See a photo of Karen, her bio, and Part 1 of this Q&A.
Q&A with Karen N. Johnson (Question 2):
Q: Your IT career began as a technical writer. To what extent did those writing roots predispose you to incorporating storytelling into software testing?
A: I have a couple of influences in the art of investigation in my background. I was a journalism major in college, and I worked as a reporter for a couple of years. So the tenacity of tracking people down and asking questions and quickly sensing whether someone is a person that I need to gently coax answers and information from versus someone who I need to stand up taller, louder and stronger in order to get information from has become an innate skill. And writing and telling is part of the reporting process.
After working as a reporter, I worked as a tech writer for years on a
variety of different types of software. While the image of a tech writer is someone buried in an office cube, I didn’t work the job that way. I spent time talking to the developers, learning the less obvious information about the inner constructs of the applications I was working with. I began to learn that many developers will talk in detail and with pride about what they’ve built. You just have to ask questions in the right way at the right time.
There is a thrill for me in being able to get at least temporarily into the mind of someone else. I like trying to see things the way they do and then take that information and either test software, deliver training, or explain information. I like being the glue on a project by being able to bridge communication between the technical and the business audience. The use of story fits this need.
When I work as an independent software test consultant, I frequently report to senior executives on the current state of a product. I’ve found stories allow me to deliver information in a way that has a better chance of being listened to and consumed then other formats. One thing that I’ve learned from storytellers is that not all stories have to be long tales; a lot of information can be shared in even a one minute or three minute story.