TL;DR: We launched a tool with which you can create rich bug reports directly from your website to your issue tracker (Jira).
# who am I?
I am working as a developer on a large platform. Sometimes this platform is great, sometimes it is not. Sometimes I am the one to fix a bug and sometimes I want to report a new issue I just discovered.
# pain points
This is where both of my pain points start.
As a developer working on a new bug, I would like to get as much information as possible. I want to know which environment has been used, how the bug can be reproduced, where the user clicked, what browser or operating system was used, what the application looked like ideally with screenshots for every step, all the logs and even more.
Now I have three options:
* either I was lucky and the bug reporter or QA tester added all this information
* or, I reach out to the issue creator to provide the missing information
* or - the default option for most conflict-avoiding real-world scenario developers - I start assuming, clicking around, trying to reproduce the issue just to be able to report a day later in my daily that: Yes, this is a bug.
And my second pain point as an issue reporter, I would like to provide all the information above as quickly as possible, without opening my screenshot app, editing it in my favorite image editor (I hope this is paint for everyone else, too), copy the console logs and mess up indicating which environment and OS I used.
# how to fix this?
If only there was a tool to support me in all that. And alas, there is!
The QA Compass provides a toolbar that can be added to (almost) any website. From there I can open a text editor and provide some context of the bug. For the bug reproduction steps, I can use the Magic Report™ tool, which records the screen and creates a screenshot on each click. It even highlights where I clicked. Once done, I can send the issue to my issue tracker where it will be created and is ready for additional customization. Behind the scenes, all the important metadata like environment, operating system, console logs, browser and viewport settings were added to the issue.
Additionally, for each step, a deep link to the source code line of the clicked HTML element was created. The developer can use this Code Jump™ feature to get started fixing the bug right away.
# how can the QA Compass toolbar help you?
If you:
* use javascript and html or any framework built up on that
* build a website
* use an issue tracker that is supported (Jira for now, but maybe more to follow)
* have a QA team, a PO or anyone else testing and reviewing your website
-> then the tool might be the right thing for you.
# what am I looking for or what's next?
I am currently trying to put myself out there, collecting feedback and testing out the waters.
We (my launch partner and me) are currently at a crossroads. We have many different options on how to continue with a lot of cool (and potentially unneeded) features. This is why we would like to get more input on where the biggest need would be for others to use this tool.
If you are interested in the tool, could use it for your own work, have suggestions or honest feedback: please let me know.