import test blog

The Problem of Interface

Then there’s the problem of interface. What looks good on paper doesn’t always work all that well. An interface may be loaded with all sorts of bells and whistles and seem to be absolutely perfect. But, not every end user will be running the program on the latest operating system and not every end user needs every bell and whistle.

The problem is multiplied by the constant shifting and changing of operating system dynamics. Updates don’t necessarily take the needs of your carefully debugged software into account, and what worked beautifully on version 1.5 of an operating system can crash completely or be very unreliable on version 2.0.

Internet Relations

Another problem is Internet interface and reliability. It use to be that people bought software on CD ROMs. Nowadays they download from the Internet and the majority of applications need the Internet to run. That can pose a big problem. For example, there are a number of market research applications that use Google Keyword Research Tools as well as other online tools provided by several different search engines.

While we may never know for sure, since they’ll never admit it, these search engines do seem to periodically change their tools to undermine market research applications. Google and other search engines may not like the idea of their research tools, which exist to increase their revenue, being hijacked by outside applications for the purpose of massive number crunching.  Especially when they don’t make any money off the deal. It could very well be a case of, “If you want to get that intimate, you have to kiss me first.”

Future Challenges

So, there are a lot of challenges in the testing environment that go beyond deadlines and making the boss happy. This is even more true as we look forward to the future. It is becoming more and more important to code in easily updateable ways and to take the possibility of future interface problems into account when designing software. Unlike the industries of the past, where changes happened slowly over decades, the software industry changes all the time and can change drastically under the force of someone’s bright idea.

In fact, a look at the IT industry shows massive change is ongoing and important changes happen about every five years or so. And things aren’t slowing down. The more change there is, the more change becomes possible.

As we are subjected to the ever increasing speed of change, it’s important to realise that every change is not necessarily a change for the better. We should bear in mind the words of Russian Admiral Gorshkov who said, “Better is the enemy of good enough.”

We should test beyond the code and always keep the future and the fellow who will use what we test, in mind.

We live in a digital world where we are all connected via a range of platforms and, with regard to the Internet, there is more uncertainty and instability than ever before. The Internet is changing at an ever increasing rate. Browsers now update on a monthly basis and mobile operating systems are always changing. This invalidates the traditional way of testing software only when we release.

Security is also an important consideration. It is vital to maintain security by both ensuring compliance with changing regulations and by making certain that changes to online applications do not inadvertently create security problems that can be used with malicious intent.

Modern software is constantly subject to updates, as improvements are made and problems are solved. However, improvements and problem solving can sometimes result in more problems. In fact when you ship new features to production, there is a very good chance different parts of your application can be impacted and in some cases break. This makes ongoing testing imperative. Also we should always be testing because the software with which our applications interact is also changing. Testing only during software release cycles is not enough. Your team should have a relentless focus on quality because good quality software converts to more happy customers.

Just as continuous integration testing is important during development, so operational testing should take place whenever changes are made. It’s just good common sense.

At Bugwolf, we make testing software always fast and easy. Clients get access to our platform and have full control over testing teams and when and what they would like to test. Customers can setup test challenges which run consistently every week, focused on testing different online forms, ensuring you are always monitoring and looking for ways to improve conversions.

Industry new giant TechCrunch is holding their annual Disrupt conference in Berlin on November 29 and 30. Tickets are still on sale for this massive startup event that draws founders, investors, and programmers from all over the globe. Previous Disrupt conferences have helped to inspire, fund, and elevate now-ubiquitous apps like Mint, Trello, and Dropbox.

Disrupt is known for its unique and attention-getting events, like Startup Battlefield—a competition where startups pitch their business ideas live on stage before a panel of judges made up of venture capitalists, industry leaders, and tech media for a chance to win the $50,000 Disrupt Cup. Since its inception, Startup Battlefield has helped its contestants raise over $8 billion.

Another popular feature of Disrupt is Startup Alley. Over 400 startups and sponsors have signed up to fill out Startup Alley at Disrupt Berlin to showcase their products, services, and innovations. For conference-goers, Startup Alley is a fantastic opportunity to meet and network with brand new companies that might turn out to be household names within the next few years.

Other events at Disrupt Berlin include CrunchMatch, a networking service that profiles attendees to help them make relevant connections to their peers in the tech industry; interactive workshops designed to facilitate problem-solving and business development; and a wide range of presentations and Q&A sessions.

Some of the featured guests at Disrupt Berlin 2018 include:

• Lucas di Grassi, Roborace CEO and former F1 driver

• Saul Klein, founding partner of LocalGlobe

• Jamie Burke, founder and CEO of Outlier Ventures

• Vinay Gupta, founder of Mattereum

• Brynne Kennedy, founder and CEO of Topia

• Markus Witte, founder and CEO of Babbel

• Anne Boden, founder and CEO of Starling Bank

These guests and other speakers will be discussing a wide range of topics: artificial intelligence, refugee assistance, online payments, the European tech market, urban planning, ride sharing, cryptocurrencies, language learning, fashion, space exploration, startup culture in sub-Saharan Africa, and much more.  

The conference is being sponsored by Freshfields, HERE Technologies, Universe, Visa, and Yixue Squirrel AI Learning. Bloomberg, CNBC, Financial Times, Mashable, and other media outlets will be providing coverage of the event.

It's a challenge to market to this generation as their sheer connectedness tends to override traditional marketing strategies. Here are some ideas on how to market to the first truly digital generation.

The presence of social media means that Millennials have a strong sense of participation. They want to become involved in and participate with the brands they buy. You can draw millennials to your brand by constructing an adventure that they can take part in. They don't simply want a brand because it's presented in an attractive way,  they want to contribute  to the company that's offering the product and that includes sharing their experiences on social media.  So, it's important to create content that inspires sharing.

Millennials are perhaps the most socially conscious generation in the last 50 years. You can entice support for your brand by supporting causes that are important to millennials. Millennials are also not interested in leading highly structured lives, they are accustomed to accepting change.  After all,  they came of age in a rapidly changing society.  They tend to have more loyalty to brands that are willing to innovate and improve and accept new trends.

It's a good idea to visit blogs and social media where millennials hang out. It can give you insight into their problems and ideas regarding the niche your product is in. This will help you generate advertising that's real to them. It's also a good idea to focus on convenience. Millennials are a hard working bunch and are often self-employed or startup founders. Making things convenient for them is an easy way to generate brand loyalty.

Millennials grew up surrounded by a high level of communication, which they expect to both give and receive. So be willing to listen and allow their input to modify your product line. In fact, it's a good idea to invite their feedback.

Millennials are the first generation to have a fully operational collective communication network at their disposal. Consequently, they are neither conformist or ruggedly individualistic. The ability to fact check anything at any time means that they can find cultural flaws more easily and so they do not readily embrace ideologies. Instead, they work at expressing their own individuality in the clothes they wear and the products they buy and are far less likely to follow the crowd, either socially, politically or in dress or manners. This is a good thing when it comes to marketing, as it enables marketers to offer products that are personal and customizable and reduces the need to compete in a large generalized marketplace.

The Internet has turned the market into a vast collection of niches, and millennials will express their individuality by choosing something from one niche and something from another. In this scenario, the most personalized product wins.

Some applications cost less and perform well, while others cost more for little or no increase in performance.

However, the digital revolution has also greatly increased connectivity throughout society, and this has important ramifications for business. For example, the perpetual connectivity of the modern customer means that he or she has more access to information about any individual company than ever before. This means that advertising has been replaced by a very personal type of customer relations. Sourcing the best tools for public relations is now a necessity.

Suppliers like Apple, Google and Amazon are aggressive exploiters of digital platforms and are well positioned to become the strategic suppliers of the future. However, these, and other top tier digital organisations, are gearing up less to become suppliers and more to become partners. It is becoming less and less possible to treat independent suppliers and support companies as just units that can be replaced if they become inconvenient. Innovative areas such as cloud, mobile connectivity and analytics are in a constant state of change that make it hard to cope without outside sourcing. 

Modern sourcing consists of generating various partnerships, each partner delivering specific products or services that contribute to the whole. The modern sourcing executive should create a strategic plan that incorporates various suppliers in a coordinated operation. All this has been made necessary by the digital revolution that is not only bringing people together, but businesses as well.

IT has brought on a speed of change unprecedented in history. This means that business must learn to work with IT in order to survive. Business IT interface consists of sourcing digital technology and using digital technology to source other elements as well. This is the only way to move fast enough to stay out in front of change and avoid becoming another Kodak.

What is software testing?

Software testing is the evaluation of a system or application by results.  It takes place under controlled conditions which, ideally, simulate normal and high load operations.  The purpose of software testing is to ensure that the system or application produces the results required by end users.  The idea is to intentionally try to make things go wrong in order to determine if the system or application can produce the desired results under various circumstances.  This is accomplished through a process of identifying and correcting errors in software before it is released.  

Why is software testing important?

Our civilization increasingly relies on digital technology to perform numerous functions and many of these functions deal with life and death scenarios. Or, at the very least, can result in loss of money and/or reputation when they fail.  Software testing exists to make certain that software is as error free as possible.

What is a software testing team?

Software testing involves a team consisting of developers, project managers and testers and may include other individuals such as usability specialists and end users.  Who is on the team depends on the type of application or system under test.

What is involved in the testing of websites?

There are a number of elements included in the testing of websites.  These include, but are not limited to, applications running within web pages, TCP/IP communications, how well the web site interacts with various browsers and different servers as well as usability standards and connection speeds.  All websites must meet certain general agreed upon industry standards with regard to usability.

What is a test case?

A test case is a detailed set of actions designed to determine if a particular feature of an application or website is functioning correctly.  Test cases are normally delineated early in the testing cycle and their purpose is to find possible areas of difficulty and to make certain that the design meets requirements.  Test cases are normally a part of a testing plan.

What is a testing plan?

The testing plan is the documented details of the testing regime, including its focus and objectives.  Such plans are often developed in collaboration with end users.  Their main objective is to ensure that all elements from the system, such as database interface, function properly and deliver the correct results.

Is it possible to find every defect in a piece of software?

No.  There are simply too many input and output combinations in any given system.  Trying to test every possible combination will always cause costs to rise beyond acceptable limits as well as permanently delay release.  The only way that all possible defects could be found would be if the software in question has only one input and one output, which are the same every time. Even then, it might not be possible to know what even the simplest software would do under every circumstance.  However, it is possible to determine what testing is needed based upon a risk assessment of the application.

Why should I hire professional testers?

Testing can show the presence of defects and professional testers have the training and experience to know where to look.  While undiscovered defects may still remain, the number of remaining defects will be far lower and remaining defects will be less likely.

When should testing start?

Testing should begin as early as possible.  The closer to the start of the development lifecycle, the better.  This helps make sure that design meets requirements. The earlier the start, the easier it is to begin the different elements of the testing cycle at the optimum times.

What does the software testing cycle entail?

The software testing lifecycle begins with an analysis of requirements. Requirements are defined as what the software is intended to do and what the system performance requirements are. Taken together, this is defined as functional testing (software performance) and non functional testing (security and system performance. Taken together, these two types of testing are defined as quality assurance. Requirements are gathered from the various stakeholders, codified and documented.

Once requirements are delineated, the next step is to determine what functional and nonfunctional tests must be performed in order to meet those requirements. This entails gathering details, establishing priorities and recording user requirements.

Test planning is then carried out in what is sometimes called the Test Strategy Phase. This includes documenting what types of tests will be required, what tools will be needed and what resources and training will be required.

Test cases and automation scripts are then developed and mapped to requirements through what is called a Requirement Traceability Matrix. This assures that no functions are missed and all are thoroughly tested.

The testing environment is then set up, including all hardware and software necessary to carry out the the required tests. Smoke tests are then performed on the build to make certain that the application is ready to move forward in testing. This is followed by carrying out all the various types of functional and nonfunctional testing as determined by the initial requirements.

Tests are then carried out per established plans and test cases. These tests are then documented as defects and failed cases appear. Defects and failed test cases are then mapped to the Requirement Traceability Matrix. Retesting occurs and fixes are tracked to closure.

As you can see, software testing is a professional operation that should not be done by amateurs. The quality of your testing results is determined by the skill and expertise of the testers involved. It can also be an expensive process. This is why Bugwolf puts so much emphasis on vetting testers and uses gamification to cut costs while still delivering the the high level of quality required.

And in this fast moving market, quality assurance can the lack the attention it really deserves. If you’re lucky, failure might not end on the front page of the papers. However when it turns pear-shaped the costs can be significant.

In digital and software quality the times are changing. Today, organisations are moving most interactions with customers from a physical world into a digital one in a drive to increase shareholder wealth and productivity. Risk which was once tightly managed by teams of employees is now in the hands of your customers. This is putting organisations under enormous pressure. The slightest interruption in quality can wreak havoc amongst your customers and for your brand. In the future, all customer engagement will be managed by a single pane of glass.

At Bugwolf, we make quality assurance testing more fun and engaging which produces an outstanding result for our customers. We do this by turning quality assurance into a game where elite testers compete over accelerated time to make your products better. We also put the testers through a vetting process, only the best of the best make it into our team. This ensures the quality of the results are significantly better than alternative testing models. We are not constrained by their physical location which gives us access to the best testers around the globe.

And this leads to reducing the risk of releasing digital products, accelerating the speed of quality testing, allowing you to spend more time on building quality products and creating a great customer experience which your customers will want to share with their friends and family.

When we say performance, we generally mean such factors as memory usage, disk space, disk operations and CPU cycles as well as the smoothness with which the new application interacts with established applications and the operating system in which it resides.

Much of performance is determined by functional testing, the purpose of which is to verify that the product is working correctly. This requires the development of testing scenarios that reflect, as closely as possible, the environment that the application will be operating in while also pushing the envelope by confronting the application with scenarios that, while they may be less likely, could cause serious problems if they come up in the field.

The problem is that it's impossible to cover every contingency. The best anyone can do is test against the probable, the possible and the unlikely but still possible. The component or system must meet its guidelines and perform in terms of time and usability, and correct response to input with regard to stakeholder requirements. However, software must be robust as well. It must perform well under adverse conditions and be able to deal with incorrect inputs.

There is a big difference between the testing lab and the field. It has to do with predictability. The operational environment contains human beings, who don't always behave predictably, and situations that aren't always predictable. This is why it is important to retest software when conditions change. For example, the Patriot missile batteries were credited with shooting down a number of Scud missiles during the First Gulf War. They worked well enough, except when they didn't work at all. The Patriot's computer required a very accurate on board clock to calculate the trajectory of an incoming Scud. Unfortunately, there was a software glitch that didn't show up in tests. This caused the onboard clock to lose time the longer the system remained on. The problem wasn't spotted because the system wasn't run long enough during tests and no one realized that soldiers in a combat zone would simply turn the system on and leave it on. The glitch caused the Patriot battery in Dhahran to misfire. The incoming Scud hit a barracks, costing the lives of twenty-eight soldiers.

While most software glitches do not result in fatalities, they can result in lost revenue, major reworking and public relations problems. This makes it important to test as well as possible and revisit deployed software from time to time to make certain that changing circumstances haven't made applications lose viability.

Problems in Denver

In Denver a software glitch left at least one person on hold for five minutes.  The glitch was caused by calls that had already been dealt with being looped back into the system and reported as hang up calls.

911 operators are required to call hangup numbers back as standard procedure, in order to insure that the caller is safe.  This ties up the phone lines causing people who have emergencies to wait on hold.  Calls can be repeatedly looped back into the system causing a tangle that is hard to unwind and locks up the system.  Calls coming in over T Mobile lines were looped through again and again, causing wasted resources and lost time.

T Mobile has been working with Denver authorities to determine the cause of the problem and the number of looped calls has been reduced, but not yet eliminated.

T Mobile issued this statement regarding the issue, " We take our customers security and safety very seriously.  We previously identified an isolated issue and, in collaboration with Denver 911, addressed it.  We will continue working closely with Denver 911 and monitor the situation." Denver authorities want to resolve this issue quickly before the summer months when call volume greatly increases.  Denver authorities have also requested that people not hang up when calling 911 as this only delays their getting help.  It takes longer for 911 operators to call them back than the amount of time they would have to wait on hold.

Denver 911 Executive Director Athena Butler said that the software glitch was a serious development, "It can be very serious and frustrating because while we are calling someone back who hasn't called us, someone else is calling in who needs help."

And Butler expressed how looping calls can be a problem. "We have had some looping calls come in and it took us about five minutes to call someone back. They were on the phone for three minutes, they hung up. We were on other calls, after about two minutes, it dropped to somebody to call them back. That's how busy we were during that time period."

Butler also advised callers not to hang up, even if on hold as it actually takes longer for operators to call them back than the time spent on hold.

The Denver problem began in 2015, but only really came to notice about a year later when operators began keeping track of looped calls. This may seem like a long time, but the cause is not neglect on the part of Denver authorities. The sheer complexity of modern software means that bugs can hide just below the surface and only rise to notice when they become acute. This is another reason for periodic testing in the field, especially in high risk operations where failure could cost lives or a large amount of money.

Problems in Dallas

Back in October of 2016 Dallas 911 began to notice that it was receiving multiple calls from the same numbers. It was as if Mobile phones used to call the emergency number were dialing 911 over and over again. At first, the problem was intermittent and didn't increase hold times. However, the problem grew considerably over the intervening months.

As it turns out, the ghost call glitch in Dallas was not T Mobile's fault.  The problem was caused by wait times that were too long.  People would hang up before the phone was answered causing the " ghost calls" and tying up the lines as 911 operators tried to call them back.  And many people could not be reached because they were already on hold calling 911 back.  This is a problem that can be easily solved by adding a few technological upgrades and more 911 operators.

City Manager T.C. Broadnax said “T-Mobile committed resources in Dallas until we made progress, and they have kept their promise. We want our citizens to know that their safety is our number one priority and they can count on us when they call 911".

And Mayor Mike Rawlings added, I'm pleased that our staff and T-Mobile worked through the night and have determined some immediate technological upgrades that will better serve our citizens calling 911. I'm also encouraged that City Manager T.C. Broadnax has committed to increasing staffing and recommending any other budgetary enhancements to our 911 call center.”

T Mobile engineers have made improvements to the Dallas 911 Network and are keeping an eye on the situation to make sure that no new issues arise.  They are assisted by third party vendors who are part of the support team that maintains the public safety infrastructure for Dallas.

It's really just a number

The 911 emergency phone line is really just an ordinary phone number that primarily uses the same infrastructure as the rest of the phone network. While the receiving end of 911 calls may receive more attention in terms of maintenance and serviceability, it is subject to the same problems that beset any other phone number.

We've all had phone connectivity problems at one time or another and 911 is no different. It still requires a working telephone and functioning cables and/or cell towers.  It also requires a call center, called a Public Safety Access Point, that can properly route calls. Different areas are served by different call centers and these may all be linked through a single control point. Software is required all along the way, from the telephone of the person reporting an emergency all the way through to the dispatching of emergency response. Actually, it works pretty good most of the time, when you consider the complexity involved.

If the T Mobile bug and problems in Dallas show anything, it is that as our society becomes ever more dependent on digital technology, the requirement to test software both before and after deployment and to continuously maintain and update infrastructure, will only increase.  The need for careful planning and the rigorous testing of software, has now become the norm.

This week, Wells Fargo admitted that because of a computer glitch, nearly 400 of their customers were foreclosed on between April 2010 and October 2015. The error affected accounts belonging to borrowers who had already started the foreclosure process, but 625 such accounts were denied or not offered loan modification programs that they were qualified for. As a result, 400 of those account holders eventually lose their homes to foreclosure.

First reported by Reuters, this information was discovered in regulatory filings Wells Fargo was required to submit as part of an ongoing series of federal investigations and private lawsuits involving their lending practices and other issues they've had in recent years. Wells Fargo identified and corrected the error in 2015, but it had successfully escaped public notice until now, and the bank has not previously spoken about this error.

In a statement, Wells Fargo said that they were "very sorry that this error occurred," promising to provide remediation to the 400 customers who lost their homes. While they stopped short of acknowledging a "clear, direct cause and effect relationship" between the glitch and the foreclosures, they did say that they would be setting aside an $8 million compensation fund.

This revelation is the latest of many regulatory violations and public relations disasters Wells Fargo has had to weather in recent years. Last month, they agreed to pay a $2.1 billion dollar fine for their role in the 2008 financial crisis, when they issued billions of dollars' worth of home loans that they knew their borrowers did not have the income to qualify for. The securities that failed because they were backed by these bad mortgages were one of the primary causes of the housing market crash and subsequent financial crisis.

The bank has also been accused of improperly charging fees to small investors, charging extension fees to customers because of delays that were Wells Fargo's fault, forcing customers to buy auto insurance they didn't need, and creating fake customer accounts to prop up their sales numbers.

It's not the first time Wells Fargo has had a problem with software bugs, either. Back in January, many Wells Fargo customers overdrew their accounts when a computer system error caused their automatic bill-pay services to make duplicate payments.