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Colour blind image
  • Deborah Reid's profile image
Colour blind (or colour vision deficiency/CVD) means having a reduced ability to see differences between certain colours. Most people who are colour blind can still see colours, but they have trouble telling specific hues apart—most commonly red and green.It's important to consider this when doing accessibility testing especially colour contrast.
Network throttling image
  • Deborah Reid's profile image
Network throttling testing is the practice of intentionally slowing down internet connection speeds to simulate how a web application or mobile app performs under slow, latent, or unreliable network conditions.It can be part of performance testing or conducted separately.Developers and QEs use this technique to see what end-users with poor coverage or slower mobile connections (such as 3G or slow 4G) will experience, rather than just relying on the ultra-fast speeds typically available in a corporate office.
In The Wild Testing image
  • Deborah Reid's profile image
The practice of evaluating software applications under real-world conditions with actual end-users, unconstrained by simulated or controlled laboratory environments. It allows Quality Engineering (QE) teams to assess performance, usability, and functionality across highly fragmented device types, network speeds, and operating systems.Examples include but are not limited to: testing your website or mobile application whilst walking around, internet reception varying including connecting to unreliable cafe wifi, losing connection completely on the underground train etc. 
Interruption testing image
  • Deborah Reid's profile image
A a software testing methodology that assesses how an application responds to and recovers from unexpected disruptions. Its goal is to ensure the app handles interruptions gracefully without crashing, losing user progress, or compromising data integrity. Most commonly associated with Mobile Application Testing, dealing with incoming notifications, phone calls, no internet etc. also known as interrupt testing,
Soft skills image
  • Deborah Reid's profile image
Soft skills are the non-technical, interpersonal, and cognitive abilities that determine how a professional manages workloads, solves problems, and collaborates across teams. Opposite of soft skills are technical "hard" skillsTogether these competencies dictate a Quality Engineer's true impact and career trajectory.
Keyboard navigation image
  • Deborah Reid's profile image
Navigating with the keyboard only is one effective method of accessibility testing.Checking the tab order is logical, that everything can be tabbed to, escape can be used to exit modals etc. 
QA image
  • Deborah Reid's profile image
QA
Traditionally known as Quality Assurance - A QA team tests code, apps, and platforms to find bugs or usability issues. Their role spans the entire development lifecycle. See https://www.ministryoftesting.com/software-testing-glossary/quality-assuranceBut others use QA to refer to:Question Asker
A11y image
  • Deborah Reid's profile image
See Accessibilityhttps://www.ministryoftesting.com/software-testing-glossary/accessibility-testing
UAT - User Acceptance Testing image
  • Deborah Reid's profile image
UAT (User Acceptance Testing) is the final phase of the software testing lifecycle, where real business users validate that the system meets their needs and operates as intended in real-world scenarios. It helps to ensures the software is "fit for business" prior to public release or deployment
User testing image
  • Deborah Reid's profile image
User testing is the process of having real, representative users evaluate software to share if it solves their problems, functions logically in real-world scenarios, and meets all business requirements. It gives more accurate feedback if the product works for the audience.Sometimes done specifically with under-represented groups in the workplace or those harder to test without understanding how users are using the system e.g. accessibility and those with different requirements. 
Bottleneck image
  • Deborah Reid's profile image
A bottleneck is any systemic constraint or congestion point that restricts the overall throughput, velocity, or delivery speed of the software development lifecycle. It forces the entire system to operate at the pace of its slowest step.Historically, testing was sometimes seen as a bottleneck (too many developers, not enough testers).
Safeguard image
  • Deborah Reid's profile image
A safeguard is a systematic measure, automated check, or physical barrier designed to detect anomalies, prevent defects, and mitigate potential risks. Instead of merely catching flaws at the end of a process, quality engineering integrates these "quality gates" early in the development lifecycle to ensure reliability, regulatory compliance, and a seamless user experience
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