In this episode, host Ben Dowen is joined by Nataliia Burmei to explore the differences between closed box and open box testing. Together, they unpack classic test design techniques, including equivalence partitioning, boundary value analysis, decision tables, pairwise testing, and state transition testing, illustrating their application in real-world examples.
The pair test live and sketch on a whiteboard while discussing how these techniques can work when you know very little about a system, as well as when you know a lot. They also reflect on when to use these techniques, how to combine them, and why even the basics of testing remain valuable in modern contexts.
This session is part practical demo, part conversation, and full of insights into how you can think critically about inputs, outputs, boundaries, and system behaviour.
Resources
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- Parabank (the demo banking app they tested live): https://parabank.parasoft.com/
- Pairwise/combinatorial testing resources:
- Microsoft PICT tool (mentioned by Nataliia): https://github.com/microsoft/pict
- Software testers unite: Let's build a great tool and community for combinatorial testing! Rabi'a Brown
- Mermaid diagrams (used for state transition examples)
- Excalidraw (the online whiteboard Ben used)
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