HeadSpin University is paving the way for the next generation of test automation professionals

Technology has become the lifeblood that courses through our daily lives. From the way we work and entertain ourselves, to the way we communicate, most human activities are now powered by digital technology. This has particular relevance in these times when the world is more interconnected than ever before.

But along with the convenience exists the possibility that the smallest software glitch can snowball into significant loss of face and money for a business. One hospital in the US found this out the hard way when it sent out an email to over 8,000 registered patients telling them they had died. A recent software upgrade to the hospital patient management system erroneously assigned the code for ‘expired’ instead of the code for ‘discharged’ to the bewildered recipients. The reason that this ‘human’ error occurred is because the software was created by humans. That is why software testing is crucial to ensure a bug-free experience as functionalities and applications get increasingly complex. And with the competition growing everyday, software developers have to ensure that their product hits the market running.

The Automated Testing Advantage

The solution lies in automated testing of the software before it is released. Manual testing, which requires a human to try various permutations and combinations and a variety of inputs to ensure that the desired results were achieved is not only time consuming, it still leaves room for error, and often leaves many parameters unexplored. Automation eases the process by using scripts and tools, which not only expands the scope of the testing, but also improves accessibility to the extent that testing can be done anytime and from anywhere in the world. Test times are reduced, results are more accurate, test cases can be reused, and with a faster time-to-market with more accurate results, it offers a better Return on Investment.

However, with the experience economy we live in, companies are under pressure to meet the ever evolving demands of their customers. Connected experiences are fundamental to the success of digital businesses and require a unified, proactive approach to testing, monitoring, and analytics across applications, devices, and networks.

This is where companies like HeadSpin provide developers an advantage. Its proprietary Connected Intelligence Platform^TM , the first of its kind, allows developers to test and monitor applications and infrastructure in real-world conditions. The company’s device testing cloud provides mobile, IoT, and 5G solutions to optimise connected experiences across applications, real devices, real networks, in over 160 locations worldwide

Learning is the best tool

“As digital experiences become more connected and global, the need to automate from the user’s perspective will continue to grow. At HeadSpin, we saw the need to not only deliver the best global, connected automation tools, but also train the next generation of automation professionals with best practices in the currently available best tools,” says Brien Colwell, Co-Founder and CTO.

In keeping with this principle, the company recently announced the launch of HeadSpin University in an effort to increase the amount and quality of Appium training and education. It will offer free intro classes, as well as industry-leading certification courses focused on test automation skills, using frameworks like Appium and Selenium.

“We have released The Appium Collection, a curation of Appium-related webinars and articles. HeadSpin is a proud supporter and contributor to the test automation ecosystem. We are also thrilled to welcome Jonthan Lipps to the family and lead this effort. Headspin University will continually introduce the latest automation best practices to professionals, to help the industry deliver the most value,” says Brien.

Jonathan, who will head the initiative as Director, Learning and Education Programs is the former Founding Principal of Cloud Grey, the world's premier Appium-focused automation consultancy, Appium architect and project lead, and author of Appium Pro.

Speaking about his new role, he says, “I joined HeadSpin because I saw a unique opportunity to build a platform for training the next generation of test automation professionals. The job of QAEs and SDETs is only getting more complicated with the influx of new technologies and the heightened expectations of users for app quality. An equally high quality of training is the only way forward for the testing community, especially as many testers are at a point in their career where they need to gain automation skills, or refine those that they already have.”

Jonathan will be overseeing (and personally developing) the creation of a new set of courses that go beyond the basics and give learners everything they need to be successful in the mission of guarding the quality of their app's user experience.

HeadSpin University has recently launched a free course on Appium led by Jonathan , which is already seeing a lot of traction from the Appium community.

According to Sumeet Panjabi - Sr. QA Engineer (Nuance Communications) & member of Test Tribe, “HeadSpin University is an amazing prospect in the area of learning and development. The detailed courses and certifications from industry experts will surely help QA Engineers to improve their skill sets. This makes a difference in their careers in the field of test automation.”

It will also connect leaders in the test automation industry with working professionals and students learning to test software from across the globe . The courses will focus on practical skills in using Appium and Selenium so they will learn how to leverage automation effectively to write tests that solve real problems and create real value for their teams. Best of all, enrolled students will be given access to HeadSpin’s global test platform to develop their automation skills. Interested developers can also enroll for free intro classes as well as industry certificates, which are based on coursework, coding challenges, and instructor feedback.

“HeadSpin is committed to helping companies achieve success with automation during the whole lifecycle. Companies starting an automation initiative can start with Headspin University and learn the tools, and then grow with HeadSpin to a 24x7 global deployment that meets their needs,” says Brien.

To find out more about HeadSpin University and to enrol, click here now