September QA Memes

Here's the traditional addition to the QA Graphic Library.

https://www.cryan.com/qa/graphics/september2021/CodeFreezeTime.jpg

https://www.cryan.com/qa/graphics/september2021/QAHomerSimpson.jpg

https://www.cryan.com/qa/graphics/september2021/ReleaseDayTomorrow.jpg

https://www.cryan.com/qa/graphics/september2021/TimeForTesting.jpg

Be sure to check out the library for additional graphics added this month.

QA Fail: Storrowing

Storrowing is the term that locals use to describe a truck being on Storrow Drive and hitting a bridge.

The term "Storrowing" was first mentioned in the Boston Globe in an article in August 2016.

There are plenty of warning signs and low-clearance bars before the bridges - letting truckers know that they should not be on that stretch of road.

When trucks are stalled under a bridge they cause serious traffic nightmares. Massachusetts State Police has to come out to check the situation and help cleanup the road and get the truck out of the way.

Situation is Getting Worst

In August 2021, 34 trucks were caught on Storrow Drive - with many of the trucks being damage due to the low clearance.

In past years:

• 2019 - there was only one truck
• 2017 - there were 4 trucks
• 2016 - there were no trucks.

Note: A "storrowing" year is from August 1st to July 31st of the following year. So this year is from August 1st, 2021 to July 31, 2022.

5 Reasons QA Fails the Clearance Signs

Storrowing happens just about every year. The locals know that it peaks in August/September when college students move into their apartments.

Local Uhaul rental establishments have signs at the register warning people not to drive ib Storrow Drive or Memorial Drive. This is due to the low bridges.

In Boston, failing to follow the "Danger Low Clearance" signs is a $150 offense - plus the expense of moving the truck off of Storrow Drive.

Clearly the signs, warnings, and fines are not catching the attention of truck drivers. Both residential and commercial trucks try to go down Storrow Drive.

The situation is such a local taboo, that Trillium Beer has a special IPA brew called Storrowed.

Massachusetts State Police catches a truck trying to get on Storrow Drive.

Any Solution?

Time for a Change Up - I would suggest changing up the signs/warnings. Clearly they are getting ignored.

Dummy Bridge - The low-clearance bar isn't working. Perhaps a dummy bridge should be placed near the on-ramps so that truckers are more aware of the situation. Allow them to turn off the road instead of creating a situation where they have no choice but to try to pass underneath the bridge.

Learn from people trying - Talk to drivers on why they didn't see the signs and what type of sign would have them think twice before going down the road.

In vehicle Radio Warning Signal - In Uhaul trucks have some in-cabin warning system that the truck is approaching a bridge with low clearance. This would work similar to how the E-ZPass system works.

QA Fail: Poland Spring Bottle Return

In New England, if you drinking bottled water, chances are your drinking Poland Spring. We use the 5-gallon hard plastic bottles at home. These are a great way to drink delicious Poland Spring water and not harm the environment.

While we do have Poland Spring deliver bottles to our house, every once in a while, I have to get a new bottle because we drink more water than planned.

Our local Stop and Shop has Poland Springs water, and if you bring an empty container, you get a discount on the water. Simply put the old empty container in a bin and take the ticket to buy a new bottle.

QA Fail

The problem with this process is that the return bin doesn't always dispense a ticket. After putting the bottle in the bin, I have to go to the Stop & Shop Service Desk and ask for a ticket.

The service desk is usually busy - people buying lottery tickets or they are busy handling returns and complaints.

Stop & Shop doesn't check to see if I actually return a bottle, they just take my word. I wouldn't lie, but anyone can say they returned a bottle to save about $5 on a container.

The machine has been broken at several Stop & Shop stores for at least a year. It's not a particular problem with the nearby store.

Practical Solution

These machines are maintained by Poland Spring, they should fix them up to encourage people to return the bottles.

Stop & Shop should put up a sign in the Bottle Return area and have people return them to the front desk.

One Side Note

When people are buying bottles there's nothing to encourage them to return the bottle back. There's no sign at the point of purchase or on the bottles themselves.

QA Fail: Product Listing on Amazon

This week is yet another fail by Amazon.com - at least by a merchant and not a specific issue with the company Amazon. (See the "Amazon Deals" fail)

Video Camera

This week fail is by Kimire Store. They have a video camera with the following title: "Video Camera Camcorder kimire Digital Camera Recorder Full HD 1080P 15FPS 24MP 3.0 Inch 270 Degree Rotation LCD 16X Digital Zoom Camcorder Camera with 2 Batteries(Black)"

This is a pretty neat camera with lots of functionality. Its listed for $64.99 - which is an awesome price point.

In the product description is this:

Great Photo Quality!

The camera takes amazing pictures! Look at that mountain photo - this is an awesome camera.

QA Fails

That mountain picture is unfortunately a stock photo. You can find it on Shutter Stock:

How can you trust this listing when they use a stock photo for the description? Is the video quality really bad that you can't find a decent place to take a photo with the camera?

The listing is full of questionable wording that indicates that its a really bad translation. Here's an example:

August QA Memes

Here are some more QA Memes added to my QA Graphic Library

Trump - "Best Day Ever"

Code Freeze is Coming

QA Quote

"Poor Planning on Your Part..."

QA Fail: Citizen's Bank Card Replacement

If you live in New England, you probably have seen the Citizens Bank 'Ding' commercial several times. They are promoting the use of the Citizens Bank card for all type of transactions.

In case you missed it, here's the commercial:

Lost Card? You got a Problem!

What happens if you lose your card, or your card gets involved in a Credit Card Data Breach?

Your screwed.

Citizens Bank will replace your card with a new number - but it will take 3 to 5 business for the new card to arrive. Yup, you'll be without the use of a Debit Card for at least 3 to 5 days. Good thing they are promoting using it for everyday purchases.

So much for paying for that Pumpkin Spice Latte with the Ding...

QA Fails: Citizen's Bank Card Replacement

Five Reasons QA Fails the Citizen's Bank Card Replacement Process:

• It's 2021, there's no reason why it should take 3 to 5 business days to get a new card.
• Credit Card Data breaches are happening all the time. So regardless of how careful you are with your credit card number - the number could get stolen because of a merchant's bad security.
• Why would you encourage people to use it for everyday purchases but not have a system in place to get new cards out quicker?
• Many translations require a credit card for purchases - such as parking garages. Cash won't help you if you need to park at the Prudential Center Parking garage.
• I know that many people carry multiple credit cards, so not having a single card isn't a big deal. However, many people are trying to get out of credit card debt.

QA Fail: Boston.com Headline graphic

This week's fail is the headline image for a story on Boston.com:

Three Reasons this fails QA

1. This is Boston.com why would you use a screenshot of a map?
2. Don't you have a personal library of stock photos of the Back Bay? For breaking news like this? Such as street signs or landscape views.
3. If you don't have a valid stock photo, perhaps using a "Breaking News" would be better than a screenshot of a map. (Make a note of the missing stock photo so one can be taken at a later date.)

QA Fail: U-Haul Car Trailer

If you're moving long distances, chances are you'll be using a U-Haul for self-move. If you bring a car with you, having it in tow is a great way to transport it.

The only problem is that if you own a Toyota Camry, you can't open the car door when you drive up the ramp. This is because the U-Haul wheel rims guards prevent users from opening the door.

Why QA Fails This Implementation

This looks to be a problem with any sedan - not sure how their QA passed this implementation.

The Toyota Camry is one of the popular cars in America. It should have been part of the U-Haul trailer test.

The only way we were able to get around this is to open up the passenger door and go out of the car. The reason we didn't just use the front window is that you needed to close the window after getting out of the car. You can't properly close the window from the outside.

Simple solution would be to have the wheel rims be removable when loading and unloading the car trailer.

QA Fail: Mass Pike Sign

If you have driven down the Massachusetts Turnpike, chances are you might have seen this sign:

Photo Credit: This is a screenshot from Google Maps.

Photo Credit: This is a screenshot from Google Maps.

This sign appear multiple times on the Massachusetts Turnpike. They usually appear right after the electronic tolls area.

Four Reasons This Fails QA

Who is this sign for' Here are the four reasons that QA would fail this sign:

1. The sign is way too small to comprehend while driving 55+ mph.
2. Who would have time to write down the phone number.
3. Who's going to write down the URL? Let alone remember the URL for later.
4. Most vehicles on the MassPike don't have passengers - which means you can't take a picture of the sign. In Massachusetts, its illegal to hold the phone while driving.

QA Graphics

Here's some QA graphics that I found in various QA channels. Check out the QA Image Library for a huge selection of Quality Assurance graphics.

This month I focused more on quality graphics. I didn't want to throw up images just to have a blog post. In QA, it's about quality not quanity.

• Testing in Production
• Quality Testing Logo
• Wahoo Time for Testing
• (FireFly Design) - Don't Let the Bugs to Escape.

What Testing in Production Looks like.

Quality Testing (Logo?)

WooHoo Time For Testing

Don't Let the Bugs Escape!