Breaking stereotypes: who is testing and why it matters

Talk Description

Who is testing? 

What are their backgrounds, experiences, training, and readiness for this role? 

I conducted a qualitative study of testers from multiple countries, working in many domains, with information about their backgrounds, hobbies, roles, and characteristics. People who test come from many backgrounds and sometimes have surprising earlier careers and interests. Their roles in software projects are multi-faceted, requiring a high cognitive skill level, yet the activity of software testing is sometimes stereotyped as boring and easy; potentially replaceable by tools or AI. Breaking stereotyping, and better-supporting diversity in testers' backgrounds and characteristics, might encourage changes in recruitment, onboarding, approaches, tool support and attitudes to the testing activity.  
 

Key points

1. Arguments and evidence against stereotyping testers and testing
2. Suggestions for improving recruitment, onboarding and development of testers
3. Suggestions for helping testing activities to use appropriate tools and approaches
    

In a nutshell: Testers are diverse in background, interests and aspirations. Testing is cognitively challenging. Yet testing and testers are sometimes stereotyped as boring. Hear evidence to break that stereotype, allowing us to improve recruitment, onboarding, and support of testers.

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Isabel Evans

Researcher

She/Her or They/Them

30+ years in industry, graduated PhD from Uni of Malta on 4 March 2026! I have been researching tool design, resulting in a prototype heuristic framework, called idea-t. Research will continue as Dr. Evans, as well as beinga speaker, and practitioner. 2017 EuroSTAR Excellence Award.