More How To Test This? episodes

How to Test with Selenium - Alan Richardson thumbnail

How to Test with Selenium - Alan Richardson

Published 2 Feb 2026

Duration: 01:05:41

Software testing experts discuss Selenium, test automation best practices, and the role of AI, emphasizing the need for technical expertise and collaboration to stay ahead in the industry.

Episode Description

Todays episode features Alan Richardson (aka Evil Tester). With over 25 years of experience in software development and testing, Alan shares his uniqu...

Overview

The podcast covers the development and application of Selenium and WebDriver in software testing, focusing on their role in improving test coverage and identifying potential failures through strong technical knowledge. It compares Selenium with more modern tools such as Playwright, noting that while Selenium is praised for its simplicity and consistency, Playwright offers additional features and a higher level of abstraction. The discussion also highlights frequent pitfalls in test automation, including attributing problems to the tools themselves, excessive automation beyond necessity, and insufficient communication between developers and testers. Practical advice includes implementing abstraction layers, prioritizing high-risk test cases, and avoiding overly technical, low-level APIs in test scripts.

The podcast further explores the importance of understanding application architecture, along with design patterns such as Page Object Model and Screenplay Pattern, which help in organizing and maintaining test code effectively. It encourages test automation professionals to learn programming languages like Java, JavaScript, or Python, practice in controlled environments, and develop a strong portfolio with clean and well-documented code. The role of AI in testing is also addressed, with the suggestion that it should be used as an aid for learning and support rather than a substitute for technical understanding. Ultimately, the episode promotes a balance between technical expertise and soft skills, advocating for close collaboration with developers and a commitment to continuous learning to keep up with the fast-changing landscape of software testing.

Recent Episodes of How To Test This?

29 Apr 2026 How To Test With An Holistic Approach Lisa Crispin

Focuses on holistic testing as a shared team responsibility across the SDLC, stressing collaboration, adaptability, user-centricity, balanced use of automation and human judgment, quality engineering, iterative practices, and systemic learning for long-term success.

23 Apr 2026 How To Test With ContextQA - Deep Barot

The evolution of software testing highlights the shift from manual to AI-driven automated QA, emphasizing context-aware tools to address siloed teams, outdated methods, and inefficiencies while integrating cross-functional expertise, improving ROI up to 20x, and balancing automation with human judgment in a collaborative, adaptive QA future.

8 Apr 2026 How To Test As Agentic Quality Engineer Dragan Spiridonov

The evolution of quality engineering integrates AI through Agent Quality Engineering (AQE), emphasizing structured frameworks like PACT, human oversight, and the balance between AI efficiency and foundational QA skills while addressing challenges like alignment with business goals and ethical considerations.

29 Mar 2026 How to Test With Agentic AI automation Tool - Geosley Andrades

Agentic automation AI is reshaping QA by enabling autonomous testing, addressing skill gaps and scalability through adaptive, no-code solutions, and urging professionals to upskill in AI/ML, prioritize business logic, and balance automation with human oversight for reliable, secure, and context-aware quality assurance.

27 Mar 2026 How to Test a Release Oleksandr Bolzhelarskyi

Strategies for effective software testing emphasize separating QA from quality management, addressing role confusion and oversight gaps, utilizing process improvements and tools, balancing speed with stability through rigorous regression testing, fostering collaboration between teams, and leveraging automation and continuous improvement to ensure reliable releases.

More How To Test This? episodes