Just after lockdown began, I joined the core testing team for Ireland’s contact tracing app, which is a key part of the country’s response to the pandemic. We were responsible for ensuring that the COVID tracker app was user-friendly, fast and reliable. Run by the Health Services Executive (HSE), theCOVID trackerapp notifies users if they have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19, defining a close contact as someone who was within two-metres of a confirmed case for 15 minutes or more.

我们的第一任务是为软件开发人员提供的应用程序上的每个模型屏幕创建测试用例。最初,团队都在远程工作,所以我们每个人都采取了不同的部分,例如登记屏幕,联系跟踪屏幕等。简单地,屏幕需要以与模型相同的方式流动。这意味着对齐文本,颜色和屏幕适合,就像我们是公众的成员一样。

我喜欢找到错误的东西!我就像一支带着大红笔的老师。错字或遗漏真的很满意,因为他们有可能在该国对抗Covid-19的斗争中产生差异。

在大流行的开始时,特别是该国有一种真正的焦虑感。一切都是如此新的和意外。我们觉得我们对此的事业有贡献,这对士气来说很有作用。

Reliability means questioning everything

I worked from home throughout, relying on Microsoft Teams for meetings and updates. Later on, some of the team went into Dublin City Centre to test on Dublin bus, luas and Irish rail. We had a simulation tool to recreate how users interact with the HSE and upload their details. In the event that someone receives a positive diagnosis from HSE, they are asked if they have the COVID tracker app downloaded and are using it. If yes, the HSE ask if they would share the contacts that the COVID tracker app has recorded on their phone over the past 14 days with the HSE. Upon sharing the contacts, the HSE can send a notification message to each contact letting them know that they have been in close contact with someone with a positive diagnosis and what the next steps are.

We were the gatekeepers, people relied on us to be thorough. If we thought anything was wrong, we would question it, even if it had been verified by the HSE or other vendors. Often, testing can be pushed to the end of the development cycle, but a project like this shows how critical continuous testing really is.

One of the primary tasks was to check that the flow of all the screens was correct. For example, in one section you check in and you are asked how you are feeling. If you say you’re not feeling well, the COVID tracker app asks follow up questions. We each had a number of phones by different manufacturers, which we would use to test out different scenarios. Negative testing was just as important as positive testing, given you don’t want to be asking people to self-isolate for the wrong reasons.

质量brings trust

当您需要正确时,无法替代测试和重复。我们的团队在应用程序发布之前进行了大约3,400个个人软件测试。工作总计4,727小时 - 相当于近591个工作日。

我认为在为这样的应用程序的建立信任方面难以夸大质量的价值。如果公众失去了信心,那么占据将会更小。

我希望这项服务可以帮助爱尔兰回到正常的生活方式。我们是善于善人的人。再次开放酒吧,餐馆和体育场馆会产生很大的不同。Tracker应用程序可以帮助推动全部重要的再现号码,并在疫苗到达之前延伸到我们。

我的推翻情绪是骄傲之一。我也为应用程序感到真正的所有权。我一直对所有的朋友和家人说:看,你们都需要得到这件事。它有效,它可以挽救生命。有些人表示,他们不想与大公司分享私人信息。但那不是这种情况。在HSE要求您分享该信息之前,您可以控制您的数据。然后,人们被提醒人们在他们展示症状并通过疾病之前获得测试和自我隔离。这是伤害的?

Find out more about Expleo’s role in the COVID-19 app这里.

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