My Xraised Interview: Revolutionizing Software Testing with BadTesting

I had the incredible opportunity to be interviewed by Senior Journalist Lia Sumners at Xraised, a premier platform that explores the stories of industry leaders and innovators shaping the future. As the founder and principal of BadTesting, I was thrilled to share my insights on how we’re transforming the software testing landscape.

The Birth of BadTesting

I started my journey in the tech world working for startups, but it was a call from a friend at a global ad agency that really set things in motion. “Shak, we need your help,” he said, and that’s how I found myself establishing a quality assurance department and managing high-value clients for the next eight years.

What I realized during this time was that people weren’t asking for “software testing” or “quality assurance” – they were simply saying, “We need your help.” This realization became the cornerstone of BadTesting.

Our Unique Approach

It was important to articulate during the interview, at BadTesting, we don’t just test software – we look for the bad stuff. We focus on problems and risks that threaten businesses, finding them before they can cause harm. Our approach is radically different from traditional testing methods:

Adaptive Testing:

We don’t rely on outdated standards or rigid test cases. Our methodology is fluid, allowing us to adapt to the ever-changing software landscape. We are big believers that software testing findings are best communicated through storytelling.

Focus on Real Issues:

Instead of getting bogged down in documentation, we prioritize finding and solving actual problems. For instance, we once discovered that a client’s checkout process was broken on iPhones using Safari and Chrome – an issue their analytics couldn’t catch.

Comprehensive Assessment:

Our website assessments cover everything from browser compatibility to SEO audits, ensuring no stone is left unturned. Software testing helps, and using storytelling to connect the dots is where the greater value is.

Efficiency Over Documentation:

We believe in moving fast and prioritizing software over heavy documentation. This allows us to deliver results quickly and effectively.

Success Stories

Our approach has led to some remarkable successes. We’ve worked with large agencies and brands for over a decade, consistently helping them avoid “untold hours of development time and schedule delays.”

One of our most significant projects involved a large biotech company (recently acquired for $27 billion). We handled 138 projects for them, identifying 800 issues across websites, emails, and HTML5 banner ads. Surprisingly, 48% of these issues were design-related, 30% user experience, and only 22% functionality. Read the case-study here.

The Future of Software Testing

As software development continues to evolve, with agile methodologies and continuous deployments becoming the norm, the need for effective testing has never been greater. Many organizations believe they can handle testing internally, but the reality is that expert testers bring a level of scrutiny and expertise that can’t be matched.

At BadTesting, we’re committed to staying ahead of the curve, continually adapting our methods to meet the challenges of modern software development. We’re not just testing software – we’re helping businesses manage risks, improve user experiences, and ultimately, succeed in an increasingly digital world.

If you’re facing technology changes and need help managing risks, remember: sometimes, you need to look for the bad stuff to create something truly great. That’s what we do at BadTesting, and we’re always ready to help.

Want to learn more? Check out the interview, browse this blog or connect with me on LinkedIn. And don’t forget – if you message me mentioning “TESTPLAN” I’ll send you a free test plan template!