Tester struggle sometimes not only with the technical challenges of the environment (in) which they test, but also with more abstract questions like:

“Why did I not find that bug earlier?”, “Why did I not thought of it?” or “Why do I do not find (the important) bugs?”.

As the answers to these questions can be multiple and complex and one of the answers can be: “Your testing is biased!”. And yes, you cannot escape it and yes, it is ok!

Unconscious biases are a human reflex (mental shortcuts), so we all are, in one way or the other, biased. But biases can be identified and controlled. This is the first step to escape your own bias blind spot.

I will tell you, using concrete and personal examples, about:

• how and when I started identifying my own biases
• how the confirmation bias hides in the form of requirements testing
• my checklist to avoid the IKEA effect
• how I try to avoid the automation bias
• how I try to manage my courtesy bias
• what I do to avoid the default effect
• the effect of less-is-better bias in system integration activities
• how I test when I suspect that the development might be affected by the planning fallacy or the IKEA effect

In the end we will do a short “hands-on” test together, focusing on the confirmation bias and the research of Peter Wason.

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