Meet a Tester: Henry

In Meet a Tester, we feature QA experts from our community who share their love for quality and Testlio. Henry is our iOS mobile testing wiz from Indonesia.

Henry and his lovely wife

Where are you from and how many languages do you speak?

I’m from Jakarta, a typical large, busy city with traffic problems. It’s also home to 10 million people and 170 shopping malls. Shopping and hanging out in malls are basically part of the local culture here.

My native language is Bahasa Indonesia. Additionally, my parents raised me with Sundanese and a little bit of Mandarin. Growing up, I picked up English by reading fiction novels.

What are your specialties?

It would be iOS apps. I code and debug iOS since version 3.1 (back then it was called iPhone OS). And now that iPadOS is coming out, it’s quite interesting to see how it will change the landscape.

What is your educational background?

I have a Master’s in Management and a Bachelor in Computer Science.

How did you end up testing for Testlio?

I was looking for a side job I could do from home. Why from home? Mostly because I wanted to spend more time with my baby daughter (she’s adorable) and avoid the nasty traffic. A couple of days later, I found out that Testlio was hiring – so I signed up, and the rest feels like magic.

Henry, his wife, and adorable daughter

How does Testlio’s pay compare to your market rate?

For a side gig, I think it’s quite fair especially because you have the flexibility to choose your workdays, and you can work from anywhere.

How do you manage the balance between testing and personal life?

At first, it was a bit tough keeping up with testing cycles, but after a couple of weeks, you can feel the pattern. Now, I schedule most of my tests at night when my wife and baby are sound asleep.

Testlio also has a scheduling feature, like when you want to take a vacation, you can mark those days as non-working days. It’s like being the boss of your own schedule.

What motivates you professionally?

In the grand scheme of things, the feeling that what I do helps make a difference in the end user’s life. A localization project for a social app might sound simple, but it might change the fate of two people who finally find love. An enterprise-wide, cost-cutting planning app might seem cold, but at the end of the day, it might help a busy professional get home in time for their daughter’s birthday. 

As a tester, what we do affect other people’s life. We help make sure the app works reliably, is easy to understand, has more reach, reduce the risk and unnecessary costs for the client.

For me personally, I like a good challenge, chance to exercise and expand my tech stack, and also helping others. 

What’s an interesting fact about yourself?

I really enjoy traveling. I used to ask my team to open a map and pick a random spot for me with their eyes closed – by lunchtime, I would already have the ticket, then I’d grab a quick dinner at the airport, and enjoy supper in a new exciting place. It was before apps were able to book hotels or hail a ride; travel is a lot easier today.

Family vacation time

What’s your favorite app?

Spotify. Music is a great companion while testing, paired with a good cup of coffee. Just perfect. 

How would you convince a friend to join Testlio?

I would bring out the benefits of remote work. You can be a digital nomad traveling the world, go on a soul-searching trip in Bali or you might be just one door away from your lovely wife, your daughter, and a warm homecooked meal. It all works. 

How to become a great remote tester?

First, solve all potential problems before you start. Make sure you set up your workspace, check the internet connection, and your battery level. Doing this allows you to focus on the task better and efficiently.

Second, keep an eye out for details and be creative in testing, but never lose sight of the objective. 

And last, the most important thing: trust your team. If you’re in doubt or meet with a problem, communicate. Remember, your teammates are there testing with you, your team leader will help you with any potential issue and your QA PM will move heaven and earth to meet objectives.