A couple of definitions of quality:
- "The degree of excellence of something."
- "The standard of something as measured against other things of a similar kind."
Take a tool, any tool, walk out to a car, and measure its degree of excellence. In what units of measurement will you report your findings? Inches? Cubits? Shakes? Nibbles?
Testers, in a very real way, are explorers. We confront the unknown, and answer questions about it. We then report our findings in order to bring a greater understanding of what we have experienced. Over the years, I have put together a list of questions we explorers can ask in order to ascertain the level of quality in our products.
Important questions to ask in order to measure quality:
- Does it solve a problem?
- Does it provide a desired service?
- Does it invite repeated use?
- Does it work?
- Is it easy to use?
- Does it perform its functions well?
- Is it stable under stress?
- Can it recover from disaster?
- Does it fit together as a cohesive whole?
- Is it easy to start?
- Is it easy to disengage?
- Is it secure?
- Does it compare well against similar products?
- Is it easily maintained?
- Is it easily moved or ported?
- Can it scale to broader or more limited use?
- Does it invoke in the user a positive emotional response?
Of course this list is may not be applicable to all products, nor is it exhaustive, but I have found it quite useful in assessing quality.
Are there any questions you would add?
No comments:
Post a Comment