Software Testing Blog

I read a great article in ebizQ last week outlining why crowdsourcing is no longer just for startups. Dion Hinchcliffe (@dhinchcliffe) writes:

“While Internet startups have had considerable success with crowdsourcing, it’s only recently that they’ve focused on creating the tools and communities that can be readily consumed by enterprises.”

Crowdsourcing enables companies – from bootstrapped startups to global enterprises – to tap into the creativity and diversity of a global community of skilled professionals. Sounds great, so why is it better suited to some businesses and not others?

Well, with crowdsourced software testing for example, the crowd reflects the diversity (e.g. locations, languages spoken, hardware, software, etc.) of  the apps and the end users themselves. In the case of global software testing, the crowd is better suited than perhaps an outsourcing company without adequate testing coverage. This shift has empowered app companies to make the best decisions, on an on-demand basis, without sacrificing control, costs or quality.

Read more…

In recent months, we’ve ‘tested the limits’ with QA notables like  James Whittaker, Rosie Sherry and Andrew Muns.  This month, we’re jumping over to the dev side of the aisle by sitting down with Jack Margo, SVP of Internet Operations at Developer Shed .

Developer Shed is owned by Ziff-Davis and manages a bunch of tech sites — many devoted to open source technologies and communities.  They serve millions of visitors per month, for every breed of developer. Topics range from troubleshooting an Apache web server to programming a complicated Java application to successfully marketing a website.  Their tagline says it all: “Tools for Geeks!”

Today, we talk about what developers really think about testers, Jack’s take on Microsoft vs. open source, the reason he’s mad at Java, why net books are a fad, and which programming language has the biggest upside.  Check back tomorrow for part 2.

uTest: What do developers look for in their testing counterparts?
Jack: First off, most developers will ultimately hate their testing counterparts. The best developers have an almost g-d like complex where they think their code is always solid and their work infallable.  We know that is not the case.  A developer needs, in a good testing counterpart, a person who understands this and can reach the developer on a personal level.

Testers need to really keep reminding the developers that it’s not personal.  On the other hand, it’s important to state that not every functionality issue is a bug… I’ve had issues where a business spec was delivered, my team developed to spec, but the UI was just not right and the tester opened bugs against the developer.  It’s important to have a tester that can tell the difference between an enhancement and a true bug.  I know, it sounds so ridiculously trivial but finding quality testers who can also understand the nuances of business is key.

uTest: What’s the most overused buzzword in the lexicon of software apps?

Read more…

After web browsers and social media sites, you were probably wondering how we’d top ourselves for the next uTest Bug Battle. Well, after months of debate and deliberation, uTesters will compete to find bugs in six of the top Twitter desktop apps!

Unless you’ve been asleep, in a coma, or camping in the wilderness for the past two years, you’re likely aware that the Twitterverse is expanding at a mind boggling rate (thanks, Ashton and Oprah). And since hundreds of apps have been created around the popular micro-blogging site, we figured they’d make a perfect subject for our now famous Bug Battle. Here are the Twitter apps we’ll be testing, in no particular order:

1.    Tweet Deck 0.25
2.    Seesmic DESKTOP
3.    Twhirl 0.9.2
4.    Tweetr 3.4
5.    Twitterific 3.2 (mac only)
6.    Twitteroo 1.5 (pc only)

The contest kicks off RIGHT NOW (12:01am ET on Thursday) and will run through 11:59pm ET next Wednesday, June 3rd.

During that time, members of our QA community will be searching for the most serious, compelling bugs they can find, including technical, functional and GUI bugs. uTesters can focus their efforts on as many or as few of these as they choose.  We will be awarding more than $3,000 in prize money for:

* Top overall tester (based on quality of bugs and feedback)
* Top novice tester (same criteria)
* Top US-based tester (same)
* Top five individual bugs (severity and complexity)
* Best feedback (post-contest survey about the feature set, functionality and usability)

You can get more info on the Twitter Bug Battle. To find out how you – yes you! – can win the money finding bugs in these Twitter applications, be sure to check out the Bug Battle thread in our testers-only forums.

Have questions or ideas for future Bug Battles? Drop us a comment. Want to keep up with the Bug Battle action while it’s going on?  We’ll be sharing real-time updates throughout the weeklong Twitter contest on (where else?) Twitter.

The word is out!  With the launch of our revamped website, a new “Meet the Testers” application and Tester Forums, last week uTest made significant strides in turning our crowd of 16,000+ QA professionals into an interactive community.

Here’s what the media had to say:

• Jeff Howe, author of best-selling book Crowdsourcing & contributing editor at Wired Magazine, twittered the news to his 2,000 followers calling us out as a Company to Watch.

• Xconomy’s Wade Roush highlights uTest putting a human face on software testing with the new site’s collaboration tools in his story, uTest Site Revamped for Collaboration.

• VCcafe’s Eze Vidra focuses on the “Meet the Testers” app & its drill-down capabilities “into a 16K strong testing community” in uTest Puts a Face on its Crowdsourced QA Community.

Other notable posts at  StickyMinds.com, the Cloud Architect, and MSNBC.com.

Let us know what you think about the new site!

As the clock winds down on 2008 and before we turn our eyes toward ’09, we wanted to take a moment to wish everyone in the greater uTest community — testers, customers, investors, partners and employees — a safe and happy holiday season.

Thank you for contributing to an exciting and successful ’08.  Next year will be one of great opportunity, challenge and growth for uTest.  And with your help, we’ll someday look back on 2009 as a breakthrough year for all of us, as well as the beginning of mainstream adoption for community-driven software testing.

Happy holidays from Team uTest.