Interface Mockup for Custom Testing Software

As I put it in one version of my resume: "Created and documented a mockup of a database-backed system for test tracking and recording."  Some of the resulting visuals are in the composite image to the right..

This was a self-initiated project sparked by seeing how inefficient and mistake-prone testing could be, even with clear regulation-based guidelines.  Some common problems came from turnover in the testing workforce, the sheer volume of test items, the volume and variety of test data, and the frequency of delays during the tests.

My proposed database-backed system would take advantage of the formalized guidelines to make the testing process run on rails, and would thus solve the just-listed problems.

UPDATE 1: Speaking of rails, as I researched the best way to implement the system, I got a taste of the future when my research took me to the Ruby on Rails project; I could see that web-based approach was certainly the best solution.

UPDATE 2: Looking back from early 2013, I can also now see that tablet-like devices would have been (and still would be) the ideal hardware to match with the software described/shown.  On-the-floor testing makes even notebook-type solutions awkward, but a direct touch-based interface running on a small tablet would be just right.

Test Procedure Documentation

From the middle of 2005 to late in 2006 I worked at a government test lab.  The hydrostatic pressure test was one of the most complicated procedures we did, and surprisingly it was also completely undocumented.  After I finally learned how to do the test I decided that it would be a good idea to help future testers by documenting the procedure.

Because the software tools available were very limited, I settled on using hand-drawn illustrations in a Word document.  A scan of some of the original drawings is to the right, and a PDF of the full test procedure is linked below.