4 Books Which I've Found Useful for my Testing

Ideas Learning and Improvement Testing

1. Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

I heard from quite a few people how beneficial this book was for them. About six or seven years ago, I tried to read it, but couldn’t get into it - then I tried again about two years ago and really enjoyed it. It’s an intense read and focuses a lot on cognitive biases - a lot of which I come across in day-to-day testing.

2. Lessons Learned in Software Testing: A Context Driven Approach by Cem Kaner, James Michael Bach and Bret Petticord

While this book was written almost 20 years ago, a lot of the lessons still apply today. There’s A LOT of useful advice you can apply. Strongly suggest you get a copy and then use it as a reference when the need arises. The great thing about this book is that it’s split into almost 300 lessons - so you can fairly easily pick it up and put it down. My highlights include:

3. Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug

I’d been meaning to read this book for years, so when I saw that my local library had a copy, I immediately reserved a copy.

It was interesting to read about all these different aspects of design, that I had taken for granted. It was also very useful to learn design-related vocabulary and concepts - so hopefully in the future I can use these, if and when needed.

4. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain

Given that I work with a lot of people who (seem to me) are introverts and a few of my friends are introverts, I thought this would be a good read so I can better understand them.

It argues strongly that the world does seem to favour those who are more vocal - and I agree.

But that doesn’t make it right. I think it’s important that everyone’s opinions are heard.

Check out more of my recommendations here and my book reviews here.

Ideas Learning and Improvement Testing