May 1st 1995 I started my career in testing, moving from a job in the air force to a role of testing military software – before the agile manifesto, most test automation and test training. Looking back to where it all begun I realize that I was so privileged to work as a tester in an agile team, before agile was defined. Having the role as tester with the deep domain knowledge that helped me understand the needs of the users and help my team do the same. Much have changed over the years, I have created a good backpack of skills – based on the training and practical experience I have gained over the years – a backpack full of stuff that can help me help others. And now the world is so different from then; different platforms, different roles, agile frameworks, AI and more – so a whole other world for me as a tester… or is it?

The essence of what I do and what I stand for hasn’t changed much. I work with the focus for building bridge between the end user and the project, doing my best to understand the needs of both. And I use my testing skills together with my ability to build relations to others to do this.

In my presentation I will take you through examples from those 30 years of testing, illustrating that the center of all technology is people, and being able to communicate and assist in ensuring that our end users get the value they search for is key.

Takeaways:

• Human centered testing focus – make a difference to your end users
• Test techniques still add value – use them together with your end users
• Communication as a critical skill: especially the ability to relate well with both users and project teams.