The last time I mentioned aboutGetting Out of Comfort Zone, I anticipated great learningexperience, but I wasn’t ready for surprises! I wanted to participate in theWeekend Testers(Chennai Chapter)and test aCSS Menu Builderapplication.

Charter

Cross Browser compatibility testing of IzzyMenu using IE 8.0 and FF 3.0 browsers.

Experience Report

IzzyMenu did not have a direct hyperlink which could be tested using a cross browsercompatibility testing tool for IE 8.0 and FF 3.0. I as a user had to navigate to the menupage explicitly. I tested for alignment, layout, font size, color, positioning of tabs in thelayout, hyperlinks, look and feel of the entire application, print, print preview option and alot more. Tested the same set of test ideas in FF 3.0. Ok, finding usability and functionalbugs while I look for compatibility bugs– Murphy’s Law? Found about 3 compatibility bugs,but that is not important for me right now. What is important is what is new to me in thistesting exercise and what I learned while testing IzzyMenu.

Learnings

1. Though I had performed compatibility testing previously, while testing IzzyMenu, I had amental block testing it. I had not performed compatibility testing on websites for a start. Ihave to take care of this in future.2. When learning to test with a charter that I have not done before, it invites some priorlearning on how to do. When I jumped at IzzyMenu without deciding what to test, there wasa block. I did not see anything reasonable to test. My approach was wrong here and I hadto change it.3. Do not confine yourself to 90 minutes Sessions while you are learning to test out of yourcomfort zone. It more or less extends beyond 90 minutes timeframe. Ideally, its better notto have any time limit while testing this way.4. Note down all the bottlenecks or choking points that you face while testing and sort it outyourself. This way, you will slowly realize that what you saw as a bottleneck is not abottleneck at all. And that will be your Wow moment.5. You may not find bugs all the time. Absence of bugs or lack of skills to find bugs(whichtricks you to think that bugs are absent) does not mean you are a bad tester. You probablydid not look at the right places and this can be improved with continuous practice.6. From time to time, we should get together with people from different perspectives andwatch them test. Trust Me, the first time you do this, you may think you are a horribletester. You may be one too. The next time when you watch them test, it will be one of thecoolest ways of learning and testing and you would do more of it more often.