What does it take to be a good software tester? Some say it is experience while others might argue that it is natural talent that defines software testing. Whether you have considerable experience as a software tester or are just starting off, keep these techniques in mind –
Gain some Experience as a Developer
People who have experience as software developers themselves give the most accurate results while testing any type of software. If you have this experience, you can detect errors before they happen during the testing stage. This will help you create better bug reports too.
Be a Good Listener
A good software tester is a good listener. There is always room for improvement when software is at the testing stage and it is important to remember that your opinion is not all that matters. Be open to advice from other testers or developers while keeping your own judgements in check. Their advice might prove to be invaluable especially if they have more experience than you. Their insight might also help you come uncover scenarios that you might not have thought of before.
Prioritize
Testers are often required to give output within strict timelines which makes time management a crucial part of the process. As a tester, you don’t only need to know what to test but how to go about it as well. Before starting on any functionality or module, ask yourself what should be tested manually and what should be automated. Which task should be left at the last moment and which should be tackled first? Are you spending more time that you should on certain functionalities?
Once you know how to prioritize like a pro, software testing should come easy. However, if you don’t have enough experience to do that yet, make do with patience and an alert mind.
Improve your Written Communications
Testing software is one thing; making a report of your findings is a whole other ball game. Sure, you might know what is wrong with the software, but communicating these with developers is different. Bug reports and test cases have to be coherent for them to make sense for developers and must also be easy to consume at a glance. You don’t want to waste time explaining what you wrote over emails.
Don’t be Afraid to Make Mistakes
Everyone makes mistakes, even the pros. Learn from yours and know how to avoid them in the future. Learning from your mistakes will make you a better tester. Ask yourself questions like how you can improve on your bug reports. How can you prioritize tasks better during the next test cycle?
Keep Users in Mind
As a tester, you can’t always think like a developer. You also need to think like a user. Ultimately, the people who will be using the software will not be you or the developers who created it – it will be end users. Use your technical prowess while keeping users in mind, and you can detect bugs in places where you might not have thought about before.
What do these techniques teach us? They teach us that sometimes, being a good tester means thinking out of the box or addressing scenarios that you might not have thought about before.
Author Bio: Aaron Zubin is an expert programming developer and currently working for top HTML5 game development services agency. He is fully qualified and experience in the field of programming. He likes to write articles which are based on his experience and research.
