Message to Mac developers: consider the value of professional software testing help
Some software developers have in-house software testing staff, while smaller (often shareware) outfits test their apps themselves, and consider outside testing help a luxury; some, therefore, rely largely on volunteer beta testers. Certainly, beta testers will help you find issues, but it's not the same as hiring a professional tester to beat on your app. Even if you have in-house testing staff, consider hiring freelance talent to augment their work. Here's the sales pitch:
- Mac user for over 15 years
- Champion for the user experience
- For Windows-to-Mac ports, will help make the Mac version truly Mac-worthy
- Understand the difference between a program and a product
- Member of Apple Developer Connection; have access to pre-release developer seed builds
- Have a variety of hardware for compatibility testing (laptops and desktops, Intel and PowerPC)
- Help troubleshoot and localize specific issues, define the scope of a problem (OS version(s), hardware, software interactions, etc.)
- Test compatibility issues
- Report bugs in a timely fashion
- For repeatable bugs, provide step-by-step test cases
- Use a bug database to enter new bugs, update info, spot possible links between bugs
- When likely to be of value, provide screen shots and/or movies with bug reports to illustrate the bug
- Submit system crash and hang logs, as well as console log output, with bug reports
- When necessary, submit Apple System Profiler logs
- Especially for AppleScript recordable app, submit test scripts for bug regression
- As required, discover in which build or release a bug was introduced (help developers quickly find responsible code change)
- If important, can help answer this question: have we shipped this bug and, if so, for how long?
- For localisation testing, have multiple machines for comparing appearances and operation side-by-side
- Familiar with Aqua Human Interface Guidelines (~400 pages), reference in bug reports
- Have experience with UNIX scripts (create test files and/or directory hierarchies, integrate with AppleScripts)
- Provide documentation testing and proofreading feedback
- Provide the commitment and testing attention your app deserves
- Provide a fresh, new and holistic perspective on your project: application, installer, Web site, help files, tutorial, other documentation
- Can be trusted to maintain the confidentiality of your internal releases, passwords, serial numbers and other information
- Depending on schedules and time zone differences, may be able to start testing builds produced at the end of your work day, so you can have bug feedback at the beginning of your next work day
Especially if you're convinced that you would benefit from professional software and documentation testing help, but even if you're still thinking about it, you're invited to get in touch at the address below.
Last updated 28 January 2009 11:11 MST
This Web page maintained by:Doug Grinbergs (doug@mactester.com)