What does being a Quality Designer look like at Electronic Arts Romania?
An interview with: Alina Nita, Quality Designer, Alexandra Mamularu, Quality Designer, Alexandru Dinica, Quality Designer
EA Romania
Firstly, tell us a bit about yourself. What projects have you worked on?
[Alina]
I'm Alina and I've been with EA for the past year and a bit. I'm coming from a long tenure in a corporation and I am still surprised by how natural and pleasant the work environment is. I am currently working in Sports and, despite not being a Sports fan, I'm having tons of fun. I chose this position because I needed a challenge and because I'm a gamer, and it's definitely giving me all I was looking for and more.
[Alexandra]
I am Alexandra Mamularu and I have been at EA for the past 9 years. I am currently a Quality Designer on Frostbite but I first joined as a Tester on The Sims 4, which happened to be my most-played franchise as a teen so I got very lucky. I joined EA because my favorite game is Mass Effect and when I saw Shepard on the poster, I was sold instantly.
[Alexandru]
Hello, my name is Alexandru Dinica, and I've been with EA for the past 10 years, mostly on Mobile projects such as FIFA Mobile. EA has been my first employer and I started like most of my colleagues as a Tester. I don't want to sound cliche, but one of my passions was gaming and that is why I chose this profession.
In your opinion, what is Quality and how would you measure it?
[Alina]
As cliché as this sounds, I will start with a definition of what quality is. Quality is “the degree of excellence of something”. In our case, this refers both to the quality of the process and the quality of the product. The process, on our side, is testing. We have to make sure we are testing smart and investing our time and resources in the best possible way. We must constantly keep in mind the end goal and how to get there, and we must be able to always adjust on the fly. Product quality is the end goal and it can be quantified in different ways. The most important thing for us is that our players will love and enjoy the game without being impacted by issues. And of course, we also look at things like critics' scores and reviews and how they match our expectations.
[Alexandra]
I think it's important to mention first that Quality is owned and established by the product team. Quality can represent how your product matches or supersedes industry standards, how well and how much product teams can deliver based on customer requirements and asks, what is the volume of defects present in the product at each time and for each release and how many defects are reported back by customers. Quality is also achieved through user experience feedback, their evaluation of each feature and the product's ability to improve and maintain that. It is then Quality Designer's job to identify ways to produce and track metrics in all these areas, report on them, work with the product to establish standards and KPIs on how to deliver them, and then measure what has been achieved and where we need to focus more.
[Alexandru]
The term "Quality" can have different definitions, based on what you are associating it with and how you measure it. If we are talking about the quality of a feature, it could refer to the number of issues open or the end-user score (Metacritic score). If we are discussing the quality of testing, it could refer to how accurate or consistent we are in our bug find or the amount of coverage we offer on a feature.
What are the differences between Quality Design and Software Testing?
[Alina]
Software testing is ensuring the game works as it should. It means looking for things that don’t look or work as expected, stressing the game and trying to break it. There is a lot of planning involved, trying to balance what and how much to test. There is also a collaboration with the development team to understand their vision of the game and the implementation of that vision. Quality Design on the other hand is all about the feeling and the experience. It begins as soon as the project begins, and continues throughout the entire development, adapting and adjusting to each phase. In the beginning, it’s all about planning. As the project moves on, it slowly becomes about assessing quality, collecting and analyzing feedback, and collaborating with the development team to help them prioritize areas that will make their vision happen.
[Alexandra]
We can approach this question the same way we approach the difference between Quality Assurance and Quality Control. Quality Assurance, the same as Quality Design, focuses on standards, practices, and methodologies used to measure and speak on quality. Quality Control is a subset of QA practices that involves evaluating and validating product functional and non-functional requirements. Quality Design involves advocating for quality, building relationships with cross-discipline partners and developing test plans and strategies that support both the product team and customers' desires. Software testing is just one facet of our responsibilities.
[Alexandru]
In my opinion, Quality Design and Software Testing work on different phases of the project. Most of the activities pertaining to Software Testing occur after the engineers have worked on a feature or piece of code, while Quality Design works mostly during the ideation phases where the design is still being worked on. We are also responsible for deciding how best to approach testing a feature.
What does Design stand for in Quality Design?
[Alina]
As in any other field, a designer is a creator, but in this particular case, we are not creating tangible products. That is someone else’s job. We are creating pleasant experiences. We are advising on how to make a game more enticing and exciting. Part of it is designing surveys and analyzing the feedback. Another part is playing the game and looking for areas of improvement. Another part is ensuring the testing is done right and prioritized. And another part is constantly changing and improving internal processes. Gaming is such a fast-moving industry, and you either move with it or get left behind. Quality Designer is a complex and fluid role that requires a good analytical mind, creativity, innovation, and definitely passion.
[Alexandra]
Quality processes require creative and critical thinking to be developed and adjusted, which is what the Design component of the name refers to. As a Quality Designer, you need to understand how the software quality approach has grown and shifted significantly in the past years and produce or innovate practices that stand against the latest standards.
[Alexandru]
One of the common misconceptions of those that are applying to this position is that they are going to work on game design. That is not entirely true since what we do is actually offer support to the design team in terms of End-user feedback. Another space where Design comes up is that we are constantly brainstorming new ways to augment our Quality Verification processes in such a way that could bring additional quality to our products.
What are you looking for in terms of potential candidates’ capabilities for the QD role and what advice would you give them?
[Alina]
A potential candidate should be analytical, creative, innovative, and open-minded. They should be curious and passionate about the industry and always eager to learn more. As said before, this is a very fast-moving industry. To keep our games competitive, we need to know what the competition is doing and what the players are craving. Communication is a huge plus because part of the job is discussing and negotiating with the development team on how to prioritize tasks to make the game the best it can be. And last but not least, be a gamer!
[Alexandra]
Understanding how different software product management methodologies work and how product teams behave in each environment is key to building the quality approach and quality plan. You need to know how to evaluate feature requirements and customer requirements, how to track the work, and determine which quality processes are required to properly validate them. I would recommend learning about both Agile and Waterfall product management models and how quality teams behave in each of them.
[Alexandru]
Since we are constantly in discussions with our Development partners, one of the major advantages is having good communication skills as well as an understanding of business writing so that you are able to efficiently put forth new proposals that require a buy-in. Some other skill sets required are good knowledge of a project's lifecycle and having an innovative mindset. In terms of advice, I would suggest having an end-user approach to all processes being improved (eg. How can we help testers verify a feature more efficiently?)
Besides your day-to-day responsibilities, what else do you enjoy and what motivates you at your job?
[Alina]
I love seeing how games are made. All the preparations and effort, all the time and love everyone puts into it. I see the magic happening and it gives me a great sense of accomplishment knowing that, at the end of each project, lots and lots of players will be enjoying a game I was a part of.
[Alexandra]
EA has several ERGs and initiatives focused on employee well-being and I am a part of a few of them. I enjoy working on projects that benefit the community and improve people's experience. EA's devotion to diversity, equity, and inclusion and the opportunities they create in these spaces for folks to get involved is what I appreciate significantly about the company.
[Alexandru]
What I enjoy most is being able to bounce ideas between like-minded individuals within the QD family. What motivates me is that we can dictate the future of QV processes within our studios and the whole industry through the pioneering we are doing on our projects.
