their knowledge with the testing community. Huddle is completely FREE to join, and you gain full access to resources across all the latest topics in software testing and quality assurance. It’s all free of charge! Huddle comes to EuroSTAR in the form of soapbox sessions, speaker couch sessions, games, giveaways and lots more. It’s also an ideal place to go if you’re a first time attendee.

Now you know everything about the different EuroSTAR Conference Sessions! There’s only one thing left to do… book your ticket!

The EuroSTAR Conference Early Bird Tickets are Now Available

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Get a 10% Discount with our EuroSTAR Conference Early Bird Tickets Offer

(*also applies to Night Owls)

Are you a chirpy riser? Or more of a night-time rouser? Well, you’re in luck: right now you can get your hands on EuroSTAR Software Testing Conference tickets with our 10% Early Bird discount! The conference is less than 100 days away, and we’re getting ready for a high-energy, jam-packed event: 4 days, 60+ sessions, keynotes, tutorials and workshops with many of the world’s leading testing and software quality experts.

This is the largest gathering of testers and quality assurance professionals in Europe, coming together to learn, share and connect –  so you don’t want to miss it.

Want a taster of what’s on offer? Here are just some of the highlights so far…

The Speakers

Our keynote speakers are leaders in their field, and they’re bringing their expertise to fascinating topics: Alexandre Bauduin will take us through the challenges of automation testing large, complex systems – with a Boeing 777 Flight Simulator. Dr Chris McKillop looks at how artificial intelligence is shaping our future, and it’s implications; respected agile testing coach Fiona Charles asks the hard questions about new technology and who is profiting from our privacy. Microsoft’s Dona Sarker shares the secret to co-creating with your customers…and how you can become the lord of your own rings! Of course, that’s barely scratching the surface of what you can sink your teeth into at EuroSTAR. Check out our programme for a full list of speakers.

EuroSTAR delegates at the Test Clinic

The Learning (and Fun!)

With expert speakers, hands-on workshops and tutorials, you’ll absorb infinite and invaluable knowledge from many of the world’s brightest minds. Tutorials this year include Python for Testers, Developing your Superpowers, and playing games! Improve your testing at our TestLab by completing  challenges, exercises and games; and solve all your testing problems at our dedicated Test Clinic with the help of onsite test experts.

 The Community

We are always focused on the community – after all, EuroSTAR Conference is created by the community, for the community. EuroSTAR Huddle is a huge part of this – a place to meet fellow quality assurance experts and network between official talks and sessions. Connect with testers and QA professionals, meet new friends and take a break from the busy day! We have soapbox sessions, games and stickers, giveaways and lots of EuroSTAR swag! Huddle is also online – access the best software testing learning resources, all for free.

Eurostar delegates dancing at the Tester's Party

EuroSTAR at Night Events

The networking starts from the moment you arrive at EuroSTAR! Our night-time events are the perfect way to relax and unwind after an intense day of learning. Catch up with old friends or make new acquaintances! We have 3 very special events, and they’re selling out fast. Our 2019 Community Dinner takes place on the Vltava river in Prague – the first time ever held on water! This means plenty of stunning night-time views. Next up, the < Tester’s Party takes place in the Municipal House, Prague’s most exuberantly art nouveau building.

Finally, the EuroSTAR Awards ceremony. This showcases the best of EuroSTAR, with inspirational awards, delicious food and drink – and a chance to meet leading lights in testing in a relaxed environment This year’s conference awards night will be held in the Zofin Palace. So, get your tickets before they’re gone!