Some trivial bugs are easy to test but complex to fix

Why it is healthy to be a developer (for a short period) even if you are a tester

Some UI bugs that seem simple to a tester are unfortunately not that easy to fix

I have been tasked to fix a defect on a seemingly simple defect on a UI. It is basically a UI cluster of options that will dynamically change but one of the option does not refresh.

On the surface, it seem like an easy fix. However, I encountered several challenges - firstly familiarising with this code, secondly I ended up adding a few API and thirdly I need to refactor part of the UI. It took me almost a week and I underestimate the effort.

The tester asked me what took me so long for such a simple fix , and found a new defect with my fix. Now sitting from the side of developer for this period, I need to point out a few things that sometimes tester may miss out:

1. Fixing a defect is not the same as testing a defect. Testers - please be patient. Sometimes what seem trivial from testing can be complex to fix.

2. Developer do appreciate clear reproducible steps in bug reports and appreciate testers in finding bugs for them. I find most developers whom I work with , appreciate testers when they point out bugs.

3. Even with testing from the developer, it is still better to get a third perspective (a dedicated tester) to test it out. There may be blind spots when developers were focusing on fixing the issue. 

4. It is good and healthy if tester can switch role with developer to see from their perspective and vice versa, even for a short period of time. Understanding the limitations of each roles , the architecture and the challenges (or risk) can be very helpful in testing. If that is not possible , a short mentoring pair programming to introduce the tester even if it is not switching roles. Pair testing can also be done by the tester for the developers too.

I believe this way, a tester understanding from different perspectives bring greater value to his/her role and able to manage the risk, improve his communication better.