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SaaS is short for Software as a Service, but you must know that already. Every cloud-based solution that functions mostly online via web browsers can be defined as a SaaS. Such applications are convenient, available anytime, easy to access and come with a variety of payment options. SaaS is only one of the variations of cloud services. Together with PaaS (Platform as a Service), IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service), DaaS (Desktop as a Service), and other solutions driven by similar logic, they are united by an umbrella term XaaS (“you-name-it as a service”). But let’s focus on one of its types for now :) SaaS solutions are very diverse in terms of their features and purpose. We are speaking of:

• email services (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.);
• office suites (Office 365, Google Suite, etc.);
• CRM systems (HubSpot, Zoho, etc.);
• cloud storage services (Dropbox, IDrive, etc.);
• and many more.

The functionality and compl...

This post is co-authored with Olha Hladka, a QA Engineer at QA Madness. QA specialists familiar with test design techniques find it much easier to create efficient test suites. By employing a particular technique, we get guidelines on what to test and how to define test conditions. In other words, each test design technique helps to convert available data into efficient test cases. In this post, you will learn about five commonly-used test design techniques that will help you ensure maximum test coverage and reduce time spent on testing activities.

What Is Test Design?

Let’s start with the basics. Test design is a stage of the quality assurance process, during which we create test scenarios and outline the structure of testing activities for the project. A QA team decides on how to escalate test coverage with minimum effort.

When And Why Do We Need Test Design?

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Chatbots have become a popular way to enhance customer support. There’s no need to go deep into the benefits. Customers don’t have to wait until a human assistant is available to get the answers they need. Meanwhile, companies can increase satisfaction rates, simultaneously reducing costs required for a customer support unit. But like it always happens with technologies, there’s one “but.” You need to make sure that a chatbot will be a decent alternative for a human assistant – an equivalent for one. The truth is, a bot can communicate with lots of customers simultaneously, but the value of this communication will depend on a number of tech aspects. In other words, you will need to build a smart chatbot that covers major user requests. And for this, you’ll need a well-thought-out business logic, accurate implementation, and thorough testing. In this article, I’ll focus on the latter – chatbot testing and quality assurance activities that will bring you closer to re...

This post is co-authored with Olha Hladka, a QA Engineer at QA Madness. Interviewing for a QA job position is always a two-step process. At first, an HR specialist checks whether your profile matches the described quality assurance job requirements and discusses work-related moments. After that, a tech specialist comes for a technical interview, where a candidate is to prove to fit the QA position requirements in practice. While QA roles, skills, and responsibilities are described in Software Testing Engineer’s job requirements, you won’t find a list of questions that help to prepare for a tech interview. So how should you prepare for it? Is there anything specific to repeat? As a rule, Junior specialists can expect the general questions, like “What's the difference bet...

Outsourcing services are not a new trendy type of collaboration anymore. Businesses have gotten used to delegating some of the activities, fully or partially. It is a wise and cost-efficient tactic or/and strategic decision. It has already become a usual thing to delegate HR, legal, accounting, financial, QA, and other business tasks to third-party companies. Outsourced software testing services are especially growing in demand. Why is that happening? The main reason is the demand for flawless application and website performance. And in this case, users dictate new standards for the “flawless,” adding to already tough competition on the IT market. As product development is always an investment, QA services should ensure the potential user would be satisfied with an end-product and the experience it delivers. That’s the cornerstone of success that drives project profitability. Earlier, we’ve discussed the ...

This post is co-authored with Olha Hladka, a QA Engineer at QA Madness. There are some subjects in the QA world, an approach to which can vary from company to company. Specialists’ grades in software testing are one of those. To be more specific, the differences between Junior, Middle, and Senior QA engineers often become a subject of heated discussions. We’ve already shared some ideas on the QA Engineer role and responsibilities recently. So this time, we decided to focus on the distinction between QA grades – a Trainee, a Junior/Middle/Senior QA Engineer, and a QA Lead – and tell more about their proficiencies and responsibilities to help tech companies hire QA engineers effectively.

QA Tra...

Software testing is a science full of specific terms and classifications. Black box and white box testing are among them. QA specialists run tests with a clear understanding of how a program or an individual feature has to perform. However, there are two ways this process may go. Usually, a testing specialist from an outsourced QA company doesn’t have access to code and doesn’t know how features work on the backend. They perform black box testing, interacting with functionalities via frontend while everything “in the box” remains secret. The opposite approach, white box testing, implies full access to everything in the app. A QA engineer can test an app mimicking real user behavior or “look inside” the secret “box” if needed. So let’s take a closer look at these types of testing and learn more about their particularities. ...

This post is co-authored with Olha Hladka, a QA Engineer at QA Madness. Today, we’d like to share some thoughts on the role of a QA Engineer in the team. It seems to be a simple subject to cover, but let’s try to dig deeper. Here are some questions we’re going to answer:

• Who is a QA Engineer / QC Engineer / Tester in software development?
• And what role does a QA Engineer play in the team?
• Do their areas of responsibility vary depending on the team size?
• What skills do you need to work in a small and in a large team?
• What are the QA Engineer’s responsibilities in a dedicated QA team?

It’s time to find out the answers!

QA Engineer, QA Engineer, or Tester?

You might have already seen a well-known scheme that clearly sho...

It took some time to convince the vast audience that software testing is essential. There was a common belief that good code equals good user experience. As learned in practice, these two things may be unrelated at all. Now, we are facing a new issue: troubles with planning. Setting up a QA process takes time, and many specialists that engage QA resources at the later stages of product development don’t always fully realize that. So now, when the majority already knows why testing is essential, we have another tip to share: smart software testing planning greatly benefits the development process.

The QA Awareness: Why Software Testing Matters

Let’s start with a quick reminder about why the QA process takes such a significant place in the development pipeline. The benefits of running software testing before the release include but are not limited to the following points:

• You are confident in the quality of the end produ...