Top

Web5

Web5 is an open source decentralized web platform based on open web standards that returns ownership and control over data to individuals where it belongs....

Web5 is an open source decentr...

Read More

Crypto Wallets: Custodial vs Non-Custodial

You may hear folks talk about crypto wallets. What are these and how do you choose which kind to use? What Is a Crypto Wallet? A wallet is used to hold your crypto. Associated with your wallet is a unique set of keys: 🔑 a public key (your wallet's...

You may hear folks talk about ...

Read More

Why I Joined Block

I'm known in tech for Java development, software testing, and public speaking. So you may be wondering what brings me to Block's decentralized finance division as Vice President of Developer Relations. Oooh, I'm so glad you asked! Let me share some fun, little known facts...

I'm known in tech for Java dev...

Read More

10 Portfolio Projects for Automation Engineers

Those looking to break into the test automation field have difficulty doing so because of lack of experience. One way to gain experience is, of course, to study and practice on your own. But how do you demonstrate your newfound knowledge to employers? Other professionals, such as front-end developers,...

Those looking to break into th...

Read More

Blockchain 101: A Quick Primer for Absolute Beginners

Lately, I'm hearing a lot about crypto, blockchain, bitcoin, Ethereum, smart contracts, defi (decentralized finance), dapps (decentralized applications), DAOs (decentralized autonomous organizations), NFTs (non-fungible tokens), web3, and on and on. I wanted to learn more about all of this stuff so I started digging around for...

Lately, I'm hearing a lot abou...

Read More

Test Automation Career Path

A common frequently asked question is "what is the career ladder for a test automation engineer?". This is a great question, as this role is often perceived as a flat one which makes it difficult for managers and practitioners alike to determine how one can...

A common frequently asked ques...

Read More

Let’s Discuss: Developer Relations

I had the pleasure of getting some of my favorite developer advocates together in one virtual space to discuss the role of Developer Relations! If you are interested in becoming a developer advocate, are currently a developer advocate, or just want to know what is...

I had the pleasure of getting ...

Read More

Tips for Healthy Page Object Classes

The most popular design pattern used in web UI test codebases is the Page Object Model (POM) design pattern. These tips should help you design healthy classes that implement the Page Object Model design pattern. The use of this pattern promotes separation of concerns (e.g....

The most popular design patter...

Read More

Live Stream of Cypress and Applitools

I joined a live Twitch session with Jason Lengstorf on his show "Learn with Jason".  We paired as I showed him how to use Cypress for test automation, and also how to add visual testing to his suite, using Applitools. We had an absolute blast building...

I joined a live Twitch session...

Read More

Selenium 4 Relative Locators

Selenium 4 brings Relative Locators (originally named Friendly Locators). This functionality was added to help you locate elements that are nearby other elements. The available options are above, below, toLeftOf, toRightOf, and near....

Selenium 4 brings Relative Loc...

Read More

Selenium WebDriver Tutorial with Java

I've released a brand new course - completely free - on Selenium WebDriver with Java! The Test Automation University course takes you from zero to 100, covering introductory and advanced concepts in 3.5 hours!     I cover all of the following in this free Selenium tutorial: How to...

I've released a brand new cour...

Read More

Writing Good Gherkin Enables Good Test Automation

Behavior Driven Development, also known as BDD, is an example-based methodology for developing software. The key to BDD is collaborative exercises between Business, Development, and Testers. These parties are collectively known as the Three Amigos. When beginning the work for a new feature, the three amigos...

Behavior Driven Development, a...

Read More

How to Achieve In-Sprint Automation

Many teams struggle to automate their tests within the same sprint that the feature is developed, thus leading to technical debt. In my latest article, I've provided 3 techniques to help you close your sprints with tests in place! Read it on Techbeacon by clicking the...

Many teams struggle to automat...

Read More

Verifying Entire API Responses

Most people do a pretty lazy job of testing APIs. In my ABCs of APIs workshop, I ask people to manually test an API. When looking at a response, they typically glance at it, and maybe carefully review some of the key fields. Same goes...

Most people do a pretty lazy j...

Read More

My FREE Java Course

With Java being the most popular language for test automation, I decided to create a FREE course that teaches core Java! This course is a self-paced, online video course which includes tons of practical examples and also exercises for you to try on your own. Many...

With Java being the most popul...

Read More

Testing in Continuous Integration

DZone published a 2019 Guide to DevOps e-Book which contains a chapter that I've written called Testing in CI. In this chapter, I cover key considerations which are needed for your automated tests if you'd like them to be a part of your team's continuous...

DZone published a 2019 Guide ...

Read More

Test Automation Strategy

I've published a free course on Test Automation University that walks you through how to define a successful test automation strategy and the many considerations you need to make to do so. This course is great for those who are starting a new test automation...

I've published a free course ...

Read More

Selenium Conference Keynote

Fun fact: In addition to being an automation engineer, I am also a game designer. I created a competitive fashion game that has all of the elements that keep players coming back for years. In this talk, I share the key aspects to game design and...

Fun fact: In addition to being...

Read More

7 Habits of Highly Effective SDETs

There is a great demand for software development engineers in test (SDETs), which is a hybrid role between Developer and Tester. However many employers are finding that simply finding a developer who writes test or a tester who writes code is not enough. There's so...

There is a great demand for ...

Read More

The 10 Commandments of Navigating Code Reviews

If you've been in software development for any amount of time, chances are you've dealt with code reviews where the comments are harsh, blunt, or sometimes downright rude. Code reviews are a form of feedback, but unfortunately they often lack the thoughtfulness that would be exercised if you were being...

If you've been in software dev...

Read More

Test Automation Utility to Verify Email

With JavaMail API, I've been able to not only verify that an email was received, but also verify its contents, open links within the email, extract data sent (temp passwords, verification codes, etc). Someone recently asked me about email verification within automation, so I decided...

With JavaMail API, I've been a...

Read More

2018 Test Automation Trends

Before 2018 kicks in, 4 leading experts joined forces to share the test automation trends that will dominate our daily work procedures and processes in the upcoming year. Automation Guild Conference founder, Joe Colantonio, hosted a panel with three Dev/Test thought leaders: Angie Jones, Richard Bradshaw,...

Before 2018 kicks in, 4 leadin...

Read More

How to Become an Automation Engineer

Are you interested in becoming a test automation engineer? Do you lead a team you'd like to see transition toward test automation by learning the skills needed to do this role? Here's a 3-step guide on how to get started with the test automation career path. Simply...

Are you interested in becoming...

Read More

Keynote: Owning Our Narrative

The concept of shifting left suggests that testing be done earlier in the software development process. The notion of this is admirable and, when done properly, can enable teams to be very successful with their quality initiatives. However, the implementation of this practice is often...

The concept of shifting left s...

Read More

The Future of Software Testing

I was recently featured in QASymphony's e-book, The Future of Software Testing: 12 Testing Experts Share Their Predictions discussing my thoughts on what's in store for the future of software testing, and how testers can prepare and adapt to this transformation. Here's an excerpt of...

I was recently featured in...

Read More

Acing the Technical Interview for SDETs

Test Automation Engineers are in high demand, but that doesn’t mean companies are willing to lower the bar in hiring for these roles. With test automation projects failing left and right, flaky tests crippling continuous integration pipelines, and automated tests causing maintenance nightmares, managers feel...

Test Automation Engineers are ...

Read More

Test Automation 101

Mike Horn, a writer for Smartsheet, reached out to me and several other test automation practitioners for a piece he was writing on the basics of test automation. Mike, not being an automation engineer himself, didn't know what he was getting into when he opened...

Mike Horn, a writer for Smarts...

Read More

5 ways to drive your automation engineers away

As someone who regularly interviews candidates for test automation roles, there are common mistakes I see companies making that drive their automation engineers away. On TechBeacon, I've written about the top five actions that may cause your automation engineers to bail. Review your practices and see if...

As someone who regularly inter...

Read More

How to Create a Test Automation Framework from Scratch

As quality initiatives shift left in an agile world, software testing teams realize that they must rely on the fast feedback of automated scenarios for continuous integration and deployment. But even when people understand test automation basics, most automation initiatives fail. There are many reasons why test automation initiatives fall short,...

As quality initiatives shift l...

Read More

Adding a Peripheral View to Test Automation

One reason why human testers are far better at finding bugs than automated scenarios is because testers aren't just validating the expected results. They are also able to recognize unexpected surprises and anomalies within the application. For example, take a look at this application and assume...

One reason why human testers a...

Read More

Firebug, You’re Fired

When interviewing candidates for UI automation openings, I like to give them typical automation 'problems' to solve. Most of the problems provide them with a picture of a UI and the corresponding HTML, and ask how they would automate something given a tricky DOM. I'm...

When interviewing candidates f...

Read More

A Day in the Life of an Automation Engineer

TL;DR: taught a workshop and it went great. planned as a Selenium workshop but morphed into a broader automation workshop. presents practical use of automation over simplistic unrealistic intro; raving reviews from attendees. As continuous integration is becoming more of a reality at the company that...

TL;DR: taught a workshop and i...

Read More

Teaching Testing in College Courses

I'm an Adjunct Instructor who teaches Java programming to college students. I was recently asked by Anna Royzman, President of A Quality Leadership Institute, if I taught my students about testing. For a moment, I felt a pang of guilt because I don't have any...

I'm an Adjunct Instructor who ...

Read More

A Guide to Patent Development

The Ministry of Testing recently launched Gem Webinars, and I did a talk on patent development from a tester's perspective.   Recording of Webinar:     Slides: Feedback: I clearly got a challenge for my new job. Identify something patentable. Thanks for inspiration, @techgirl1908 #testgems — Maaret Pyhäjärvi (@maaretp) August 22, 2016 Interesting to...

The Ministry of Testing recent...

Read More

Self-Writing Test Cases

Test cases are important. They provide step by step instructions on how to validate a feature. They are essential for cross-training and necessary for auditing. They also take quite a bit of time to write, do not seem to be testers' favorite activity, and instantly become outdated...

Test cases are important. They...

Read More

BDD Believer

I've been in Automation for more than 10 years. I consider myself a hardcore automation engineer, and have always thought that to truly get automation done you need programmers...

I've been in Automation for mo...

Read More

Keynote Commencement Speech

I received a pleasant surprise when the Principal of Sci Academy High School in New Orleans, LA invited me to deliver the keynote address at their 2016 Commencement Ceremony. While the honor alone overwhelmed me, the bigger story brought me to a moment of reflection....

I received a pleasant surprise...

Read More

BDPA Workshop: Learn Java in 3 Hours

The Black Data Professionals Association (BDPA) sponsors a wonderful technology training program for high school students in the community. Some of the students even go on to compete regionally and nationally in web development competitions! I was asked to teach a Saturday workshop and was given...

The Black Data Professionals A...

Read More