It’s been an incredible journey in quality, but like all good things, mabl Experience 2022 has come to an end. Over 1200 software testers, QA leaders, and quality stakeholders joined us for two days of sessions dedicated to elevating testing. We shared our best practices in testing, discussed how quality engineering contributes to a better customer experience, and explored the latest advances in test automation. It was inspiring to see how your organizations are building better digital experiences!

Driven by Quality, United by Testing

Thank you to our amazing lineup of speakers, who dedicated valuable time and effort to put together 17 sessions covering how to build an accessibility testing strategy, break down quality silos, grow in your testing career, and more. Representing leading companies like Abstracta, Barracuda, Chewy, Dawn Foods, JetBlue, Stack Overflow, and Trilogy, every speaker shared valuable insights into the many ways testing is being transformed by DevOps and consumer expectations.

In addition to our virtual Experience, mabl hosted an in-person Experience in our HQ city of Boston, where the quality community gathered at the MGM Music Hall at Fenway for the first time.  

Elevating Testing and the Customer Experience

We kicked things off with a keynote from mabl co-founder Dan Belcher, who was joined by our Head of Product Gevorg Hovspeyan and Stack Overflow VP of Product Engineering Dale Cook. They shared how our field is embracing a more holistic approach to quality that harnesses functional and non-functional testing to improve the user experience, even while development organizations accelerate delivery cycles. 

We later heard how this transformation is happening in real-time with sessions from JetBlue, Dawn Foods, and Chewy. Though they represent vastly different industries - travel, wholesale bakery supplies, and ecommerce - all three companies have built deeply loyal audiences through decades of customer service. With automated testing, they have been able to build industry-leading digital experiences that can evolve to meet consumers’ changing needs. 

  • General Manager for Enterprise QA Vince Esquilin explored how integrating testing more deeply into their development processes through quality engineering is unlocking faster innovation at JetBlue. 
  • VP of Engineering Bart Somaasundaram shared how functional testing helped ITS re-architect their web application for better business travel experiences. 
  • Associate Director of Accessibility Mark Sadecki explained how automated accessibility checks are helping his team scale a comprehensive accessibility testing strategy that ensures every pet parent has a delightful experience on Chewy.com. 

Each of these sessions represented an important aspect of the journey to quality engineering. For those feeling overwhelmed by the potential of this testing transformation, our panel on leading connected quality teams had some valuable advice. Madhura Kamat, Sr. Principal Software Architect at iCIMS shared how QA leaders can build a culture of quality: “Treat quality as a first-class citizen. Make sure that every tester understands their importance and leaders must encourage a team mindset. Everyone has something to contribute to quality.” 

Registration is open for mabl Experience 2023. Save your seat! 

In the same vein, QualityWorks CEO Stacy Kirk explained her secret weapon in quality engineering transformation: “Measure. There’s a lot of value in being able to show where you started versus where you are now. People will get excited to see progress over time and be more willing to buy into change.” 

Sr. Engineering Manager for QA at SmugMug Janet Bracewell offered some final words of wisdom: “The road to quality is going to be bumpy. Start small and let people see the impact of change. Take your entire team along with you.” 

Wherever you are in your quality engineering journey, our speakers and sessions have practical strategies to help your organization navigate change, measure success, and advocate for better testing. 

Elevating Testers and Quality Careers 

We know that when quality professionals are empowered to elevate testing, development is faster and the customer experience is better. To help testers navigate our rapidly changing industry, we gathered quality leaders from around the world to share their best career advice. QualityWorks Head of Training and Development Julia Pottinger, Abstracta Co-founder and COO Federico Toledo, and FORT Robotics Director of QA Engineering Lisette Zounon explored what it means to be a tester in an agile world, how quality professionals can navigate a changing career ladder, and what they look for when hiring testers.

According to our panel, the modern tester is analytical, curious, and empathetic. Technical skills can be developed through a variety of resources (including mabl University and our new mabl Certifications), but those core characteristics must be part of every tester’s skillset. 

Julia concluded mabl Experience 2022 with some inspiring words: “You are the driver in your career, never forget that.” Whether you’re an early-stage tester or an experienced quality leader, growing your career can be challenging. But events like mabl Experience remind us of how powerful this community can be for elevating testers and testing. 

Thanks and See You Next Year! 

Whether you joined us virtually or in Boston, thank you for sharing your time and energy with mabl. We had lively discussions on all things quality, supported each other in our quest for better customer experiences, and experienced how real-world teams are navigating the multiple transformations taking place in software development. 

We're already gearing up for mabl Experience 2023! Join us on November 1-2 to celebrate how quality professionals are extending the Reach of testing across their companies. Save your virtual seat or join us live in Boston!