SOFTWARE TESTING - WHAT DOES A SOFTWARE TESTER JOB LOOK LIKE AND HOW TO LEARN THE BASICS OF TESTING?

THE ROLE OF A SOFTWARE TESTER IN THE IT INDUSTRY

The IT industry is growing rapidly every year and, as a result, the demand for IT specialists is also increasing. What is the role of a software tester in the IT industry and what are his tasks? There are many people involved in the process of application development. The role of a software tester is to verify whether the created program meets the requirements set by the person ordering it. It sounds simple enough, but it is not always so.

Software testing usually starts when creating requirements specification, which defines how an application should work. At this stage, the tester's job is to find contradictions in the requirements and potential gaps and look for more effective solutions that can help the user use the program.

 

SOFTWARE TESTER'S WORK - IMAGINE IT

To better illustrate the work of a tester, imagine that you work for an IT company that develops custom applications. A client would like to have an online store to sell refrigerators. At the beginning of the cooperation, it is necessary to prepare a specification and to create a list of requirements, i.e. how the store should work. Sample functionalities can include e.g. purchasing without registration, online payment, the ability to sort refrigerators by price.

Software testers often analyse how the application should work before the code is even written. They ask questions like "what if the user does this" or "what if I enter a negative value? What happens?" These are just two examples of questions. They can multiply infinitely. The software tester's job is to anticipate as many potential scenarios for using the application as possible. Eliminating bugs at the very beginning of our development process is cheaper than fixing them at a later stage.

Additionally, testers pay attention to the fact that the navigation should be intuitive and not misleading. Often at this point, the tester's job also involves making suggestions for improvements to the app. Then, after the developers have created the store, the software testers proceed to test it. At this point, the tester's job is to verify that the ordered store works according to the requirements. The tester has to make sure that the system does exactly what it is supposed to do and that it works fast enough to fulfil its function. Additionally, it has to be checked if the store is intuitive, easy to use and its visual part is good in perception. In short, whether the procured website for the sale of refrigerators allows the user (the person who wants to purchase a refrigerator) to easily use it and guide him through the entire purchasing process.

Moreover, when finding some irregularity, or bug, it is not uncommon for software testers and programmers to try to solve the problem together. Sometimes the tester is also a kind of translator who tries to mediate between the side speaking a more business-like language and the side speaking a more technical one.

 

LEARNING TO TEST - WHERE TO START AND WHERE TO LOOK FOR KNOWLEDGE?

What does learning to test look like and where to start? First of all, you can begin testing the world around you, i.e. phone applications, computer applications or web applications. You can also start learning to test by looking for basic information on the Internet. Unfortunately, the amount of information is quite overwhelming and sometimes it is hard to verify which information is valuable. A good idea to start would be to read an industry book to see if the topic interests you.

 

SOFTWARE TESTER COURSE

You can also start learning software testing from scratch on a course under the guidance of experienced lecturers. This is a great way to pick up knowledge in a short time and gain skills that will allow you to start working as a Junior Manual Tester.

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