“I am a very curious person, and I believe this has helped me grow immensely. I always want to know why a certain feature was developed in a certain way,” is how Luka Pelc, a QA Engineer in our Studio team, describes himself and the way he tests his products and applications.
How did Luka end up in QA? He always found a way for an application or a gadget to not work properly, so it was obvious what he should do. He knew a fellow QA at Better, who recommended he makes a job out of it, and the rest is history. For him, Better means growth, opportunity, and making an impact in a sector that matters, and he would like to see all teams embrace automated tests and lean towards this type of testing since it gives you a fast feedback loop and better assurance of what is the condition of your product or solution. Read the interview and get to know Luka, who, in his free time, likes to play badminton and football, enjoys a game or two with friends, and likes to read a good book.
What does your typical working day look like as a Quality Assurance Engineer?
My day depends on which phase of development we are in. If we are in the end phase of the release, I go through tasks that are ready for testing. Once I get through those, I proceed with the regression tests and writing documentation for the upcoming release and answer some internal and external support tickets if anyone needs help. If we are only at the beginning of the development on a release, I try to catch up on automated tests that we did not manage to incorporate in the previous development cycle, add some regression tests, attend meetings regarding planned new functionalities, and if I am assigned, I help out on projects.
What led you to a career in software quality assurance, and how did Better enter the equation?
It’s a funny story. I have a group of friends who I regularly hang out with, and they noticed that often, some features or gadgets that worked fine for them just simply did not work as intended for me, and it became a running gag that if they gave me something, I would find a way for it to not work properly. So basically, what a QA does. And as luck would have it, a friend from this group knew a fellow QA here at Better, and since I was already a QA in my pastime, he recommended I make a job out of it. And the rest is history.
You have worked in QA for some time now—what skills or knowledge have been the most valuable for your growth in this field?
Curiosity is definitely one of the traits or skills every QA needs to be successful in their job. If they are not curious and don’t dig into the problem, they might miss a potential bug. I am a very curious person, and I believe this has helped me grow immensely. I always want to know why a certain feature was developed in a certain way.
You work closely with developers to improve software quality—how does that collaboration work, and how does it impact the end product?
It is important that we are included in the development process already at the planning stage so we get a feel for what the planned functionalities are and what possible scenarios we would need to cover. Then, during development, if it is necessary, we go through the functionality again to see if what was planned was actually executed. In the end, we thoroughly test the feature and give feedback if something does not work as intended. Developers are usually eager for our feedback because we might imagine some cases that they did not consider during development. Sometimes, we also get some pushback when we propose additional features that might be useful in some cases. So all in all, it’s a great collaboration that, in the end, results in features that are hopefully easy to use, easy to maintain, and bring added value to the product.
What are some of the biggest challenges you face while testing healthcare applications, and how do you solve them?
The biggest challenge is that we need to put the patient’s safety first. It sometimes presents challenges, and we have to be careful not to make unnecessary changes that might risk this. The other challenge is not specifically related to healthcare but more to the Studio and its infinite possibilities; since it’s a tool, you can basically make anything in it, from creating simple dependencies to complex scripting, embedding Spotify playlists, or even implementing ChatGPT. This makes it challenging to test since you need to limit yourself to some realistic scenarios. This is where I have to reign my curiosity in and just focus on what the user will usually do.
What improvements or innovations would you like to see in how QA is done at Better in the next few years?
I would like for all teams to embrace automated tests and lean towards this type of testing since it gives you a fast feedback loop and better assurance of what is the condition of your product or solution.
You are enthusiastic about AI for simplifying tasks—what AI-powered tools or methods do you already use in QA, and where do you see the biggest potential for AI in testing?
I usually use AI to help me with the documentation since sometimes I just lack the vocabulary necessary to efficiently convey some information. I see potential in AI to be able to take a form, go through its functionality, and propose some real-world test scenarios for this specific form. What is even a step up from this is the ability for AI to generate some automatic tests for said functionalities. I believe this is the dream, and it would speed up the development of new forms considerably.
QA is all about finding and fixing problems. Has this mindset influenced how you approach everyday challenges?
In a way, yes. I was always an overthinker, and I think working in QA emphasised this; sometimes, this is just a strain, but oftentimes, it proves helpful. My analytical mindset and fast thinking make me ask more questions and potentially get answers I would usually not receive.
Outside of work, what are your passions? What hobbies and activities keep you inspired?
I like to keep in shape, so I play badminton and football once a week. I also enjoy computer games, and I’m lucky enough that some colleagues in the Studio team do as well, so we tend to drop into a game or two a couple of times a week. Besides that, I also enjoy board games, a fantasy book, and a beer or two with friends.
If you could give one piece of advice—whether about work, life, or problem-solving—what would it be?
Be curious, ask questions, the worst you will get is a NO.
What does Better mean to you?
Better means growth, opportunity, and making an impact in a sector that matters.
