Thinking Outside the Box

Finding bugs requires detective work. You look for evidence, you interrogate witnesses - and some of those might not be telling the truth! You need lateral thinking to find your perpetrator.

As testers we often hear that the capability to think outside the box is an essential skill to have. In fact, this skill is great to have even if you’re not a tester.

Thinking outside the box permits you to generate new and innovative ideas, to find bugs that nobody could think about, it can also help you find completely new ways to solve problems.

We all have unconscious biases that can limit our observational skills and creativity. Steph and Lisa will introduce lateral vs. vertical thinking and explain how our brains’ “wiring” can make thinking outside the box be difficult.

In this playful workshop, you will discover several common cognitive biases that can work against us and get in the way of effective testing. You’ll practice some games that promote lateral thinking, in a safe and fun environment. You’ll leave the workshop with new skills and guidance on how to keep building up your lateral thinking “muscles”.