Deborah Reid
Deborah Reid
Lead Test Engineer
she/her
As a Lead Test Engineer, with 15 years experience, Deborah specialises in quality engineering, risk management, and scaling test strategies.
Over the years, she has spearheaded quality operations for major international expansions, including multi-region deployments and scaled QE to support expanding product domains. Most recently, she's focused on driving shift-left quality practices and automation.
She is deeply passionate about fostering a quality-first culture that balances speed with stability. Her approach centres on pragmatic automation - leveraging tools like Cypress where they add maximum ROI, paired with targeted exploratory testing to safeguard complex user journeys.
She also has a passion for accessibility testing and has written a course on the topic https://www.ministryoftesting.com/courses/introduction-to-accessibility-testing?s_id=19046932
馃巶 MoTaBirthday | September 29, 2017
Open To
Podcasting
Write
Meet at MoTaCon 2026
Speak
I came across the viral AI "Car Wash Test" last week, and I couldn't help but laugh.If you ask an AI model, "I need to get my car cleaned, and the car wash is 100 metres away, should I walk or driv...
24 Sep
New signage on the Thameslink spotted last night. Made me think of Jira stories. Can鈥檛 switch off this engineering mindset apparently!
16 Sep
Thinking about public speaking? Or is your first speaking gig just around the corner? This article shares Deborah's experience of speaking at a conference for the first time and how it might help you.
20 Feb
Car Wash Test
If you ask an AI model, "I need to get my car cleaned, and the car wash is 100 metres away, should I walk or drive?", several popular LLMs tell you to walk. They give you a well-written breakdown on saving petrol, squeezing in a quick bit of exercise, and avoiding the hassle of starting an engine for a short trip.It sounds sensible, until you remember the physical reality: walking 100 metres leaves your dirty car sitting in the driveway.The model isn't reasoning. It catches keywords like "100 metres", "walk", and "drive", and immediately routes down a path of health and environmental advice. It completely misses the actual goal because it lacks a basic mental model of how the physical world fits together.
Backend
The backend is the server-side part of an application that users do not directly see or interact with. It handles hidden tasks like data storage, processing logic, and communication between systems.
Frontend
The frontend is the user-facing part of a website, mobile app, or software system that people directly see, touch, and interact with.
Colour blind
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鈥攎ost commonly red and green.It's important to consider this when doing accessibility testing especially colour contrast.
Network throttling
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.
Comments
(11)
How does the AI "Car Wash Test" link back to QE?
Thanks Gary - lovely to hear. Feel free to share any feedback from them!
Mary's lamb is a trap
I did a lightning talk at a conference about this last year! I used Old MacDonald as my example :D . It was inspired from a talk I saw by Emily O鈥機onner.
MoTaverse Match
I remember this!
Together, We Find Solutions
I was sad to miss your talk but hope to watch when they share the videos!
AMA Answer: While the recipe instructions and ingredients are consistent, how is it that the quality outcome of a cake can vary considerably?
I love the comparison of baking (something I love) with QE, I hadn't realise the number of overlaps! Thanks for sharing Demi
Read an observatory link
How does ordering a birthday cake relate back to QE?
Community Star
about 7 hours ago
Thanking contributors
How does ordering a birthday cake relate back to QE?
Community Star
about 7 hours ago
Credited with an item for the MoT Observatory
How does ordering a birthday cake relate back to QE?
Community Star
about 7 hours ago
Recommend an item for the MoT Observatory
How does ordering a birthday cake relate back to QE?
Community Star
about 7 hours ago
