Blog Framing the Isolation Tests and Test Investigation

The unusual behavior in the software and in it's associated systems is easy to identify at times. But the source which brought in that unusual behavior in software or in its associated system will not be straight to learn and isolate it. When this happens in a critical time of the release or after the critical release, imagining the uneasy conditions of stakeholders and user base using that software product, can be scary to business. No stakeholder wants to get here. Testing helps to isolate such behavior when it is supported.

Last night I joined my friends who have built a product in their start up and wanted the Release Candidate to get tested for their critical release. While I was testing along with the testers, I was asked, "there will be no problems with this release, Ravi?"  I can understand my friend's concern and I said, "problem will be there, let us keep the calm to receive them and fix it and I don't know what problem can come up apart from the context we have tested now and in the context we have tested as well.". We learned a problem and moved further to test for it before they wanted to push the patch which had fix for a problem -- because the zipping of the content was not happening when data is sent from server to client.

After the test sessions, I went along with team for food. I asked myself "why I should not work with the testing team here and tell what I tested?"  Most times, I work individually on tasks though I'm part of team. I keep updating the team what testing I'm doing and about the tests. This helps me to see how could I have done it better and have I missed any test that actually mattered in the context.

I started sharing with testers what I did while we had food.  During this talk, I thought let me write such tests that are about isolating the cause of the unusual behavior. By keeping the confidential information not coming in the blog post as much as possible to context, I will write such cases from now.  From the next post, such Testing stories will be labeled under 'Investigation' label of my blog.

An existence way before I saw it !

I want to write the technical practices at which I'm failing and practicing. And the practices which I want to do for the betterment of my testing. Sometimes, I will get into writing as this as well because I want to challenge myself with what I'm seeing and interpreting about it.

This "Year in Review" app in last two weeks of Dec 2014 from Facebook gained inertia from FB users but it did not gain the momentum in field of Engineering to learn what it is -- technically and for the people who use it.  This is not wrong, it is right. Because, that is the way it is used. Until there is a way of figuring out other way of using it or accepting it, the same way will be used, more likely.

I do say 'yes' for words of Eric Meyer's in the way he see it. He is very right in that perspective. I do say 'yes' for words for who said "Year in Review" as spam. They are right because they happened to see it as spam. So, what's wrong in it? Nothing! I do say "Oh, yes!" for said it is a bug because that looks as a bug in that particular context for them. So it makes very logical at that instance of time.

While I do all this, I did not happen to learn what it is at all. For, Eric Meyer it was the design and how the algorithm picked photo irrespective of the context in which the photo was posted and sewing it as happy moments of the year.

But did it have customize option to remove the content and place the self picked and written content, at that time? That's the question which I want to learn. If it wasn't, then it is a bigger problem that any designers want to advocate for.  If there was an option to customize and remove and then add photo with content, then I see it provided an option. Parsing the technology data is easier and FB does that. But parsing the human emotion is not easier because we human's don't understand emotions of others. Then, how the algorithm written from a human can?

Where's the problem here if at all it exist? It exists way before FB saw to release this app and its users started to see it; while few started using it unhappily and happily.

I read this being addressed as Spam. Yes, it is spam if one see that way. But there are lot other spam with which one leaves everyday. It goes unnoticed and why this go so much attention? Did few accept it because someone said it and because someone said it should it be accepted? I believe, the UX team in FB would have exercised this app and survey would have gone for the analysis, way before it went out live. If not, this is something FB has to consider having the in-house UX team. Recently, when I met the VP, UX Practice for FB, we discussed and I learned how the stuffs get exercised there.  

Okay, what amount of its users considered it as spam while other as a source to express their joy with others? This is the number which might give different story for 'Spam' word attached to this app. Whatever, it way existed before one considered it as spam, because there were lot other which also have same attributes but used without labeling it as 'Spam' in FB. Isn't it?  Common life example, "Hi", "Hey!", "Good Morning", "What's up?", "Take Care!", "Good Day", "Good Night", should be considered as spam now because they appear from whom we meet whether we love or care for them or not. Isn't it logical? Then why this app got this label for appearing on screen. I need to learn this to help technology be better so I be happy.  This also hints, thought users are on FB since years, one might not have explored the inside of FB Settings with their account. And it is not logical to ask as well, because socially FB is not a technical product it is a social media. So, can I ignore it? That's the question at other level I want to educate myself and FB might have to think. Hopefully FB might not get into this though they send out a mail on update of their policies and technical changes to the policies.

Its a bug, an algorithm bug which did not understand what to add for saying "wonderful year of me". Can the friend or spouse who is living with me, can say, I had beautiful life for that day or for this years? May be or may not be. If yes, how consistent?  Expecting consistency from algorithm is reasonable but expecting algorithm to understand something I did not anticipate myself, is reasonable? That's the limitation of software and technologies. And, of human too but at that point of time only. Further she or he will learn and update self and technologies and way to use the product of technology until next bug is figured out.

In this view, it can be classified as bug. But, that does not help me to learn technology. This is the question which I ask myself when something I see or suspect as bug -- "When is this not a bug? Pick out the cases with claims technically, socially and contextually." I ask the same for fellow testers with whom I practice. Because, saying it is a bug is right, because it is annoying her/him. But, that is not the solution or solving the problem. If I want to say, I'm a tester, I want to learn "why it cannot be a bug as well, in first place before going with information and saying this is bug under this context." 

If it is a bug in a context, what was the design doing to avoid the problem or annoyance the user can face? That's the question I get and how well the users are learned to see this in the app. This takes altogether different survey for which FB has to spend dollars or may be million dollars. And it is up to them. And it is up to one who say it is bug for me or no harm in it.  Harm comes when both does not understand how to overcome with this.

It all existed way before, one saw and say it in the "Year in Review" app. It continues to be there as it is because I see same pattern of jumping into conclusion (from practicing practitioners and practitioners who have started to practice) before learning what it is. I feel strongly, one should be triggered why it is a bug and more importantly when it is not a bug from technical perspective. This helps to solve in quicker pace which is highly ignored in technical stream and studies. May be for this, there was a subject Operation Research in existence but still we do not apply it effectively in Engineering Operations or be any other operations.

To close it here, it is an existence way before I saw the comments as -- spam, bug and design flaw. In contexts, all these fits in and also none of these fit. I learn why it does not fit in, because it will help me to learn quickly and before thinking of solving it.  I request below to my fellow team members and practitioners.

"If you or your team member or friend said it is a bug or problem or anything that is troubling, think if adding one more question to it helps or doesn't. And the question is, when is this not a bug or problem or the annoyance? This is the wonderful gift as well which can be gifted, if asked so."

Design Thinking and the UX: Compliments Each Other Parallely

Today morning, I was discussing with my friend. She asked, "Why is Design Thinking is being heard so much nowadays along with UX? I think it is testing practice, what you say?"

There is a common notion which I understand. Or probably, I get this one notion when I happen to learn by discussion and questioning with practicing programmers and testers. That is, Design Thinking is same as UX. I feel, in a very superficial layer it may appear to be so. But when I happen to digg around it, it is the two independent thoughts which exist to compliment each other. If they do not compliment, then it is more likely that there is a miss match in learning about the "Problem Learning" and designing the solution for it, which is the Design Thinking.

From this Design Thinking, I get to a solution which could be a Software Product. And now comes the UX in every other aspects here, right from the stage of Design Thinking to supporting the users in using the solution. This do not apply just for the Software Industry; it is also applicable where the problem is being learned and the solution is designed for it. It can be in Government which wants to open the Public Center as well.

I believe, the programming perspective is very important to tester. When I say this, I don't enforce it; but the perspective and practicing it, will help the tester surely and it will change the Testing perspective in terms of approaching. As this, I believe, the Design Thinking and UX practicing is also important. Because it is a solution which is places by saying this is the problem and it is solved by this and in this way.

To illustrate more on this,

• Design Thinking about the tests to be brought into the testing
• Design Thinking about the piece of program to be written for solving a problem
• Design Thinking by Project Manager and team how to execute the project with available cost and value

These are probably day to day example in Software Industry. Likewise, each field has got its own way of identifying this. How the mother or wife or husband maintains the house with available budget by take care of each other in family? That is Design Thinking and each others in family will feel the experiences out of it.

It existed since long time when the race started to think about solving the problem and bringing in the solution. May be it is getting improvised and evolving with systems in meta system and the contexts around it by names or terms as this. Thus, emerging as an individual field of study.

To go ahead and trying to find the relativity, today the industries think about Customer Experience, yes not the User Experience; it is Customer Experience. All is same, just the targeted group is of different mindset and intent. Okay, going back into relativity, each small shop on the streets and pavements want to retain their customer while think about getting in more customers. Each news paper wants to retain their readers and they undergo and underwent changes. The politicians wants to retain their supporters. How?  They want to device the experience for their customers or targeted audience. This is possible when each and everyone in the organization or system, make the consistent attempt to get the design thinking thought what they want to accomplish and give out to intended audience. This is not the job of of just one who is seen as the big cheque or payment or share receiver in the company. It is the job of every other in company or system, who is seen as/assumed as/believed to be as big cheque or payment or share receiver to meager payment or cheque receiver.

I know how the programming perspective adds the value to tester, there is need now for every one another in a unit to practice Design Thinking and User Experience. Because, it is our solution that we sell as problem selling. Couple of month back, I was talking to my friends with whom I worked and few are from Sales and Marketing team. The sales and marketing team, wanted to know about the Design Thinking and User Experience, so they can incorporate right from the time sales approach when they happen to to approach the potential and actual problem holders, for selling the solution or the services.

As a company or service provider be it grocery or software solution provider or anything that expects the return value from service seeker, the innovation happens each and every time to retain at least the existing band and may be acquiring the targeted band also. If this is not considered i.e. Design Thinking and UX, then we may be learning problem but not actually in a way where we can see much more quick perspectives in the quick time.

You have your Visiting or Business Card or got the pamphlet printed? What it is? It is a product out of a Design Thinking to solve a problem (or may be create more problems out of it). Yes, it is a product of out of the Design Thinking. How the user receives it is just one aspect of the UX.

Uncover Of Cover

The below mission and image from Test Mile is different and a trigger to unspoken thoughts. I wish to share my interpretation about this image.

Mission: Analyze the attached image which is a part of advertisement + awareness campaign by Test Mile.  What does the slogan - "Together We Cover. Divided We UnCover" mean to you as a tester? There are various visual clues in the picture as well. We would love to hear how you relate the story of this image.

Below are obvious from normal visual observations

• TestMile Test What You Value
• Issued in public interest
• "Together", "We Cover", "Together. We Cover"
• "Divided", "We UnCover", "Divided. We UnCover"
• Illusion of green surface on unzipping the zip
• Illusion of diverting roads showing two lanes. Not sure how many lanes each road has. Lane marking looks quite similar in two roads in size, color, and appearance. The side of road is marked by two parallel lines which looks as yellow-in-color. And it diminishes with size and color in left side road as it proceeds further. Right road does not show this indication.
• Not sure how many roads brought these two diverting roads.  The left road shows 'Development' and right road shows 'Testing'.
• Blue sky kind of  visuals with four clouds. I can see just four clouds in the snap; it can have more than four as well.  The clouds are placed in different places.  Looks like one cloud resemble just one other cloud in appearance and size.  Similarly  the other two looks alike in appearance.  Visibility of one cloud is not so prominent but it looks as though it is touching green area with high hue brightness. And it appears to be clear early morning sky.  There is a smoke or skew line structure between clouds; may be this is too cloud.  These skew line cloud connect all other clouds though it is thin and slightly invisible to look at.
• Along the side of roads, looks like human kind of objects standing opposite to humans on other road.  Just few are trying to interact or standing close by at point where diversion of road starts.  As the diversions gets broader, people are placed far way from who are on other side.
• "Divided. We UnCover" is shown on green land.  The text is in color that looks as white.
• "Together. We Cover" is shown in the air. The text is in color that looks as black.
• Green land at right hand side has a heap kind of surface. Left side road does not have this structure surface.
• Why the word is written as "UnCover" instead of "uncover" ?

What is being said to uncover? What is being said to cover?  'Uncover' is shown in the green land and 'cover' is shown to be in sky. 

I relate this to development of testing and clouds to five schools of software testing. The five schools of software testing what I have come across -- Analytical, Standard, Quality, Context and Agile.

The four clouds are Analytical, Standard, Quality and Context Driven school of testing.  The cloud that is passing through all these four clouds is Agile. Each of these school has its principles and students who does not listen or not show the ear for other schools of testing.  This is leading to disrespect among the testers and showcasing 'Testing and Software Testing' in software industry is not big deal. Between this happening, a buzz word 'Agile' is floating around and making Agile Development (agile programming and agile testing) is the solution which is smartest to today's business.

While we testers (who adds school name with them) keep arguing and disrespecting each other for their respective approach and testing practices, how do we uncover the existing myths, problems and misunderstanding in green land of testing?  While we are unable to uncover in little green land what we have got in software industry, how we do cover the testing essence which is as wide as sky?

We all testers divided, we fail to uncover the problems and hurdles that are blocking our Software Testing Profession to be the respected one.  While we are together, we cover though it as wide and height as sky is.

Testers, divided we are, we will not uncover anything; together we stand and work, we cover  unimaginable so the Software Testing excels.  Isn't this beautiful picture from Test Mile? Before we testers going and making programming better, we make our software testing to have its stand along with programming.

Context free mind map of "Users"

I have tried to collect information around the object 'Users'. And this is framed out as context free mind map. It may not relate to a specific need or context. A needed node can be picked to connect the ideas and can relate with other nodes (ideas) shown.

PDF copy of this mind map is here. Any further update to this mind map will be available under section "Updated Materials" in 'Writing & Event' section of this blog.

Is your cup overfull?

Most times, a person trying to be a student and mentor or coach or teacher, does not practice or forgets the lesson I learned in a book 'Turning Numbers into Knowledge' by Jonathan G Koomey. I have been blessed to keep learning from teachers (who are students too) who spark the questions within the student or questioner rather than discouragement. One of the strong strength of these teachers is keeping their mind open and transpecting the questions asked to them by learning the mind of student or questioner. I see the replies from those teachers will be a question that motivates the questioner to continue the work in more energy and passion with self motivation.

Unfortunately few of us wanting to be a student and mentor or coach or teacher, fail to spark the questions in the other person and gradually inhibit the growth of the questions in other and self. May be that questioner will not turn up unless he she or he has strong strengths to bear those laughter, teases, and overseeing discouraging words. However skillful the person is and wants to be a student and mentor or teacher or coach, if not skillful to know his cup is open enough or overfull to fill the questions she or he gets, it does not help.

Below is the excerpt from the above said book:

A Japanese Zen master received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen. It was obvious to the master from the start of the conversation that the professor was not so much interested in learning about Zen as he was in impressing the master with his own opinions and knowledge. The master listened patiently and finally suggested they have some tea. The master poured his visitor's cup full and then kept on pouring. The professor watched the cup overflowing until he could no restrain himself. "The cup is overfull, no more will go in."

"Like this cup", the master said, "you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?"

--- BRUCE LEE


Being or(and) pretending to be rude and having belief that have given enough information to crack is not going to help, unless one has seeded questions in questioner and making the learning fire to sustain, provided questioner is back to you with questions. If I'm right, remember hearing the words from Jackie Chan, in a movie "Karate Kid" of Tamil release that looked like this if I have said it correctly, "There are no bad students, there is only a bad teacher."

Another English movie "The King's Speech" shows the power of effective student and coach or mentor or teacher. Geoffrey Roy Rush, plays the role of Lionel Logue -- who is a speech therapist from Australia. I see the character of Geoffrey Roy Rush as a student and coach or mentor or teacher. Despite few discouragement from the person who wanted his help, he never stops himself from sparking the questions and hope within the person he wanted to help to speak better. If he had said I have given enough information to crack the things together with time and turned down, one and first among the greatest speech from Prince Albert who was Duke of York and later became King George VI, would not have been so popular and inspiring or probably impossible.

At end would like to say do not discourage or stop one from questioning by comparing it with your or others skill sets and potentials. If at all did that, one will be blind enough to never know the questions that are worth more than the treasures one have come across or can never come across. Questioning is the mother and an essence of all other skills one masters and practices. Kindly do not kill this mother.

Is your cup overfull?

Why am I unlearning?

To be right I should say "Why should I unlearn?" It's time to analyze and evaluate my skills, learning and mistakes for which I have been accounting so far. Thinking how I can prove myself that my learning is incorrect or not relevant, started to ask questions for myself. These questions showed what all I have learned are just without an appropriate base. I was not convinced with my answers for questions I asked myself. Realized I never worked enough for having elementary things.

OK. What did I learn then? I did not learn much or anything. Just did mistakes every time. I tried not to redo the same mistakes. Unconsciously I was learning here and did not evaluate well enough what I was learning from those mistakes. These mistakes helped me as sign boards for going ahead. Interestingly, these sign boards took me in direction which was awing. Fortunately found few on this way and hardly shared or debated their thoughts. Instead I kept arguing myself on what they thought and did. To be in short, did not learn much in right way. Discovered again, I am a slow person.

Why I did not learn? Still that question haunts me. I have learned lessons now, what happens if I do not learn. What will I be doing now? I'm working on which I do not have by reconstructing my learning model. Why did I write this? I will like to see this as a source that identify problems in me and use it to help myself in solving the problems.

What can happen now? I want to be an informative tester and believe can be. Will take my time and does not want myself to be influenced by any other factors, no matter how late I'm. Anything I want to ask for myself? Yes. How do I know I'm learning? Proving each time I was not very useful to me last time. Anything left? Will update myself very soon and look at my responses.

Testing The Magician's Fingers

A student from primary school where I studied came up and asked "Will you see the magic?" I like the tricks and uncovering those tricks of magic, hence requested her to illustrate the magic. She had brought box of color pencils with her.

I was asked to pick few color pencils while she turned such that I could see her back. She asked me to place those picked color pencils slowly in her left hand.

Later I was said to note down the color pencils which I have picked. And, I made note of those color pencils which appeared to me as red, green, black, blue, yellow and orange colors. After few seconds, I was asked to remove one color pencil from her left hand and place it in her right hand. It appeared as she was making sure that a color pencil was in her right hand. Later she moved it back to her left hand, where other color pencils were.

She instructed me to remember the color pencil which I have picked and placed in her right hand. And she asked me to move all the pencils in her left hand to box and close it. I had picked a color pencil which appeared to me as yellow-in-color and placed it in her right hand. Turning around she took the closed box in her hand and shuffled it with smile and confident. These actions of her made me more curious to observe her movements much more consciously.

She began to pick the color pencil by opening the box. She picked the pencil which appeared as pink-in-color and said not this. Later she picked the pencil that looked like brown-in-color and said not this. I kept looking at her eyes and body movements. Later she picked the pencil which looked as yellow-in-color and said this is your pencil.

I was surprised and sensed the trick here. And I believed my observations can be different if I closely investigate it. I asked her to repeat what she done. She was in full of joy and readily did illustrate her magic again.

I started my testing by stating test mission, "To uncover the illusion of little girl's magic trick."

Below are the questions that I gave for myself:

• Do I know what should be tested, by modeling the magic trick that I witnessed just now?
• What are the oracles and heuristics that can help me to know this magic trick?
• What approaches and techniques should I be using in current and unexpected contexts to test, for revealing this magic trick?
• How to configure, operate and observe the tests that I will be making?
• How can I infer and perceive the test results?
• How can I summarize my testing activities on revealing the illusion of magic trick?

While the little girl was illustrating the magic trick I was observing the possible suspicious (which acted as heuristics) moves which I thought of. Moving further in my tests, kept talking to the girl and varied my tests.

The information that I made note were as below while I varied my tests:

• Was she able to see which color pencil I picked? She was not able to see it while I picked one color pencil from box.
• What was the length and width of color pencil she was using to illustrate the magic? It was the pencil of length and width which was fitting in her palm.
• What kind of traces does the color pencils leave behind when colored using it or touching the tip of its lead? The trace of color was bright enough to identify by me in this context.
• How quick the traces of color can be erasable either on palms or on paper in this context?
• Is this color trace visible to other person, if the little girl is away from the observer?
• Am I biased here with anything here? Is it helping me? I was biased with information that color pencil will not leave any traces on palms on holding it.
• Does the lead and body of the color pencil appear to be of same color?
• What were the sequences of the pencil positions in the left hand of the girl?
• What if I place pencil in alternate pattern such that head of one color pencil will see the lead of the other color pencil in left hand?
• What if I change the position of color pencil head in the right hand of girl? Will she be still able to identify the color pencil I picked?
• For what number of times the little girl can consistently identify the color pencil that I pick? And the girl should not clean her palms or hands on each time this trick is illustrated.
• What if I place the same brand or manufacturers color pencil with broken lead, so that it cannot color unless it is sharpened to see the lead?
• What if I place other brand or manufacturers color pencils in her hand? Will she be able to identify the one I pick?
• What if I place pen with closed cap or colored objects in her hand that fits her palms? Will she be able to identify the one I pick?
• Was there any embosses or any kinds of surface marks on color pencil, which could tell the color of pencil on touching it?
• Did each color pencil have particular odor? If yes, how strong was that odor to identify uniquely? And this odor help her to identify the color pencil I picked?
• What if I place the black lead pencil of same size to the color pencil in her hand? Will she be able to do the same gimmick as with color pencil she had bought?
• What if I had smeared or rubbed the color pencil lead with other color pencil such that it gives two colors or a new color combination of the two? Will she have any difficulty now in identifying the color pencil I picked?
• Does the color pencil's body will leave any color strains on the palm or fingers while it is held in hand? If yes, for what time period should a color pencil to be held in hand? For how long the color stains or traces from this will remain there?
• Can I break the lead of a color pencil and can place the lead of other color pencil to it? How she can illustrate the same magic now?
• What if I place color pencil, which appeared as its lead color and body color are not the same? Will she be able to pick the right color pencil now?
• Were the color pencils are used earlier to color or yet to be used for coloring? Or it is used only for such trick purpose?
• Did the box of color pencils had anything in it to make this trick happen?
• What if I smear the oil or wax or water over her palms and fingers, before placing the color pencils in her hands? Will she be able to show her trick?
• Will she be able to do the same trick using single hand and one finger, instead of both hands and its fingers?
• How long and good the nails of her hands are? Did she make use of her nails too in this trick? Was nail polished with nail polish? If yes what was the color of it?
• Had she smeared anything on her nails, palms and hands?
• What all she is using to do this trick?
• How quick the pencil will leave its strain if it is kept in hands?
• What was the size of the lead of color pencil in the box?
• What if I place the pencils all of same color in the box instead of those appears to be of different colors?
• What if I closed her eyes by cloth so that she cannot see her hands or palms or fingers? And now I request her to pick the pencil. Will she able to do the trick now?
• Was there any person who I did not see, helping her to say which color pencil I picked?
• Was there any object around her that helped to see her which color pencil I picked? Did the direction she turned and stood have any influence or not?
• Is she able to do this trick in any place and any time, apart from the place where she stood now?
• What if I do not place the color pencil in her hand, instead keep an object that appears and feels like a color pencil but not a pencil? Will she be able to identify it or will she proceed further to say to put all the pencils back to box and be shocked to see no pencils in box?
• How long did she keep the color pencil in her right hand? What time did she take each time to repeat when I asked her to illustrate, when I chose different color pencils?

These were few questions that I got during that context. Asked her to perform the trick for few times and showed that it can be different if tested. And her little thumb finger nail of right hand had color of pencil I picked, through which she identified. She left saying "cheating, you saw the magic on my nail."

Magic is also an art as testing is. Magic and testing can make the illusions and remove the illusions too. Both require skills, practices, explorations and failures to find alternative approaches that fit into the contexts.

Testing will show how our biases, anticipated, inferences, perceptions, investigations and the information we have will not be the same for any time.

Bug, Flaw and Defect are all possible problems.

One of my team members asked me "What is the difference between Bug, Flaw, Error and Defect in software?" With my very little learning, I understand all these words talks about potential problems or concerns with software application I am using.

Words are contextual and so its meanings are:

• What does a 'Bug' mean for an Entomologist?
• What does a 'Bug' mean for a scaring man or woman looking at it?
• What does a 'Bug' mean for an organism that feeds on bug(s)?
• What does a 'Bug' mean for a person who treats for poisonous bite of insects?
• What does a 'Defect' mean for a Physician?
• What does a 'Defect' mean for a Lawyer?
• What does a 'Defect' mean for a Metallurgist?
• What does a 'Defect' mean for an Acoustician?
• What does a 'Defect' mean for an Architect or Civil Engineer who made the plan of a bridge or a dam or a skyscraper and constructing it?
• What does a 'Defect' mean for an Aeronautical Engineer designing and building the aircraft?
• What does a 'Defect' mean for an Astronaut?
• What does a 'Defect' mean for a pilot flying an aeroplane?
• What does a 'Flaw' mean to a Goldsmith?
• What does an 'Error' mean to a Tailor?
• What does an 'Error' mean to a referee in a game?
• What does an 'Error' mean when I park my vehicle in no parking area?
• What do a 'Bug', 'Defect', 'Flaw' and 'Error' mean when it is helping me to learn and know something new?

The 'Bug' for an entomologist can be source of knowledge. Bug can be a threat for scaring man or woman. Bug can be one of the survival source for an organism feeding on it. And for person who treats for bite of poisonous bugs, bugs can be source of bread and butter for her or him.

To a doctor who treats human, defect can be abnormality in human body as a defect in tooth for a dentist. To a goldsmith defect can be what she or he does not want the ornament to be or to have. An error to a tailor can be the incorrect measurement or cutting of garment.

And as a software user what can the bug, defect, error and flaw are? What should a user say for problem(s) witnessed before using the software application? Should it be called a bug, a defect, a flaw or an error?

The problem known by different words like bug, defect, flaw and error etc., exist because me exist as a user. The actions and interactions of me as a user identifies the problems. The problems or concerns are to me for using the software application. I perceive them as problems when a particular *sequence of usage of application did not bring desired or expected results.

*If sequence of operations are varied, the same problem or concern may appear or not or something interesting may turn up.

If I have no problem using the application may be then it has no problem just to me. Or may be the application is being used only by me. Or might the application is not used to an extent so that it can exhibit different behaviors for same operations. Or I am unable to differentiate between the problems and what I am understanding by using the application.

A problem is a probe that identifies the variances from my (the user) expectations. What happens to me when it varies from my expectations? How I react to these unexpected contexts? Hope this tells the importance of the problems faced by me as a user. Interesting is, the problems are also a heuristic.

Where is the "Requirement"? Vs What More "Can I See Here?"

The word "Requirement" is used by the laymen in his native language or with synonym words -- necessity, essential etc., which gives same meaning of requirement. Not just humans but also other vertebrates and non-vertebrates exhibit their requirement needs. The activities of vertebrates and non-vertebrates may show its needs as change in their requirements or as fresh requirements.

For example, when a child was born, parents or people would have covered the child with cloths. Do same cloths fit a child after couple of years? If yes, for how long those same cloths fit a child? Now a child exhibits requirement in terms of change -- in size of cloths, in this context. Similarly a banyan plant when planted, what space did it need? After 100 years does same space is sufficient for a planted banyan tree? Also the objects which looks like or so called as non-living being, (appears to) change its requirement as it evolves with the ecosystem in which it is understood to be present.

Do software applications too change its requirements as it evolves? While writing a software application, does desired deliverable (which is or which was) said by a user or written by a user or understood by an author who interacted with the user(s), is what the user(s) needs or needed? If yes, then those are the only deliverable or requirements?

Does whatever a user says or said or going to say is what she or he needs? Or, are there any other users who can give much more information that helps in the understanding of said words or written words or not yet said words and support the mission of delivering deliverable? Or, what I have understood about the deliverable, mission and AUT is correct? How and when can I know what I have is what a user actually needs? I am learning this day by day in each mistake I do.

I was asked, "Where is the requirement for all these? There is no requirement for all these, it is not a bug." for the observations reported from testing. These statements may be agreeable, if users are comfort using AUT with its behavior witnessed and not yet witnessed. But is this agreeable forever?

Concerns in AUT can be user specific and also context specific. A bug for me may not be a bug for other. I am not the author of implemented code or written requirement document and neither a user always in the operational environment. I will be prone to commit mistakes while learning and understanding AUT. I (tester) would not know always whether it is a problem or not using AUT. On illustrating AUT's behaviors with scenarios and risks that might turn around, observations reported were considered and prioritized accordingly.
If something works as implemented, is it to be understood that it is as per requirement or this is what a user needs? Might be the requirement asked by user or written by the author is not viable for near future or I misunderstood it for something else. Things I observe and understand can take or have more than one view. If AUT is as per requirements, design & implementation and as desired to use, then it is not hard to say "this is not what was expected", when any or all of these i.e., requirements, design, implementation and as desired are not agreeable or understood incorrectly.

I cannot stop myself getting biased while testing. But it can be identified and interpreted. The question that I ask for myself is, "How can I know what is needed by the clients as they are asking it for their needs and it is not for my purpose." This heuristic helps me and also failed in few contexts.

Picture: Systems and User interaction.

Note: The above diagram is with reference to my understanding of user needs, problems and software model.

Might be I identify only part of the little union area of three systems -- 'Users', 'Sub-systems and Models' and 'Problems, Requirement and Solutions' which is within another systems. Each subsystem and system will keep growing in its area. The union of these three systems within a system may give new systems. Probably it would be a challenge to me, to know the union areas every aspect in all possible views. If one system grows and covers rest of the other, those might be challenges to me in a system to identify and understand them.

I learned "Requirements are always incomplete and it evolves over the period of time gradually. Might be due to this incompleteness and changing needs of a person or the users, it is called as requirements."

I proceed asking myself "What More Can I See Here?" I am learning and testing to gather information for minimizing the confusions as a service to my clients. If one feels observations as a concerns or not a concerns it is yet another way of looking at it. And it adds insight for what I have to concentrate and look ahead and what my clients want to know from my testing.

Here is a scenario as a video, I witnessed. Is this scenario was in requirement of milk container manufacturing? Those who took milk from container by opening the knob always saw milk flowing to cup below the opened knob. It was a routine observation with this milk container and other such container. Milk flowed down and appeared as a free flow with no disturbances into a coffee or tea cup -- may be one of the requirement and design of container, what a user expected. Did you see anything here?

One day opening knob of milk container, every one placed a tea cup below the opened knob. And none noticed milk spilling out of cup. Where is the requirement for this scenario? The cost was, who came to have a cup of milk did waste the milk by spilling it down. Why this problem was not seen or thought of earlier? Was there any requirement in design and molding of milk container, which was not tested with this scenario? Or, every one expected that milk flows as usual into cup below the opened knob with no turbulence provided milk was available in container?

Video: Milk spilling out of cup.

Few questions bogged me looking at this scenario:

• What made all to think that milk flows into tea cup in their hand, on opening the knob of milk container?
• Once the knob of milk container was turned open, what made all not to see the flow of milk into tea cup in their hand?
• Is this scenario was never witnessed by any users earlier, who witnessed it today? If witnessed, when, where, how why and how frequently they witnessed it?
• Why did they not think of this unexpected, when they turned open the knob of milk container?
• Were they annoyed to clean the spilled out milk? Were they bugged by the incident they witnessed? If yes who were annoyed who were not annoyed? What did they do when they were annoyed?
• What quantity of milk was lost for these unthinkable and unexpected happening?
• Did user witnessed new problems from spilled out milk? If yes what were they? Who faced those problem(s)? What did it cost? And to whom did it cost?

Here is a video, which I believe that demonstrates 'What More Can I See Here?' and gathers the information by identifying problems.

Video: Identifying the concerns with the model.
Note: The credit for this video goes to the team or person who made it.

Few questions questioned me looking at this video:

• What was their mission? How often they reviewed their accomplishment with the mission to be accomplished?
• Was any requirement asked before changing previous design? Might be they would have seen requirement. But did they say, "There is no requirement to change."?
• Did they see any problems from the information gathered?
• How often they reconstructed their learning, thoughts and design for the concerns they witnessed?
• Did they change requirement(s)?
• Did they identify concern(s) with requirement they had?
• How did they learn to identify concern(s)?
• Did they follow any document to see whether they met requirement? If they saw requirement document(s), did they stick on to it alone when concerns were witnessed?
• How did they test requirement and model developed?
• Who were involved in discussion of requirement gathering and understanding?
• Who were involved while learning (testing) the model they developed?
• How did they record gathered information? How they made use of it? And who all analyzed it?

Again such questions keep coming out each time I explore. Is there any requirement written or present or assumed by default to ask, "It is not a bug. Where is the requirement?", if found like no requirement available for information identified by explorations?

Today's needs may change as tomorrow's concerns; and today's concerns may change as tomorrow's needs.

Unthinkable happening to the anonymous.

Can you think of an unthinkable for few seconds? If you can think of an unthinkable -- how it looks at present or how it would (not) be in future or how it had (not) been in past or earlier, then is it called the unthinkable? The next question to be investigated is "What is an 'unthinkable'? What can be unthinkable? When it looks like an unthinkable? Does it just appear as the unthinkable? When it is not an unthinkable? For whom it is an unthinkable -- when, why and how? For whom it is not an unthinkable -- when, why and how?"

Tried to look what is inferred in general for word "unthinkable". Asked few of my friends, "what do you understand for word 'unthinkable' and when you say it is an unthinkable?" Most of the *replies I got was and relates literally to, "when I cannot think beyond a level, I think it is unthinkable.". I was curious to know and asked "how did (or do) you know that you cannot think beyond a level, when you know that was so seemed as an optimum level (boundary)."

Later I tried to collect information about what they say about "thinkable". The *replies that I got was and relates literally to, "when I can say it precisely or when I can understand it or when I can relate it or when it is agreeable or when it is possible."
*This replies does not mean that what I heard are unanimously universal truth. I may have different opinions in the various contexts -- how I perceive the information by relating it from my thinking.

This triggered a heuristic within me to ask a question and requested to infer what I heard for unthinkable and thinkable. Unthinkable -- cannot think beyond a level, which is known by thinking, means it is thinkable to that extent and did looked like uncertain beyond that and seemed like thinkable as an unthinkable after that? When I identified a boundary, why did not I try to put question mark for what is beyond and after that boundary? This helped me to identify a heuristic -- exploratory is in the dynamics of thinking. The question what I got from my friends was, "what difference you find between words 'the unthinkable' and 'the thinkable'?" I was able to find the difference here and it was in the spellings of the two words.
With all this I looked out for printed meanings of words "unthinkable" and "thinkable" and below is what I saw and read on the web:

>> Unthinkable

adjective:
inconceivable; unimaginable; not to be considered; out of question;
noun:
something that cannot be conceived or imagined, as something too unusual, vague, or disagreeable.

Here I read a sentence -- "Today's unthinkables are tomorrow's realities.". Then I asked myself, "then how can it be termed as unthinkable?". I said myself, "I did not have a verb meaning here for unthinkable". The verb (action of thinking and reinvention of questions) makes unthinkable to thinkable by a question with intent to know what the question(s) shows and gives back.

>> Thinkable

adjective:
capable of being thought; conceivable; that may be considered as possible or likely.

*Note: Here it says three results for thinkable, but it seems like only two results are being shown to readers.
With all these questions and information I had a thought and inferred -- there is nothing unthinkable; if at all said, it is unthinkable then it is the ambiguities in thinkable, thinking, what I have, what I have inferred, what I have understood, what I am seeing, which I am not seeing and what I have missed to write here. Questioning and investigations helps in identifying and knowing what is ambiguous.

This made me to remember the words of James Bach, which I had read -- "Testing is infinite process of comparing the invisible to the ambiguous so as to avoid the unthinkable happening to the anonymous."


My own context where I witnessed "unthinkable happening to the anonymous":

I have the habit of testing what ever I see by asking myself "What more can I see here? When, why and how it does not do for what it is believed, it will do?" I tested my mobile phone from the day I have it. But this context I witnessed was unthinkable and annoyed me. The service provider of the SIM card I use will advertise for the ring tones, caller tunes and many more (might be you too would know this). And these advertisements sometimes come as an incoming call and play the automated recorded voice. Automated voice why? I believe humans cannot do that always by dialing to a number then sing a song and tell to press the key if you want this or not. But, program instructions written by human can do them. Something to think consciously -- programming instructions are changing day-by-day in wink of an eye, but am I changing with my thoughts?

I received one such call which was for caller tunes and it started playing the recorded voice which was more or less a automated on receiving the call; pressing the numerical key on the keypad will be the input for the being played advertisement. Meanwhile I started looking at the contact number of my friend in my Nokia 1100 handset.

Below are the ways I explored to search contacts while a call is received and in conversation, when I brought my mobile phone - Nokia 1100:

Contact search exploration-1:

When a call is being received or dialed, connected and in conversation -- pressing the numerical key which also denotes the alphabets will show 'Options' which was showing 'End' in the display area. Then pressing the key used for selection will display 'Call options' which has options for Hold, New Call, End Call, Send DTMF, Send, Contacts, Menu, Mute, Flashlight on. Selecting 'Search' will help in looking for the contact numbers that are stored in the mobile phone (SIM + phone) memory.

Contact search exploration-2:

The other way for looking for the contact while being on conversation in a call is, pressing key 'C' which symbolize for cancel. On pressing key 'C' in keypad will show 'Options' and the 'End' will be taken off from display area. Selecting the 'Options' will show the list above said options under 'Call options'. Should navigate and select 'Search' for looking into the contact number I have stored in my mobile phone (SIM + phone) memory.

The above are two procedures I know to search for contact during a call conversation. In the above said instant i.e., when the call of advertisement for caller tune was received, I used contact search exploration-1 to find the contact number of my friend and pressed a key '5' on keypad which also had alphabets 'jkl'.

Doing this, a song was selected as my caller tune and the recorded voice said (the words written here are not exact of what I heard)-- "the caller tune service has been activated for your number, subscription charge will be deducted and monthly rental will be deducted from next month." This shocked me I did not want the caller tune, but now it has been activated for my contact number. I did not even think about -- if I do the contact search while such call is received, money will be deducted from my prepaid account and which I don't want to happen. Later I deactivated the caller tune for my contact number, but money was deducted for choosing it. This annoyed and bugged me. Because I don't like to loose money as I cannot spend it this way.

One more instance is pressing key '9' on keypad while such caller tune advertisement is being played, will play the recorded voice again from the beginning. One day I pressed key '9' to listen what the recorded and automated voice tells. Unfortunately this time, pressing key '9' it activated a caller tune instead of starting the recorded voice from beginning. Again the money was deducted for this. Here the same key '9' played two different roles i.e., for repeating what I heard in one scenario and to select a song in another scenario.

Later I got a question to mind. There are people who use mobile phone in my country who are literate and illiterate. If a key is pressed for some other purpose while such call of caller tune advertisement is received, they will loose their money. If they wished not to have the caller tune and if they feel not to spend the money for this, will they be annoyed and bugged when unthinkable happens to them and their money gets deducted? If they are bugged and annoyed, should I call this as a bug in this context scenario?

The words "Testing is infinite process of comparing the invisible to the ambiguous so as to avoid the unthinkable happening to the anonymous." demonstrates what testing means here in this context -- for the caller tune getting activated which the user did not expect or thought while using key in keypads to search contact, it might be unthinkable for her or him or anonymous who witnessed it.

To whom should a annoyed and bugged user (anonymous) tell, "this kind of option of selecting the caller tune can make unthinkable to happen and takes the money which I don't want to spend this way while searching for a contact in mobile phone using numerical keys in keypad." Should it be said to the mobile phone manufacturers or communication service providers?

Is it a Countdown or Stopwatch?

The clock that appears to be as digital on the web page of Sunfeast World 10K Bangalore - Indiatimes, shows the clock ticking out on reaching the zero too.

It appeared as a countdown watch when looked at it before the marathon event started, which had a statement next to the clock as "to go to The World's Premier 10K Run on 31st May 2009".

Now the date and time is 31st May 2009, 10 minutes past 6 PM. And, the wonderful marathon event was today morning.





Looking at the clock that is being displayed and ticking ahead, it puts a question, is it a:

• Countdown clock -- that has set to zero by counting down number of days, hours, minutes and seconds for the marathon to go. And started counting again ahead of zero, on setting itself to zero?
• Stopwatch clock -- after setting the time to zero and has started to tick ahead. Is this a countdown or stopwatch? Or earlier it was a countdown watch and now is it a stopwatch? But for what it is ticking ahead?

When observed and inferred the message "to go to The World's Premier 10K Run on 31st May 2009" next to this time which appears to be as stopwatch counter i.e., at 12 minutes past 6 PM on 31st May 2009 after the event got completed successfully, it confuses and makes a questions sparked in the viewer and reader of that clock and message asking "Marathon is yet to start again?" But after a minute seeing the time that got ahead by one minute in the being displayed and so appeared as digital clock, sparks one more question "I saw just now one minute less than what I am seeing now. When is the World 10K marathon then?".

But, the Sunfeast World 10K Bangalore marathon on 31st May 2009 was a wonderful and memorable event.

Tester finds information on the bill receipt.

I found the information on the bill receipts which I got to my hands for looking it. Below are the snaps of those bill receipts.

Picture: Bill Receipt-1

Bill Receipt-1:

Printed characters on the 'Bill Receipt-1' were bit hard to make it out, as 'M' and 'N' appears to be same on the printed receipt. Apart from this, it has other information, which can be inferred from the snap 'Bill Receipt-1'.

• If 111/1 is a shop number, what does '&2' and 'Address4' mean?
• What and which single scoop? 'Reg' means registry or register or regular or something else?
• 'Amount Tendered' and 'Return Change' by whom and is that both by the same person?
• 'Flavour of Month' and 'Offer of Month' why not printed bill? Is it communicated by any other means, before getting the bill by paying the money to have the being bought? If not communicated then does this bring the value to the customer?
• How to dial 'Footer4' for home delivery?

Picture: Bill Receipt-2

Bill Receipt-2:

The printed word on the 'Bill Receipt-2' tells "Estimate".

• Why should a customer pay the estimate amount, which can be less than what she or he purchased or why should a customer need to pay the estimated amount, which can be more than what she or he purchased?
• Why MRP is not printed? What does '*' mean? Is that person name is 'star' to say in the common man language or how does the common man language interpret that? Or '*' mean anyone who gets that bill or everyone who gets that bill?

Pair questioning - no murks; all are igniting sparks.

I have been practicing exploration of the systems that exists and don't exists, from the day my mother taught me to learn, while I was learning by writing on the walls of my house 22 years back. Started the exploratory testing of *systems -- software applications when I got my first job. I practiced pair questioning with my mother while I was writing on the walls and floor of my house, on black slate with piece of chalk, in the books -- when I observed my mother writing down in a little book for all the things that need to be done, that were done, how it was done, how to do etc.
*systems -- independent entity interrelated (or not interrelated) to make unified whole. In this context, referring a software application as model of a system.

From my school days, I write my explorations, findings, results and many more in a book that I carry with me. The below snap is the book where I write all my test ideas, exploratory ideas, questions, data, diagramming and all other that I get for my craft works (testing), which I do for the employer of me.

Picture: Photo snap of the book I use for writing down all my craft works stuff.

I had and have been in pair questioning (testing) with tester's, which gave us floods of thoughts, ideas and questions. For the first time I did pair questioning along with a person who wrote the system's model.

Before questioning by sitting with developer colleague, I did modeling of the system that will be questioned by us, collected information's about what to question (test mission), collected the supporting information's in written form that were available if any, thought of strategies for how to design and execute the questions simultaneously and make use of the information which will be yielding from this, and how to make use of the information's which we get from all these investigation's with the heuristic that were thought and those were used, by writing down all these in the book which is in above snap.

Later, I explained with an illustration to my developer friend, how we will be working and what strategies we will be using for the test plan that was plotted and agreed by both of us with TEST MISSION that was set.

I use SBTM (Session Based Test Management) approach by modifying it for my project contexts from past one year. My credits to Bach brother's -- James Bach and Jonathan Bach for giving such an exploring approach that can be tailored for the, set test mission. This approach is working fine for me, not sure for others.

I am unable to put or present here the replica of what we did, as I am not supposed to disclose the project details as I too have signed NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement). But the few things I can share here is the SBTM approach I used and use:

• Test Mission: To identify the possible ambiguities and critical information's from the sub model "abcd" of the model "PQRS".
• Approach: Session Based Paired Exploratory Testing.
• Testers: Mahesh and Ravisuriya.
• Environment on which model is tested: Name of the OS, Version of OS, Kernel name of OS, with hardware-software configuration of machine and environmental conditions where the model was questioned at the time of test execution.
• Model and areas of model being questioned: abcd.
• Installation type of model: Type of installation by which the model was installed for use -- Fresh or Upgrade or Repair. Uninstall -- if being tested for uninstall of the model.
• Set session duration: 60 minutes.
• Start date and time of questioning the model: 29th April 2009 9:01 AM.
• End date and time of questioning the model: 29th April 2009 10:23 AM.
• Observations and information's: All the inferred and observed behavior of the model, which was driven by context-driven approach.
• Investigations: All the investigation results conducted for the above observations and written information's.
• Opportunity: Any other questioning (testing) we did which yielded us with very helpful and critical information(s) in this set session with spent time duration for it, apart from the framed test mission.
• Issues encountered and remedial workaround: If any seen issue(s) and existence of workaround for the observed, inferred and investigated issue(s).
• Interruption: Will have reason and time duration of pause or stopped time when questioning of the model under test was ended.
• Remarks or Notes: Comprises the conclusion of the session that was completed or not completed with the reason and area of improvement in questioning.
• For more information's: Contact extension number and email-id of testers participated actively in set session.

We spent more than 60 minutes which was set, since we diverted and branched our exploratory testing as we found some crucial and critical information's -- this was an opportunity which we recognized and made use of it; but came back to the framed track for the test mission that was set and accomplished it.

Plenty of information's were found during this pair questioning (pair testing) session. And, it was learning and also a fun session with developer being a tester and questioning the model under test. There was no murk in the session, instead all the murk were igniting spark.

Decision makers were able to infer the information's briefed in the document that described the above said questioning session and took the decision.

I want to vote. But, I don't like to vote any candidate!

When I heard about the election is going to be held very soon, I began to think of an advertisement that was published in the television channels of India, making the people to get aware of the importance of their vote.

Thinking of that advertisement, I got a thought in my mind, "I want to vote. But if I don't wish to cast my vote for any candidates who are nominated in residing constituency, how can I do it?".

To my best of memory, I remember that, I did not see this option in the Electronic Voting Machines earlier and now, when I voted. Might be there is an option saying orally I am interested in voting but not for any candidates nominated in this constituency; hope they agree and accept that vote. But this will be revealed publicly and if I don't want that, then how shall I do that? Is there any option in the Electronic Voting Machine for doing this?

If we have that option in Electronic Voting Machine i.e., "I want to vote, but don't like to vote for the candidates stood in the residing constituency", might be useful to the people who wants to cast their valuable vote.

When I closed my eyes for a second when stood in front of the Electronic Voting Machine and opened my eyes, a question struck my mind, "How does a visually challenged person can cast her or his vote using the Electronic Voting Machine?". Surely, our Election Commission of India will have the alternatives for such contexts, so that every eligible citizen can cast vote to her or his candidate.

Looking at that Electronic Voting Machine, I got many question in my mind and few of them are:

• What is the maximum number of votes can be voted per minute using an Electronic Voting Machine?
• Are there any restrictions on maximum number of votes that can be voted per minute using an Electronic Voting Machine?
• What is the maximum number of votes can be voted per hour using an Electronic Voting Machine?
• Are there any restrictions on maximum number of votes that can be voted per hour using an Electronic Voting Machine?
• What is the maximum number of votes can an Electronic Voting Machine store in its memory?
• How many candidates name can be put in an Electronic Voting machine for voting? If eligible 2000 candidates are nominated for the ongoing election, does all 2000 candidates name will be put in the Electronic Voting Machine's, which is in poll?
• What happens while I am pressing the button of Electronic Voting Machine for casting my vote, say the Electronic Voting Machine goes down due to battery problem or any other problem? Will that vote which I voted, will be added to the register memory? Will I be allowed to vote again? Will my vote count appear to the person who is operating the other device, which resets the Electronic Voting Machine as ready for other person to vote after me?

Might be while making the device Electronic Voting Machine, people would have thought of this to cut off any such context incidents, as much as possible.

Salute to all those people and governing bodies who worked and working sincerely for making the voting go smoothly, peacefully and with no corruptions to possible extent.

Brain of winked eyes, caught the blink!

Every one of us wink and blink when we have kept our eyes opened. But, our brain blinks and winks more and more when we begin to think, question and investigate with a thought which is in our mind.

Muscle of thinking -- brain, also see through the critical thinking with the information what we observe through our eyes and what we infer by seeing, reading & practicing -- all of these are (needs of) keen inquisitive observations. And, the brain keeps generating ideas for recognizing the patterns when the eyes are open and also when they are closed.

I was moving along with car, which was driven by one of my manager in a sunny noon. Beside me my friend MSH was seated and we were busy looking outside the window of a car and talking about a incident report, which MSH related to the Bengaluru traffic. In a signal, my eyes moved over the advertisement board, which was different from other board's I saw. And, the contents written in the board was also different in the way it imparted the meaning to the people who looked and perceived it by their thinking.

That advertisement said, "Let's be a responsible public.". In a wink my eyes caught colors of those letters in the board. And, it had other meaning. Quickly I asked MSH to look at the board and he too caught the other meaning of the words, that were written on the advertisement board.

The words written on the board brought me the James Bach's Blink Testing oracle to my mind. I said to MSH, what we identified after a blink of our eyes was the illustration of Blink Testing.

Picture: Photo snap of the advertisement board and the written content on it.

At the first sight I read it as "Let's be a responsible public.". But in fraction of an eye wink, the brain caught the blink and it showed "Let's be a responsible public." in the eve of Republic Day that was celebrated on 26th January. The board also said "Let's be a republic." along with "Let's be a responsible public.". Here I made use of heuristic (Blink Testing -- also can be an oracle) to infer that the other meaning i.e., 'republic' what I got, was from Blink Testing.

After an hour, moving in front of the same advertisement board in the same car, eyes and brain started to wink in finding those words that I read an hour back. But, the whole board was painted with color that appeared as red-in-color and did feel like those words are winking at us by hiding behind the paint which appeared to be red-in-color.


"There can be as much value in the blink of an eye as in months of rational analysis."
-- Malcom Gladwell, Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking, 2005

"We learn by example and by direct experience because there are real limits to the adequacy of verbal instruction."
-- Malcom Gladwell, Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking, 2005

Source of the above quotes: quotation page