Gamify your testing to lower risk and raise value

Gamification is all the rage these days and we want in on it too!

As we grow more experienced as testers and/or domain experts, we get more confident and are able to make better decisions about which risks need to be mitigated and which can be ignored for now. However, at the same time we might actually grow inattentive and loose our edge. Because we’ve done this before, right? We know our stuff! This is when you start seeing the same risks appear in every risk analysis, the same test techniques chosen in every test session and the same parts of our application prioritized every single time.

We might think we have found that sweet spot between too shallow and too deep, too much and too little, too manual and too automated but is there really such a thing as a best practice in this constantly fluctuating industry of software development?

We believe that as we continually deliver new changes to our customers, we need to continually focus (and defocus!) our testing on the right things, keeping a fresh perspective – always thinking “What is the biggest risk now?”, “What will bring our customer the most value now?”. Regression tests might need to be consistent, and hopefully those are automated, but our exploratory testing wants a continually refreshed perspective so that we catch the unintended consequences of changes to our product and don’t get stuck in a rut. And this is where gamification can help us, forcing us to think of things in a different light.

Join us for a game of “Would you risk it?” (aka “Would Heu-risk-it?”)! In this workshop, you’ll get to try a game that combines risk analysis and value to customer with practical heuristics, and a big dash of fun, to make sure we always get some new testing ideas. Playing may also entice non-testers to join the party and learn exploratory testing skills. Tried-and-true techniques combined with a new approach mean better outcomes for our customers!