import test blog

The very first step is knowing what you need.  The next step is knowing what your budget is.  Cost is an important element and many companies put off or decide not to buy help desk software because it can be costly.  Even so, there are alternatives such as cloud based systems that, while not inexpensive, are affordable when scaled to business requirements.

One of the best ways to save money is to have a thorough knowledge of your requirements before researching what software is available.  Look at what you already use such as the telephone, Email or chat features on your website, to determine where your weaknesses are and what empty spots need to be filled in.

Once you have a good idea of what you need and the size of your budget, the next step is to start evaluating software.  Look for software that fits your business model as closely as possible.  The way you do business will have a considerable effect on the type of software required.  For example, those who sell online or in different countries will require different software than a business whose major sales are primarily offline or local.

Ideally, you want software that interfaces well with customers. This means it should be easily customizable to fit your business. The people who do the customizing also need to understand the psychology of their customers, especially when it comes to knowing the type of problems those customers face. How many of us have called a help desk only to be given an automated series of choices, none of which fit our circumstance.

It's important to remember what a help desk is for. It's not for cross selling or conducting surveys, at least not right up front. These things are possible, but only after the customer's problem has been resolved. Placing such items too early in the customer service cycle can make the whole process seem like nothing more than a hustle.

There is much more to building a help desk than simply buying some software. Ultimately, it's about relating to and communicating with customers on an individual basis. Whatever help desk you choose, remember that no helpdesk should treat customers like items to be processed. Successful customer service is built on respecting the customer as a real person.

For one thing, breaking user testing into modules can have the effect of modifying requirements. The use of testing modules generates the possibility of more changes in functionality. Now that user-testing takes place at numerous different points, the chances for "mission drift"  increase.

One major challenge is  keeping the software testing and user acceptance testing environments separate, this is even more difficult in these days of modular UAT. The pressure will be to mix user and functional testing in an effort to save money or speed the release cycle. This should be avoided. The burden of UAT should never be put on functional testers and user testing should be confined to end users or trained UX testers acting as end users. Neither functional nor end user testers are qualified to trespass on the other's territory.  Another major challenge is controlling the release cycle. Not testing the latest version wastes time, especially with regard to issue tracking.

Many companies do not have permanently established UAT teams, but rather pick personnel from the designated departments that will be using the new software. Even though those chosen may be familiar with the present business requirements, they are not trained testers and may not be familiar with the new requirements that the software under test is designed to meet. This problem can be exacerbated by not training user acceptance testers until the last minute.

Most challenges can be overcome by careful UAT planning that includes a comprehensive definition of functionality that is as inclusive as possible right from the start. It’s also important for testing objectives to be clearly defined and prioritized. Developing realistic test cases is also an important factor.

Sufficient time should be allotted for both functional and user testing, to make certain that neither steals time from the other. This ensures that UAT doesn’t get rushed by time constraints. Carrying out a balanced and detailed UAT protocol is the primary challenge of user acceptance testing.

If anything, the need for quality interface has only increased.  The modern world is a very distracting environment.  We humans like to feel that we're in control, and we also have certain patterns of behavior that are pretty much common to all of us.  When interface is designed in a way that doesn't understand these patterns, it stands a good chance of being rejected in user acceptance testing.

This sort of problem can be avoided by keeping users consistently informed as to what the system is doing and by not requiring a user to follow confusing pathways or be confronted with the unexpected. One way to achieve this is to ensure that a given screen supports a particular action that is valuable to the person using the application.  This has several advantages, it makes the interface easier to use, easier to add to when required and easier to learn.

Secondary actions should stay secondary.  They should be slightly more in the background of the interface, still accessible but not as front and center as the primary action.  Or, they can be shown only when the primary action is complete.

Think of an interface as a way of supporting a conversation between the user and the application.  There is a give and take and the next step on the user’s path should be open and easily accessible.  This will create a sense of familiarity.  One way of increasing familiarity is to present people with what they expect.  Interface elements should look and behave like material objects in the real world, at least as much as possible. An arrow should point to somewhere and a button should act like a button.

Ideally, the best interface should be intuitive and should respond to common human gestures.  It should also behave in ways that humans find the most comfortable and easy to learn.  We create user interface to manipulate a virtual world, the key to making an interface successful is to make it consistently correspond to reality.

Bugwolf CEO and founder Ash Conway pitched to the panel and a room full of innovators from companies like Hyundai and organisations like Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation.

For those who don't know, Shark Tank refers to a reality TV show that features contestant entrepreneurs pitching before a panel of potential investors referred to as sharks, but rather than pitching to investors, we pitched to some of Australia’s biggest enterprise clients. It was the Shark Tank television show that inspired this event by SE- Corp and the CIO Strategy Summit, which was sponsored by Asia-Pacific Accelerator Venturetec and the panel included representatives from Commonwealth Bank, ABC and Australian Post. Bugwolf was the only Melbourne based startup in the competition.

Conway told StartupSmart that, “It was a great opportunity to get in front of a lot of our potential customers and get some direct feedback.”

This first annual event is another indication that corporations are ever more willing to support the startup sector. The increasing spread and complexity of digital technology has increased the need to outsource to specialists who can provide cutting edge technology. Bugwolf, with its cloud based user-testing platform and unique gamification approach offers the type of solutions that enable clients to deliver better quality digital products faster to their customer, and enabling them to ship software with confidence.

Bugwolf's dedication to putting the customer first is our greatest asset, and supplying solutions that work in a rapidly changing digital environment has enabled us to interface with forward looking companies and organisations who are willing to internalise and benefit from disruption.

We are proud to be part of helping to create a new landscape based on cooperation, of which the SE-Corp CIO Shark Tank style pitch is an important part.

IBM SmartCamp gives start-ups and entrepreneurs across the globe a marvellous opportunity to gain insight from some of the most important mentors in the business while pitching to a select audience, including some of the big names in the world of Venture Capital. And Bugwolf was one of only five organizations chosen to make a presentation at this year’s event in Melbourne. 

Bugwolf CEO and Founder Ash Conway gave an enlightening presentation entitled Discover More Bugs with Less People in Less Time; outlining why Bugwolf’s unique model helps organisations get better results, faster, and with less people - specifically humans and not ‘bots’. Software testing is a crucial aspect of software development and Conway’s presentation included the financial cost of bugs released to the market and real examples of such costs incurred by some of the world’s leading organisations. He also outlined Bugwolf’s solutions to the rising cost of software testing, which is reported to be rapidly increasing from 20% to 50%  percent of the overall development cost. He also addressed how market pressures drive fast release cycles and how humans have an advantage over “bots” when it comes to replicating customer experience.

Offering both a self service SaaS Platform with access to a vetted marketplace of testers and Managed Tests with a Testing Director and a team of elite testers, the presentation included proven results such as  including delivering a range of customers between 300% and 1000% return on investment, and a reduction of the release cycle by up to three weeks, all with a team of five testers.

The People’s Choice award is based on a combination of email surveys and surveys taken during presentations.

Other presenters were:

• Localz presenting on micro-location technology experts who build robust scalable solutions for enterprise.  

• Crypto Photo on how to block phishing and malware by updating to their fast and easy logins

• Moroku presenting on how their company makes banking fun.  

• Level 35, OneView PP presentation on Enterprise Project Management redefined, a better way to manage projects

Guest speaker Andrew Eikmeier, CEO and Founder of Vinomofo also gave an energetic and passionate speech about the emotional and financial ups and downs experienced by entrepreneurs and startups. For a great overview of the day at IBM SmartCamp Melbourne, check out Hackathon Goddess.

Congratulations to IBM SmartCamp Melbourne winner Localz, we wish them every success. We were very excited to learn that Localz won by the slimmest of margins over Bugwolf, just two points from 400.

Altogether, this year’s IBM SmartCamp was a fantastic learning experience for all involved and a strong example of IBM’s commitment to help entrepreneurs and startups push the edge of the digital frontier. It was an honour to participate.

This video is now available here and on YouTube, where you can also see the pitches of other participants as well.

Ash covered how testing is becoming ever more important. Where best practices require at least 30% of development funds set aside for testing and going as high as 50% in some cases. How software is now being shipped in a few weeks or sometimes even daily and that software bugs are now costing the global economy three hundred billion US dollars a year.

He showed how Bugwolf’s incentivised and gamified approach to software testing can generate up to a thousand percent return on investment and address the problem of quality versus cost.

As Ash Conway wrote on the Bugwolf blog, “We made it all the way to the very end, taking the stage with just two other Beta startups in one of my most exciting opportunities of my career as an entrepreneur and the history of Bugwolf. Most of the finalists had already raised significant funding. Although we came close runners up, to get this far was a huge achievement.”

Bugwolf is focused and determined not only to place Australian startups centre stage, but to address the rising cost of quality with innovation and flexibility as the environment of digital technology continues to expand.

Bugwolf is not a crowd-sourced testing model. There are a number of inefficiencies with “crowd testing” which we discovered five years ago when Bugwolf was founded. Due to these, we quickly pivoted. We differ from conventional crowd testing models in four important ways:

1. Security, risk & compliance

Unlike traditional crowdsourced testing models where almost anyone can sign up, Bugwolf conducts rigorous background, security and probity checks. Due to the nature of the organisations that we work with (e.g. major banks, large government departments, etc.), we go to great lengths to ensure all compliance, security and IP considerations are covered. This protects your assets and team from the typical risks inherent in traditional crowdsourcing.

2. Fails to attract the best talent

Traditional crowdsourcing permits a large number of testers to share in a comparatively smaller reward. Consequently, it’s difficult to attract and retain high-calibre testers who can earn more elsewhere. Bugwolf takes the reverse approach. Of the thousands of applications we receive each year, only a small fraction make the cut. These elite testers are rewarded based on our proprietary algorithm, which takes into account the number of issues discovered, the severity of bugs found and the coverage the tester has achieved. This unique approach means that Bugwolf testers can earn up to 2-3X their usual hourly rate without inflating costs our clients. 

3. Increased triage time & costs

Digital leaders at the dozens of ASX200 and NZ50 companies we work with surely agree that more bug reports does not equate to better quality. On the contrary, our experience has shown that three testers operating over a six-hour period for a well defined challenge will provide optimal test coverage. Traditional crowdsourcing models that rely on a large pool of testers often results in a high volume of mixed quality bug reports. These reports subsequently create large backlogs that slow down releases and impede digital quality for our clients.

4. Lack of broader business context

Most crowdsourced testing platforms will recruit new testers for each cycle. An unexpected benefit of Bugwolf’s focused pool of approximately 50 elite testers, is that many clients actually request to use the same group of testers on an ongoing basis. The logic is that it allows testers to establish domain knowledge and a broader business context, whilst still providing a fresh, unbiased set of eyes to audit their digital assets. The result is faster, more thorough testing that is closely aligned with the client's overarching business goals.

The Melbourne Workshop will be held at the Grand Hyatt hotel at 123 Collins Street on September 12th from 1:00 PM to 5:30 PM.  The Sydney Workshop will be at the Westin Sydney located at 1 Martin Place and will take place on September 13th from 1:00 PM to 5:30 PM.

These hands on workshops will provide a thorough briefing on New Relic products that will provide insights through lectures and  lab exercises. These will include using API, Synthetics and an infrastructure demo with a follow up of actual customers explaining how they have applied New Relic products to their business models.

There is no cost to attend either workshop and all you need is a tablet or laptop. So come and test out New Relic’s dynamic suite of software analytics products and see how your business can benefit.

New Relic is a software analytics company based in San Francisco, USA, with offices in many countries around the world. It was founded in 2008 by Lew Cirne. Operating an SaaS model, New Relic provides real time monitoring of mobile and Internet applications, whether cloud based, on site or in mixed environments. These include application monitoring, database monitoring, availability, and error monitoring as well as security and team collaboration.

New Relic initiated its open SaaS platform in June of 2013. The platform enables developers to utilize over fifty plug-ins at one time from New Relic’s dashboard. These plugins can be built by the developers themselves or supplied by technology partners.

The purpose of New Relic is to supply detailed performance analytics throughout the software ecosystem that enable deep analysis of large amounts of data quickly and efficiently, enhancing software development and testing.

Through the use of cloud technology, New Relic has become an important support for Developers, executives and IT professionals worldwide.

Bugwolf is pleased to have the opportunity to present its viewpoint on the New Relic’s innovative technology at the Melbourne and Sydney workshops this coming week.

Software bugs cost the economy $312 billion (USD) in 2013 alone, and this amount continues to grow as software becomes essential in everything we do.

Conway’s keynote will highlight the impact of delivering poor quality digital experiences to customers, and how no organisation is immune. The inefficiencies of crowd testing in the enterprise, how Bugwolf addressed these challenges, and the results some of Australia's largest organisations continue to achieve.

ACS is the association for Australia’s information and communications technology (ICT) profession providing support to members in career development, networking and education. The events are formal networking opportunities to create business opportunities and forge new relationships.

With 20 years of International business development, 11 years of that building technology companies, Ash has has worked with tech startups through to acquisition and generated sales revenue as high as $150 million. As a serial entrepreneur, he is focused on finding and solving market needs that have broad appeal among early adopters which are underserved and untapped, and that cloud, internet of things, and mobile enabled technologies can address.

Ash has extensive experience designing software and leading software development teams. During the early stages of his career, he worked as a designer in Europe and ran an award winning agency in Melbourne.

Ash has been able to combine both his acumen for business, technology, and design into creating digital products that solve real world problems that deliver great user experiences. He is passionate about software testing, people marketplaces, crowdsourcing, game design, and the on-demand economy.

For more information on the event, please visit the ACS website.

“It is about highlighting to girls, between 13 and 17, the joys and opportunities of a career in IT because often they don’t know about it, or they are not given the opportunity to know more and decide. So we’re not about making them going into IT. We are giving them the opportunity to choose,” event leader Fi Slaven explained to CIO Australia.

The Go Girl Go program originally hosted a themed conference every two years to assist young women to understand the opportunities available in IT careers. This year’s event was so successful that it has now turned into an ongoing endeavor with newsletters, competitions and programs. As Fi Slaven said,  “We are the only program of its kind in Australia - and we are the biggest this year. We had a goal of 1,500 girls and we had 2,300 register from over 85 schools.”

Bugwolf created a challenge where teenage girls would use their own phones, or supplied devices, to test NAB’s website and give feedback on what they found using Bugwolf’s state of the art software testing platform. Over 273 girls participated by reporting feedback about NAB’s website.

The ever-increasing level of technology means that, in the next few decades, the demand for knowledge of digital technology and other skills such as engineering and mathematics won’t simply be in demand, they’ll be prerequisites for the majority of jobs. This is a big change since coding, and other aspects of IT, originally developed in a rather esoteric and isolated atmosphere.  Consequently, there are many young people whose main influencers know little or nothing about IT and its many career opportunities.

The Go Girl Go program is there to say that you don't have to be a "geek" to be a part of IT. There are career opportunities that anyone can take advantage of. And not everything is coding, there are many creative ways to engage with digital technology.

Bugwolf  is proud to take part in inspiring young women to be the innovators, entrepreneurs and inventors who will take on the challenges of building the next generation of digital technology.