All code is not created equal. Learn from a master of the craft how to spot bad code and mold it into good. This month Mike Clark explains how writing automated tests can give you confidence to change code fearlessly....

Testers often encounter many windows or Web pages in an application. Each of these windows or Web pages may have many objects within them and each object could have unique characteristics. Typical objects are radio buttons push buttons drop down lists edit fields check boxes etc. While designing test cases one ascertains each and every state...

This article presents a summary of the techniques available to use the cumulative binomial distribution to assist in the design of effective reliability demonstration tests and also to determine the reliability that has been demonstrated in a test with few or no failures....

There are many many issues in designing a good test and a huge literature on this topic. In this section we only discuss one consideration how difficult should a test be We imagine an average class although I don t think I have ever seen such a group of students. According to the University of Toronto marking standards we want the mark distribution...

This chapter outlines the tools you need the templates that are helpful and usability testing facilities that will help your staff be most efficient and effective in creating usability and testing plans....

Computers are an integral part of daily life which is why it s critical to design applications and Web sites that are accessible to all users— including those with disabilities. Often making an application accessible is as easy as providing a text alternative to a graphic image. Sue Hildreth discusses a few key guidelines....

See how similar performance issues are between your web site and traditional brick and mortar stores and use this analogy to learn the basics about fundamental measurement concepts the relationships between these measurements how they impact each other and some basic optimization terminology....

Too many project teams dive into the details of the use-case model before they have established a stakeholder community a shared vision the real need for the product or the constraints under which it is to be built. Learn strategies that will help you avoid these problems and help you produce a high-quality use-case model....

Learn how well-formed good quality use cases can drive and facilitate the other downstream software development activities....

Human-Computer Interaction HCI is the study and the practice of usability. In this introduction to his book Human-Computer Interaction in the New Millenium John Carroll looks at history and future of HCI....

This article explores the first steps involved in building a Web business that brings in revenue with very little work on your part....

The concern on everyone s mind at the recent Wiki Symposium is making wiki work while keeping its essential nature as a community-driven means for building a site....

Okay you know who wants the application and what they want it to do. Ready to start coding right Perhaps but Robert Hoekman Jr. has some suggestions about how to find problems in the design before it gets too expensive to fix....

Daniel Dern relies on the Web enough to get pretty irked about sites that make it unnecessarily difficult to find information because of bad design missing content or bad browsers. Rant along with Daniel through 10 behaviors that make you want to put some web designers - and the people who approved their efforts - on the Mikado s little list....

Before you launch right into building your application Robert Hoekman Jr. recommends building a prototype and showing it to clients or users. This article explores the benefits of prototyping various approaches and styles and some of the better tools for use in building your prototypes....