The past year in software testing was characterized by central topics such as artificial intelligence (AI) and accessibility. Legislation such as the EU Accessibility Act and the Cyber Resilience Act play a key role here, as they act as driving forces for further development. AI is increasingly being used in the field of testing, whereby it is important to strike a balance between human expertise and machine support. Going forward, these trends and participation in specialist conferences will remain important aspects in driving innovation and best practices forward.
In our special New Year’s Eve episode, I sat down with Florian Fieber to review the past year and take a look into the future. We talked about the many conferences Florian attended and the dominant topics such as artificial intelligence (AI) and accessibility. Florian emphasized the importance of legislation such as the EU Accessibility Act and the Cyber Resilience Act, which act as drivers for the topics. We also discussed how AI is used in testing and the need for a balance between human expertise and machine assistance. Finally, we shared our plans for the next year, including more conferences and our work at ISTQB. It was a great conversation and a perfect way to end the year.
“The meta-topic at all corners and ends was of course AI, yes, testing of and with AI completely thought through. There are also the first formats, or actually some of them already, that are really exclusively concerned with testing with AI or by AI.” - Florian Fieber
Florian Fieber studied Media Informatics and Information Systems, after which he worked as a software developer and research assistant. Today, his area of expertise covers all aspects of quality assurance in the software lifecycle, with a focus on test management and process improvement. Since 2018, he has been active in the German Testing Board e.V. (GTB), where he is, among other things, head of the Acceptance Testing working group and has served as chairman of the GTB since 2022.
In 2023, the focus was on numerous conferences in the field of software quality and testing. The most important events included the Software Quality Days in Vienna, the German Testing Day, TACON in Leipzig and Testing United. These events provided an ideal platform for exchanging information on current trends and discussing new developments in the industry. The topic of artificial intelligence (AI) in particular was omnipresent and played a central role in presentations and discussions. The focus was on both the testing of AI systems and the use of AI to optimize test processes.
Artificial intelligence has long been a key topic in the testing community. Various events, such as the SIX Info Days or Testing United, were dedicated entirely to the potential and challenges of dealing with AI. The focus was on how AI can be tested, but also how it can make testing processes more efficient. One key aspect was the combination of human expertise and machine intelligence: AI does not act as a replacement for good testers, but rather complements and strengthens their skills.
Accessibility was another important topic of the year, particularly in the context of the forthcoming EU Accessibility Act. This promotes the development of accessible applications and has greatly increased interest in accessibility testing. Legal requirements are often a catalyst for innovation, and so the topic of accessibility has become the focus of many discussions and projects. Companies are faced with the challenge of making their applications accessible to all users, which requires extensive testing and specialized approaches.
In addition to accessibility, cyber security and the Cyber Resilience Act are also key issues in the testing sector. These new regulations require companies to carry out more stringent tests to ensure the security of their products. Such requirements not only pose challenges, but also offer opportunities, as they focus on essential quality aspects and promote innovation in the area of product safety.
A look into the future shows that artificial intelligence will remain a dominant topic. The integration of AI into test processes is likely to normalize, and the tools for testing AI systems will be further developed. In addition, topics such as DevOps, quality engineering and agile methods are becoming increasingly important. Low-code and no-code platforms for test automation also promise to further simplify and accelerate the testing process. Progress in these areas will have a lasting impact on the way the testing community works and open up new opportunities.