All posts by Wes Silverstein

QA Recommendations for Digital Agencies

QA Recommendations for Digital Agencies

Many aspects of the typical Agile QA process are meant for long-term engagements with regular releases. But unlike a typical company, which might have the QA team testing the same app or site for years at a time, digital agencies cycle through projects regularly. Because of this, they have unique needs when it comes to QA testing.

So how do you implement a QA process that’s optimized for creative agencies without sacrificing quality? Check out our list of QA recommendations for digital agencies below! (Looking to hire QA testers for your creative agency? Read more about our QA testing services for digital agencies.)

QA Recommendations for Digital Agencies

Hire freelancers. QA contractors usually have experience working on multiple short-term projects at once, which is perfect for digital agencies. Freelance QA testers are also self-managed, and accustomed to shorter ramp-up times on projects. When you find a good contractor, you can simply send the project link or build and let them work their magic.

Hiring a QA freelancer also works well with digital agency budget and commitment requirements. Instead of permanently employing someone at 40 hours a week, you can hire a freelancer on an hourly basis as needed. Continue reading →

Oct 15

How QA Can Improve Your Site With SEO

How QA Can Improve Your Site With SEO

SEO is not usually associated with QA testing. In fact, at most companies, SEO analysts and QA testers work completely separately in different departments. While we’re not advocating for QA testers to replace SEO specialists, it can be extremely beneficial for QA to learn the basics of SEO — and incorporate this knowledge when testing websites.

What is SEO?

SEO stands for search engine optimization. In a nutshell, the purpose of SEO is to have your website page(s) rank as highly as possible in search engine results.

For example, say that you have an e-commerce site that sells Lady Gaga merchandise. Ideally, if someone Googles “Lady Gaga t-shirt,” your page would be the first result. (Just make sure you’re not sold out — Lady Gaga fans don’t mess around.)

There are a number of strategies for achieving higher ranking with SEO. Some of these include:

Writing quality content that’s appealing to read. This will result in more traffic (people love sharing!). It will also result in more time spent on the page (which search engines take into account, referred to as “bounce rate”). Continue reading →

Oct 5

The Developer and QA Relationship

The Developer and QA Relationship

Anyone who does QA testing for a mobile app or website will likely interact with one or more developers. QA’s role is to report problems with a site or app, while developers are in the position of fixing the issues. Because of these dynamics, it’s essential that the developer and QA relationship is friendly and robust.

Teamwork

Typically, communication between developers and QA will take place throughout a project or Sprint (in an Agile QA process). At the beginning of a Sprint, QA might have questions about features, data, or end point information. During the middle of testing, QA will find issues and file bug reports for developers. And at the end, developers and QA will work together to make sure the release launch happens smoothly. None of these steps can succeed without strong teamwork between both groups.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

In order to have a healthy process and great end product, the developer and QA relationship should be one of mutual respect. In this vein, it’s important for QA to avoid bringing blame into any bug reports. When bugs are reported in a judgmental way, it’s natural for developers to feel personally attacked. After all, it’s their code – so if QA is communicating problems in a condescending manner, it can be feel belittling. Continue reading →

Sep 29

QA Testing Vocabulary

If you don’t work in QA, it can be difficult to keep track of all the lingo. (Even if you do work in QA, it’s not always easy!) So we put together a handy primer on QA testing vocabulary. After all, everyone has to start somewhere, and a good team will never make you feel embarrassed to ask questions.

While this list may not help you win your next Scrabble tournament, it should help give you a basic understanding of common QA testing vocabulary.

Types of QA Testing Vocabulary

Manual Testing means testing the app or site by hand. For example, opening a browser and manually navigating to different sections of a website, looking for user experience issues or bugs. (For more, see What is Manual Testing?)

Automated Testing means using a programming language (such as Java) to write scripts that will navigate a website or app. These scripts can generate reports for issues such as broken links, missing text, etc. (For more on the differences between manual and automated, see Manual vs. Automated Testing.)

API Testing means checking the quality/accuracy of an API, which stands for Application Programming Interface. APIs send requests and responses to/from remote servers.

For example, say that you type in text and click “Search” on Google.com. The search engine API then sends the content request, and returns the search results.

Performance Testing involves checking the response time for an application or website in typical usage scenarios.

For example, let’s say that you know that your website gets 50,000 hits on a normal day. With performance testing, you could use a program to see how many seconds it would take to load in that scenario.

Load Testing is very similar to performance testing, but with even more of a focus on finding the exact point at which an app or site would crash or go down. Continue reading →

Sep 22

What is Quality Assurance Testing?

So you’ve heard of QA. But what is Quality Assurance testing? If you look in a dictionary like Webster (or if you’re really hip, dictionary.com), you’ll find a definition like this:

A program for the systematic monitoring and evaluation of the various aspects of a project, service, or facility to ensure that standards of quality are being met.

Or:

A system for ensuring a desired level of quality in the development, production, or delivery of products and services.

But these explanations are pretty vague. They could even end up leaving you more confused! So let’s define QA testing in a way that’s a little more relevant.

What is Quality Assurance Testing?

What is Quality Assurance Testing (picture shows a wood desk with a Macbook laptop, an iPad, and an iPhone on it) First, we should be clear: when we refer to Quality Assurance testing, we’re talking about various types of software testing.

In this context, QA testing involves trying to find problems with a site or app before they reach the end user (ie: the person downloading the app from the App Store). Remember the last time your favorite app crashed? With a comprehensive QA process in place, QA testers could have caught that before it launched. Continue reading →

Sep 18

Best Practices for Reporting Bugs

Best Practices for Reporting Bugs

Reporting bugs with a mobile app or website is the most important job that QA has. When QA testers find bugs, the issues need to be communicated with consistency and clarity. Since the Agile QA process is all about moving fast, developers won’t always have time to follow up with QA about every little detail. But how do you follow best practices for reporting bugs?

If a bug report provides the right level of detail, it paves the way for:

Developers to work on the proper fix
Project/product managers to prioritize bug fixes
QA testers to avoid duplicate reporting
Ensuring that QA tests the bug fix correctly

Best Practices for Reporting Bugs

Include as much information as possible. Okay, so mentioning the color of the t-shirt you were wearing when you found the bug might not be helpful. But the more details you can provide about the bug scenario, the easier it will be for a developer to identify and fix it. For example, does it only happen when using a VPN? Is it Chrome-specific? Further, are free and paid accounts affected? Include these type of details in your bug report whenever possible.

If it’s a critical bug, sound the alarm. Bug reports can get lost in JIRA until the next Sprint Planning session. (Learn more about the Jira QA workflow and best practices.) So if the bug in question is serious and user-facing (for example, a crash in the live App store version), it’s a good idea to go above and beyond creating a ticket. In addition to throwing a bug report in Jira, you can Slack the URL to a product manager to make sure they’re in the loop. Continue reading →

Sep 12

Company Culture

8 Advantages of Diversity in Tech

8 Advantages of Diversity in Tech

Having a diverse workplace brings many obvious benefits. For example, it provides opportunity for more workers, and reduces discrimination. But the advantages of diversity in tech don’t end there. Leveling the playing field for people from all types of backgrounds can bring your business a host of other benefits as well.

Why Does Tech Need More Diversity?

In the world of tech, it’s well-known that workplaces tend to be mostly made up of very specific types of people. It makes sense to be discerning when it comes to skill. But it’s beneficial for companies to be open when it comes to race, gender, and other metrics. Like any other sector, technology can benefit from more women, people of color, people with disabilities, trans and queer people, and diversity in general.

Some people think that ethics are the main positive aspect of diversity at work. We believe that this alone is reason enough to strive for it. But if you’re looking for additional reasons to make these changes, know that diversity in business also strengthens your company in many other ways. It’s truly a win-win for workers and employers in tech.

Having an open-minded hiring process that aims to give everyone a fair chance is a great starting point. Unlike the stereotype that some paint diversity initiatives as, this doesn’t mean hiring people solely because of their classification. Instead, it means taking action to remove bias from the hiring process. It’s good to keep in mind that bias can be unconscious, and you may not always be aware of it. Actively taking steps to confront it is the best way to get past it. Continue reading →

Sep 10

Collaborative QA: The Benefits of Job Sharing

You may have heard of job sharing. But what exactly is it, and how can it help your company? Read on to learn more about job sharing benefits, examples, and more when it comes to QA testers.

The Definition of Job Sharing

Job sharing is when two people share the workload for one full-time job. For example, if you have a 40-hour work week, each person might work twenty hours. When working with remote freelance contractors, this type of arrangement can be a huge asset when you have a tight budget. (Read more about the advantages of hiring remote workers.)

Job Sharing Benefits

Minimizing issue with time off. Anyone can be out sick or on vacation from time to time. When you have two people sharing the job, absence-related issues are greatly minimized. Where previously you may have had to delay a release, instead you now have a built-in backup. This also reduces stress for workers, who can feel less pressure to work while sick or avoid taking a vacation.

Comprehensive coverage. Everyone has different preferences for working hours. Some might want to start at 7am and end the day earlier, while others would prefer to start at 10:30 and be on later. Given contractor law, having two freelancers on a project helps you stay compliant without sacrificing availability. Allowing testers to work during their ideal hours will also help them feel more energized and productive. Continue reading →

Sep 5