Recently, Rose sat down with Claudia Restrepo, a senior quality assurance engineer who started at Brightspot in 2017. Claudia, who has worked in quality assurance testing since 2000, shared insights into how her field has evolved over the past 20 years and the critical and unique role that QA plays in delivering excellence for our customers.
Where did you work prior to Brightspot? What brought you here?
I lived in New York before starting at Brightspot. I was working at Newsday, a news media publishing company in Long Island, NY as a QA manager, and was there for 6 years. I moved to Northern Virginia in August 2017, connected with Brightspot, and have been here ever since.
What do you find most interesting about quality assurance?
I like to ensure that I am providing quality to our customers. I enjoy looking at the product from the user's point of view and thinking outside the box. I definitely enjoy finding bugs as well as seeing the final product come together and working as expected.
Can you explain more about how the quality assurance process fits into the development lift cycle at Brightspot?
It's very interesting because, as a QA engineer, I need to understand the development process and how the project comes together from a development standpoint. Based on this understanding, we develop a strategy to make sure all parts are tested and working as expected. For QA to be effective, we need to be part of the project from the start so that we can fully understand the business requirements, designs, and technical implementation which allows us to cover all areas and ensure a fully tested product.
You've worked in quality assurance testing over 20 years. How have you seen this field change over that time and what do you think the future holds?
Over my 20 years, one of the biggest changes is how QA has become a larger part of the development process. We are delivering products at a quicker pace, therefore, QA and developers end up working in parallel as we approach deadlines. I've also seen how QA and our testing process have evolved to include other areas like accessibility, usability, etc, which I think will only continue to grow as QA becomes more involved in all areas of the software cycles.
You have done a ton of different projects for a handful of clients. Does any one project stand out? Why?
California Times stands out because it was such a big project with so many moving parts and a large team. In the beginning, it was very overwhelming, but with the help of leadership and the outstanding talent on the team, we got into a great flow. The project ultimately came together, and we delivered a robust experience for all of the sites within the California Times family, including The LATimes and The San Diego Union-Tribune.
What traits or characteristics make someone successful at quality assurance testing? Why?
Good communication, patience, and detail orientation are essential. You also need to be skeptical. You can't trust what you see. We need to look at what we are testing from an end user's point of view and think of all possible scenarios. Our end goal is to ensure that we are catching all bugs and delivering a quality product for our users.
Besides the people, what is your favorite part about working at Brightspot?
I like how I have been able to work on different projects and learn various industries. It's amazing how all of the projects have one product in common, Brightspot, yet each project is different. Understanding the needs of each client and project allows me to continue to learn and always remain challenged. My other favorite part is the energy within the company. The mix of senior and young talent helps motivate me to stay on top of my game and do great work. It is an inspiring group of people to work with every day.
What are your favorite activities or hobbies to do outside of the office?
I enjoy spending time with my family. I have two kids, so my time is mostly with them. We enjoy going on walks and doing other family activities.
While we are trapped at home physically distancing, do you have any book, television, or movie recommendations to share?
We have been watching a lot of Netflix and Amazon. One show that we loved watching as a family was Anne with an E. We watched it twice and I would definitely recommend it. It's a great family series!
If you could have any super power, which would you like to have?
With all that is going on in this world and country right now, I would want the power to make everyone be kind to each other.
