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MONTREAL, Quebec. QA on Request, a Montreal-based company specialized in software testing is proud to announce the official launch of its spin-off company, the Crowdsourced Testing company. The Crowdsourced Testing company will manage the company’s crowdsourced quality assurance testing operations, while QA on Request will remain the consulting firm its clients know and love. |
We’re proud to announce that we’ve been selected to be a part of the next cohort of entrepreneurs headed to Chile in October to take part in the global accelerator program Start-Up Chile.
QA on Request is looking for experienced freelance software testers, with a particular focus on the Montreal area (but anyone can still apply.)
If you like your work never to be dull, then you’ve come to the right place. We send our testers work opportunities at all hours of the day. Start your day by testing an iPhone app, and later switch to testing a video game for PC, reporting bugs in Mantis and JIRA. Functional testing, localization testing, compatibility testing, no two projects are alike.
QA on Request is proud to announce that it has received the Young Promoters grant, given by the SAJE and the RESO to promising young entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 34.
The evaluating committee selects local startups based on the quality of their business plan, the likelyhood of success and the potential of job creation in the area.
Following our nomination at the 2011 Angel Investors Challenge, we are very grateful for this second accolade from the montreal startup community.
The key to good software testing is writing good bugs. And the key to a good bug is being as descriptive and complete as possible.
A good bug always contains a screenshot or a video, whichever is necessary to really convey the nature of the bug without doubt. Often when testing an iPhone app, a screenshot is sufficient.
Apple has made it so easy for us to take screenshots by pressing the home and power button simultaneously, and now with iCloud and Photo Steam these pictures can be instantly updated to the computer in front of you over wifi.
The time required to enter bugs has just been reduced by half. Mobile apps testing has never been easier!
Bugs are sneaky. They’re often the result of a simple distraction or a typo, and they can easily be missed. That’s why they happen to even the best development companies, and that’s why a thorough sanity check before going live is always necessary.
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Here’s an example of a simple bug found on the Canadian Videogame Awards website:
on several of the nominees’ pages, the URL used for the link to the game’s official website is incorrect, taking the user to a 404 page not found page. |
It happens on the following pages (of the English portion of the site):
Read more
Crowdsourced testing is emerging as an efficient way to streamline interactive software production and improve the quality of the software produced by developers. Indeed, it offers a number of advantages:
1- Flexibility: Freelance testers are available at all hours of the day. This is particularly handy for those late nights before a deadline.
All experienced web and software developer are aware of the strategic importance of quality assurance (QA) testing.
Then why is it so often neglected?
I have worked in both small and large software development companies. For large companies, software testing was a no-brainer. Highly-specific development centers send their requests to testing centers, often located off-site.
More and more, these testing centers are located offshore, in China, India, and other Asian countries. It makes sense if you think about it, given the difference between the timezones. If a company can obtain results over night, it effectively streamlines their development process.
Montreal, for a number of years now, has also been known as a hub for software testing. Especially in the field of video game development. Part of the reason for this are the numerous government incentives for job creation in the industry. Video game development companies like Ubisoft, or testing houses like Babel Media have build extensive testing centers to cater to their needs.
But if you look at smaller web, software or video game development companies, very few of them employ a full-time dedicated testing staff.
I believe the reason why an internal team of software testers is so hard to maintain is because of the creative and challenging aspects of interactive software development.
The Unified Testing Initiative, the group behind the hugely popular Java Verified program, has published the Unified Testing Criteria for Android applications.
If you are unfamiliar with the Unified Testing Initiative (UTI), it is an initiative led by key players of the mobile industry – such as AT&T, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and many more. Their objective is to provide guidance and useful documentation to the mobile development community.
For many years, the Java Verified certification was the standard in mobile apps testing. Now that the landscape has changed, the UTI has evolved is now setting the standard for Android apps development.
The Unified Testing Criteria for Android applications, released in March 2011, covers every aspect of Android applications: installation, interruptions, readability, performance and multiple display format handling.
If you’re planning on releasing an Android app soon, be sure to have it tested before it goes live!
Creativity is difficult to crowdsource or outsource.
Can you crowdsource design? You can, but you might find it hard to encounter someone who understands exactly your vision as you intend it.
If you employ a talented designer or developer, you’re lucky – keep them on staff and keep them happy.
Creativity is more easily harvested within a company.
You can call the entire web or software development process a creative one. From conception to market, a product evolves from A to Z, and your staff makes creative decisions until the very end.
Though a small but key part of the creative interactive development process is purely rational – the quality assurance testing process.
To install an iPhone application in development on your device, you’ll need your device’s UDID. (Unique Device Identifier)
Apple explains you where to find your iPhone’s UDID here.
Alternatively, a simpler way is to use a very nifty little application called Ad Hoc Helper.
In less than a second, you’ll be ready to send your iPhone’s UDID to your developer.
It’s that simple!
- If your company builds interactive web or software projects whose budgets range from 5,000$ to 100,000$;
- If your company’s software testing needs are sporadic and vary in schedule, making it difficult to manage an internal team of dedicated testers;
- If your company has a limited number of team members available to invest the proper amount of time needed to thoroughly test your interactive projects before they go live;
- If you want a fresh pair of eyes to take a look at your interactive software before it is released to the public;
- Or simply if you could use some extra help with making sure that the web and software projects that you release are bug-free;
consider crowdsouring your testing to an external team of professional testers. Discover how easy it is to get your projects in development tested by the team of professional testers at QA on Request.
QA on Request is proud to announce that it has been selected to be a part of this year’s Angel Investors Challenge.
The mission of the Angel Investors Challenge is to help Quebec entrepreneurs 18 to 40 years old create or develop their business by offering them an opportunity to present their project to angel investors who are looking to support new ventures by investing their time and money.
Over the next few months, we’ll have the chance to meet several experienced entrepreneurs and many great actors of the Montreal start-up community.
Thank you Anges Québec, the Jeune Chambre de Commerce de Montréal, and everybody involved in organizing this event. We humbly look forward to your feedback!
Crowdsourcing rose to fame in 2006, following the publication of an article in Wired Magazine titled The Rise of Crowdsourcing.
It consists of delegating certain business tasks to remote users, often through an open-call publicized on a web site. Contrary to outsourcing, the idea is that you do not hire someone specifically, instead you delegate onto a crowd of internet users the responsibility of performing the task that you need.
If you’ve worked in a start-up or a very small development company, then you are probably all too familiar with the industry’s bad habits when it comes to quality assurance testing.
If any of the following scenarios accurately describe your current quality assurance testing methodology, then QA on Request is for you.
When it comes to testing our interactive products in development, you:
- grab whoever is available in the office, whether it’s the receptionist, copywriter or IT guy
- take the programmer’s word for it
- place your faith in a higher power and hope that there are no bugs (or that your client doesn’t find them…)
- you just know that your projects don’t have bugs
If you haven’t realized by now, bugs discovered after launch make your company look bad. They undeniably cost you time and money, and impact your bottom line.
But now with QA on Request, you have no more excuse. Our flexible and affordable plans make it easy and cost-efficient to conduct thorough quality assurance tests.
With rates starting at 30$/hour, can you really afford NOT to use our services?
QA on Request is a young company. We appreciate your cooperation while we work out the initial kinks in our system.
Here are some tips & tricks meant to help you make the most of our service.
Give your tester precise instructions
If there is a particular aspect of your project that needs testing, make it very clear in your test request.
You can use the following sections of the test request form:
Relevant Platform Information, under Step 3 – Project Details
Here you would specify any hardware or software version that needs testing. If you’re looking to confirm the correct resolution of a problem specific to the iPhone 3G, mention it here.
Additional instructions, under Step 5 – Testing instructions
This text area is for you to provide specific instructions regarding the types of tests that you need performed. Are you worried about a particular section of your project? Do you need the project tested on specific versions of a browser? Indicate it here.
Give our testers a realistic turnaround time
The premise behind QAonRequest is that you can request a functional QA test at any time, day or night.
While we are working on a magic potion that would keep our team members awake and at the best of their availabilities at all hours of the night, there are still times where our testers’ availability to accept a project on very short notice may be limited.
Please keep in mind that the service we offer requires human intervention and as such, miracles are not always possible. If you send a test request at 2am, and you wish to receive results within 4 hours, you might not find a suitable tester available.
Use common sense when sending test requests – allow your tester reasonable turnaround time. Don’t request 8 hours of tests to be completed within 9 hours – instead, give 2 or 3 times the amount of hours you want tested in turnaround time.
You will undeniably see better results this way.