Visual Models in Test Design 

Synopsis

Designing test cases is a fundamental skill that all testers should master. Rob Sabourin shares a graphical technique he has employed to design powerful test cases that will surface important bugs quickly.

These skills can be used in exploratory, agile, or engineered contexts — anytime you are having problems designing a test. Rob illustrates how you can use Mindmaps to visualize test designs and better understand variables being tested, one-at-a-time and in complex combinations with other variables. He presents the  Application-Input-Memory (AIM) heuristic through a series of interactive exercises.

You’ll use a widely available free, open-source tool called FreeMind to help implement great test cases and focus your testing on what matters to quickly isolate critical bugs. If you are new to testing, these techniques will remove some of the mystery of good test case design. If you’re a veteran tester, these techniques will sharpen your skills and give you some new test design approaches.