Talking Testing with Robyn Daulby

For the latest edition in my testing blog series I caught up with Robyn Daulby, Junior Test Analyst based in the North West, to hear her opinion on the best testing tools, speaking at testing events and women in tech:

Looking at your LinkedIn experience I can see that you began your career a little differently before moving into your first Test Analyst role – what first attracted you to the field of testing?

I first started testing as an additional duty in my previous job. It was lucky I was given the opportunity to do that, otherwise my career might have been very different. It was from there that my interest in testing grew more. I liked finding out how things worked, and then when I did find an issue, it was satisfying and fun to investigate. I guess you could say I’m an inquisitive person.

There are so many tools to aid the work of a software tester – which do you personally think are the most important / most used?

As I am new to the field, I’ve only really scratched the surface when it comes to tools and resources. I do have a few that I use regularly, but some are more complex than others. One I use often is the WAVE extension, it’s great for checking accessibility on a website and can be quite detailed with its findings. Another that I use is a simple screen recorder so that I can log any issues that I may come across. I would definitely suggest using a good tool for logging bugs and issues that you find, it will help communicate to others what you’ve found. I use Trello to keep up with my workload too.

I can see that you are due to speak at the Liverpool Tester Gathering in February, what can people attending expect from the event?

The event itself will be a great opportunity to meet people from within the testing community. It’s a really friendly environment, and fundamentally, it’ll give anyone an insight in to the testing world. I would certainly encourage people to attend. As for what to expect from me as a speaker… well, that would be telling. I have a couple of topics that I want to talk about, I just need to refine and focus what I’m delivering as there’s just so much good stuff to discuss. It’s an incredible opportunity that I’ve been given, and I’m so grateful (if slightly terrified).

There are a lot of great events and people who speak regularly about Testing across the North and North West – are there any individuals who stand out to you who you find inspiring?

There are so many! I find anyone that can get up on a stage and talk to a crowd inspiring. One of the main events I’ve attended so far is TestBash in Manchester. Watching people give their first talks was incredible. James Sheasby Thomas, Gem Hill and Claire Reckless are just a few who inspire me definitely!

Women in Tech is always a hot topic in our industry, do you think more women are starting to take on more technical roles than before?

I do see a lot of Women in Tech groups emerging, which encourages women into the industry and showcases what they have achieved. It’ll be a wonderful thing to see more women in tech in the future I think.

What do you think would encourage more girls to get involved in technology from a younger age?

I think the younger generation is just naturally more involved with technology these days thanks to the educational curriculum, and the birth of social media. I think to help encourage involvement, it would be great if companies went into schools and demonstrated the roles that exist within our industry. I never knew my job role existed until a year ago! Had I known sooner, I could have been on this career path a while ago.

As a Tester what do you look for in an employer, what perk/benefits means the most to you?

Perks and benefits are a great addition to any job, but for me I prefer to know I’m going to be able to develop myself and have the support of a great team and environment to do that.

If you could offer one piece of advice to someone applying for their first Tester role what would it be?

Believe in yourself and just do it! Applying could be one of the best decisions you ever make! It was for me!

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