Lateral Thinking in Software Testing
Lateral Thinking
Lateral thinking, a term created in 1967 by Edward de Bono, is a problem-solving process using an unusual or creative approach. It’s been said that lateral thinking can be considered an essential tool for innovation, creativity, and problem-solving.
Unlike linear thinking, lateral thinking focuses on searching wider rather than deeper.
Imagine you are an archeologist on a mission to find a dinosaur fossil. Instead of digging deeper, you dig another hole in a different place.
“You cannot dig a hole in a different place by digging the same hole deeper.”
— Dr. Edward de Bono
How to use lateral thinking
Now that you know the principles of lateral thinking, it’s time to put them into practice. In this section, we’ll discuss some ways to apply them in your work and life.
Lateral thinking can be applied to any situation where you have a problem or need an idea — it doesn’t matter what field you’re in or what kind of work you do.
As practice material, I will take an example of a case written by Joel Ratekin in his article How Lateral Thinking is Solving Today’s Workplace Design Problems.
How do we solve this problem?
We need to increase concentration among employees.
- Conventional answer: Raise cube panel heights, build more enclosed offices, install “Be Quiet” signs on the walls or introduce other similar behavioral policies.
- Lateral Thinking: Lower panel heights, and build quiet and small meeting settings.
- Why? Lowering panel heights will increase awareness of co-worker proximity. Co-worker sensitivity lowers voice levels and reduces inconsiderate work behaviors. Creating quiet rooms and focus spaces for onsite use gives people a way to escape noise and distractions without leaving their area. Providing small, nearby meeting areas is a way to enable conversations to move out of personal desk areas.
A Strategy to Solve Problems
Lateral thinking is a strategy to solve problems. It’s not just another way of thinking, but a tool for approaching problems in new ways. The idea behind lateral thinking is to look at things differently, so you can come up with solutions that might not be obvious at first glance.
Lateral thinking isn’t just about solving problems; it’s also about looking at things from different angles and seeing how they fit together (or don’t).
This can help you see patterns where others don’t — and that can lead to better insights into what’s going on around you!
Lateral Thinking is Sometimes Referred to as “Thinking Outside The Box”
Lateral thinking is a way of thinking that is different from conventional thinking. It focuses on finding a creative solution to a problem, instead of following the usual pattern of logic.
You’re not trying to come up with the best answer or the correct answer — you’re looking for an interesting one!
Lateral Thinking in Software Testing
Software testing is a process that involves looking at the functionality of an application or system and then identifying potential problems. This can include finding bugs in the software itself as well as any issues related to how it was designed or built. As such, lateral thinking plays a big role in making sure that you test the software from different points of view.
Lateral Thinking Can Be a Key Part of Software Testing
Software testing sometimes involves following paths and flows, but it just as often requires thinking about things in new ways. As such, lateral thinking plays a big role in making sure that you test the parts of an application that requires exploration without following any paths.
The probability to find a new bug will be less if every time you test the software you use the same approach.
Remember the paradox of pesticides! Read my article about Software Testing Principles.
Conclusion
Lateral thinking is a key skill for software testers, and it can be used to find new ways of testing your application in much less time than you’d expect. When you do this, you may even discover bugs that no one has thought of before!
