How many mundane tasks do we do in a day that, if we think about them, we don't actually remember anything about doing them? Our mind was in a different place and we were functioning on autopilot. Sometimes our eyes are so familiar with the things we see every day, our brains do not recognize when something has been taken or moved to a new location.
The TV show “Brain Games” is based on the premise where the audience is asked to pay attention and focus on what is happening. Focusing on a specific area or activity prohibits the audience from seeing things that are going on around them. This “inattentional blindness” causes key details to be missed. Our brain is the most complex tool we have in our possession. However, with a highly complex tool comes the need to ensure that it is used appropriately and to its full potential.
In testing, such focused concentration leading to “inattentional blindness” can impact the product being delivered. We must find a way to constantly challenge our visual images and prohibit our brain from accepting that there are no changes which could impact the quality of the product. It is critical to be aware of the entire surroundings of the testing activity and to be able to recognize and call out changes that may be easily overlooked without an attention to detail.
In this session, Mike Lyles will challenge participants to “think outside the box”. There will be specific exercises to show how that the human mind sometimes overlooks details when they seem visually insignificant or unrelated. We will examine how testers can become better prepared for such oversights and discuss strategies that can be used immediately in your organizations. The key to eliminating the risk of oversight and missed problems is learning how to identify the areas where we may have originally ignored a focused effort.
Key Takeaways:
- An understanding that no matter how good we believe we are as testers, we have to realize that there is the possibility of being so familiar with a product that our eyes do not notice changes that sneak in.
- Tips to recognizing patterns and potential gaps that many visual testing activities may miss.
- Techniques that can be used in becoming a better visual tester.
