If you do testing, you need more monitors.

Here I am at my desk, doing some cross-browser testing.  You’ll notice that I’m surrounded by screens.

I’ve been fortunate because I’ve insisted at my testing jobs that I have two or even three monitors and I have never been turned down.

 

Having more monitors leads to better testing because:
More supported browsers are open and easy to compare
More sessions are open so it is easier to see cause and effect problems
I can have more than one or even two or three users signed in with different permission levels.
Even though there are still several browsers open, I can also have some terminals open for grepping through log files and taking notes or logging bugs.

 

In the world of web application testing, this is the difference between noticing something and having it obscured behind too many screens where you will never see it.  In fact, if you have to switch to another tab or swipe to another space on your Mac YOU ARE TOO LATE.  The bugs are gone and laughing at you beneath your fingertips.

 

We live in a time of “do more with less” and, let’s face it, testing is usually where the money dries up.  It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking you will be seen as greedy if you ask for another monitor, but it makes the difference between being a good tester and being a great tester.  If your team really wants you to find all the bugs, they should make it possible for you to SEE THEM.  Believe me, they will crawl across your screens faster than you ever thought possible.

 

How do you ask for more monitors?

 

The three situations I’ve encountered from easiest to hardest (and naming no names):

 

If you see a monitor no one is using, just take it and hook it up.  This is exactly the time to ask forgiveness instead of permission, and the truth is some places really don’t care.  Hook it up, find some bugs and mention it to your boss.  On the positive side, if no one is using the monitor, you’ll be putting a resource to use that would otherwise be wasted.  At the worst, you might have to give it back and endure the “we have an allocation spreadsheet” talk from I.T., but if you can show someone the benefit before it’s taken away, you’ve got your case for more monitors started.

 

Ask in your job interview – when you are negotiating for salary is the time to ask for any special equipment you will require.  Ask for a laptop and not one, but two additional external monitors so that you have a total of three.  If the person on the other end balks, be sure you understand exactly why and be very clear that you will not find as many bugs if they don’t honor your request.

 

Here is a vga to usb adaptor I’ve had success with in the past.  The company seems to update their drivers for Macs more quickly than others vendors.

 

If you work at a place where developers (even developer interns) automatically get two monitors, argue that everyone doing cross-browser testing should get an extra too.  I’ve actually done this before and credit the group I was working with and the boss I was under for taking the argument to his superiors.  In this type of workplace, however, where management isn’t too dear with what they give to developers to get their job done, it only stands to reason that they would want those doing testing to have what they need too.  If you need to make a case, you might want to get some developer collusion going and have one of them test with you for an hour or so.  That’s usually all it takes for people to judge the effectiveness of more browsers.

 

If you work at a place where no one has an additional monitor, it is possible the assumption will be made that you are setting a dangerous precedent which means everyone will want more monitors. Go ahead and laugh but there are places where you will hear this.  If you happen upon this situation, strap on the guns and BE THE WICKED TESTER.

 

If better testing is dangerous, then I wanna go down in flames.