This week there will be no 300 but a little longer article about Non-answer.
I am going on a rant today if you don’t like rant leave now.
What is non-answer?
I think we all have seen it. We ask questions on some forum/group/etc. And we wait for an answer. We finally get it and it is total complete non-answer!
A post that gives you no information. Not because someone already said the same before. But because it completely has no information. And is not a joke. It’s just filler.
Let’s dissect a case.
This is an example that happened to me this week, I’ve asked for an opinion on some tool and how it is different than another popular tool in this category.
I have a quiz for you, my dear reader, after checking it try to guess: What tool I have asked about, and what are its unique features:
It’s just another tool that does a very similar job and it comes down to personal preference. I would love to find a tool that has a blend of the functionality/usability of both but sadly there isn’t one that I’ve found yet. 😀 You’re always going get responses about the way that other people have been using the tool but ultimately, only you can know for sure if it’s the one for you.
What we have learned:
- Just another too similar yet different than another tool.
- It goes to personal preference.
- The author would love to find a program that it is a mix of features of both.
- But he won’t say which feature of which tool he would like to see.
- I will always get responses about how people are using different software.
- So when I’ve asked for an opinion, I will get an opinion in an answer? Cool that why I’ve asked in the first place 🙂
- Only I can say if something is for me or not.
I hope you see how little this point bring to the table?
What we haven’t learned:
- What are the unique features/benefit of the tool
- If an author likes it or not? (I have even my doubts if he even used it)
You know what is the saddest part? Author of this comment probably felt self-gratified cause he/she helped.
Don’t be that guy/gal.
If there is a question, answer only when you have something useful to say, (or something funny – this world could always use more funny).
But silver lining it is soo generic answer that I can now use it as copy paste when someone will ask me for opinions on literary anything.
Rant mode off. I will leave the author anonymous he wanted to help, and that counts. I should be happy that I’ve got any answers at all.
I am also aware that It may be a little hypocrisy at my part I am sure I gave some such non-answers in past. But we are not perfect we make mistakes, and we all should strive to be better.
And now I finished my rant about truism with truism 🙂
Whats your opinion?
How would you answer (and yes I haven’t given you the question)
If you want to read more articles like this check here.
The generic answer was:
„It’s just another tool that does a very similar job and it comes down to personal preference. I would love to find a tool that has a blend of the functionality/usability of both but sadly there isn’t one that I’ve found yet. You’re always going get responses about the way that other people have been using the tool but ultimately, only you can know for sure if it’s the one for you.”
I might have written:
„I’ve found that Tool X does a very similar job to Tool Y. There’s perhaps two or three main differences: a)…, b)… and c)…..; and a handful of minor differences. The minor ones that were relevant to me were x)…, y)… and z)…
I would love to find a tool that has a blend of the functionality/usability of both but sadly there isn’t one that I’ve found yet. Still, what works for one may not work for someone else, so there’s no substitute for trying the various tools out for yourself. A lot may hinge on the sort of app you are testing as well as the way you are testing it. All I can say is that in my experience, testing (App type A) and (App type B), I’ve found Tool Y to have the edge over Tool X for the reasons above. Still, Your Mileage May Vary (YMMV), as they say.”
In other words, pretty much the same message, but with a bit more detail and a few more examples, especially as to the sort of testing I’ve been doing that caused me to have the views on the different tools that I have.
(And just for the record, I’m mainly a manual exploratory and UX tester with little experience of actual test tools!)
I think even in manual testing we are using tools 🙂 Either for screenshots or to gather more data 🙂 So unless you are putting an ethernet cable in the mouth to read the data you are using some tools 😀
Joking aside I don’t think your answer would be the same, it would have detail making it actual answer that brings some information for the reader, and he asked cause he looks for information.
There is the balancing act between raw data and top much fluff. Raw data is hard to read, and too much fluff makes it world salad.
Looking at your previous comments I believe you have a good balance between both aspects.