Be Creative – A Visual Testing Workshop

Andy Glover

Romania Testing Conference 2014

Intro’s

Objective

Agenda

Is visual testing for everyone?

Is this for everyone?

… Yes!

Is this for everyone?

… Yes!

Draw something

Examples

DRAW some more

Separators

Look and See

Arrows

Pub!

Bullet Points

Look + See + Imagine + Do (something)

Images in software help us work better

Letters

• A B C D…

• a b c d…

Quickly recognise and process what we see

Draw stick people

• Who and What

• How many and how much

• Where

• When

• How

• Why

6 ways of seeing (6 problems)

Who and What

How many and how much

Where

When

How

Why

6 ways of seeing

More people and faces

1. Who/What Portrait

2. How much Chart

3. Where Map

4. When Timeline

5. How Flowchart

6. Why Why graph

Visual Thinking Framework

Containers & Speech Bubbles

With Portraits

1. Keep things simple

2. Illuminate lists

Who/what problem: Portraits

Hint: Google search

Objects relating to your work

Example

Draw 3 portraits of your users

Draw something

Chart or Quantitative representation

1. It’s the data that matters2. Pick simplest model3. Stay with one model

The how many problem: Charts

Question

… % of time testing?

Example

Draw a recent working day at the office.

Don’t forget about coffee breaks!

Draw something

Maps!

1. Everything has a geography2. North is a state of mind3. Look beyond obvious

Where problem: Maps

Example

Draw a map of your influence with other people in your department or company.

Draw something

Or, draw a mind map of your CV/resume with skills, experience etc.

• Mindmap: A Test Plan

1. Everything has a geography

2. North is a state of mind

3. Look beyond obvious

Team exercise

Timeline

1. Time is a one way street2. Cycles for repeating timelines3. Liner: easier to draw and remember

When problem: Timeline

Example

• Draw a timeline plan for a typical software development project.

1. Time is a one way street

2. Cycles for repeating timelines

3. Liner: easier to draw and remember

Draw Something

% of senses

Total Brain sense processing capacity

Flowchart

Use shapes to represent different actions

How problem: Flowcharts

Example

State Diagram

States and actions of a bug

Team Exercise

SQVID

• Simple v Elaborate

• Qualitative v Quantitative

• Vision v Execution

• Individual v Comparison

• Change v Status Quo

Bugs SQVID

Exercise

SQVID of a Tester

Why Graphs- Multiple-variable plot

1. Require patience2. Medium-thick soup is best3. Anything can be mapped to anything… but!

Why problem: Why Graphs

James Bach’s Testing Dashboard

Example

Example

1. Who/What Portrait

2. How much Chart

3. Where Map

4. When Timeline

5. How Flowchart

6. Why Why graph

Visual Thinking Framework

1. A Bug is found in the live environment. People are blaming the test team.

2. The Boss Boss wants to automate ALL the testing…

3. Aliens who can’t speak English want to know what you do.

- Get into groups of 2 or 3

- Discuss what specific point/s to focus on

- And then draw them!

- Present back to the whole group

Group Exercise!

1. Who/What Portrait

2. How much Chart

3. Where Map

4. When Timeline

5. How Flowchart

6. Why Why graph

Visual Thinking Framework

Use visuals when ever you can!

Apply the visual framework

Try SQVID for a creativity rush

Summary

@cartoontester

Questions?

Thank You

@cartoontester

One last thing

A toy car starts at the beginning of a racetrack that looks like this:

One last thing

Which of the following would be a graph of speed vs. time for the car on this track? (the question shows 4 possible graphs, but I will only show two).