"Speed is a result of good development. If speed becomes the goal, you'll start taking shortcuts."
New requirements. Improvements in ease of use. Higher standards for quality and stability.
As a provider of test management software, we receive ideas and feedback from customers every day. At the same time, we want to continue developing Testersuite without compromising on quality or simplicity.
To achieve this, our developers are increasingly using AI during the development process. In the software world, this is often referred to as " vibe coding."
But what does that actually mean for Testersuite users? I spoke with Testersuite developers Rick and Youri about this.
Why Do We Use AI in Software Development?
When I ask Rick how software development has changed in recent years, he doesn't have to think twice.
"In the past, you did the programming yourself and used Google as a tool. Then AI was introduced as an additional support. Now, more and more often, AI actively contributes ideas during the development process, while we primarily guide, monitor, and validate."
Youri takes a down-to-earth view of this. For him, AI is primarily a powerful addition to the existing field.
"To me, it's still just software development. It's just that we've gained a very powerful tool. The basic principles of developing good software don't change."
That comment seems to set the tone for the rest of the conversation. AI takes some of the work off our hands, but experience, craftsmanship, and product knowledge remain indispensable.
In fact, Rick and Youri immediately agree that good developers are actually becoming even more important.
"Good engineering remains essential. AI greatly enhances the work of a good developer, but it does not replace that expertise."
How does this affect Testersuite customers?
Youri immediately sees a clear advantage.
"In the past, we had to be very selective about which improvements were absolutely necessary for a first version. Now, we can simply deliver more value in the same amount of time."
He explains that development teams always have to make choices. There are often more ideas than there is time to implement them. AI creates more room to tackle improvements that might otherwise remain on the backlog for longer.
Rick recognizes that right away.
"Because AI can perform many support tasks more quickly, we have more time to focus on matters that directly add value for customers."
In practical terms, this means that new features can be made available more quickly and that valuable feedback doesn't have to wait as long to be implemented.
More improvements per release
During the conversation, it becomes clear that both developers aren't just talking about major new features.
It is often the smaller improvements that make the difference in the day-to-day use of an application.
Rick refers to these as so-called "quality-of-life improvements."
"We can include many more quality-of-life improvements in a release."
These are the improvements that make screens work more intuitively, streamline processes, or reduce the number of steps users have to take.
Rick smiles when he talks about it.
"Those things may seem minor at times, but users often notice them right away."
For customers, this means that releases not only include new features more quickly, but also more frequent improvements that make day-to-day work more enjoyable.
Does faster development also mean better quality?
That’s a logical follow-up question. After all, if software is developed more quickly, doesn’t that come at the expense of quality?
Rick immediately shakes his head.
"We use AI not only to build software, but also to test it."
Every change is still reviewed before it becomes part of a release. In addition, AI tools help us examine solutions from multiple perspectives.
"Ultimately, we remain responsible for the final product. But there are many more people keeping an eye on things throughout the process."
Youri thinks it's important to clear up one misunderstanding in this regard.
"Speed is a result of good development. If speed becomes the goal, you'll start taking shortcuts."
For him, issues such as architecture, maintainability, scalability, and quality remain just as important as they were before—and perhaps even more so.
Will " Testersuite " remain true to the power of simplicity?
Another question comes up during the conversation. If development speeds up, won't that automatically create the temptation to keep adding more and more features?
Youri doesn't have to think about it for long.
"The power of simplicity remains incredibly important to us."
He emphasizes that new ideas and customer requests are always evaluated to determine whether they actually add value for all users.
"We don't want to become an app with endless bells and whistles."
Rick, too, doesn't see AI as an excuse to just build whatever is technically possible.
On the contrary. Precisely because development is moving faster, it becomes even more important to continue to critically assess what truly adds value.
For customers, the vision of Testersuite therefore remains unchanged. What is changing is the speed at which valuable improvements can be implemented.
How do Rick and Youri see the future?
At the end of the conversation, I ask both developers how they view the future of software development.
Youri, who now has more than twenty years of experience as a developer, responds almost immediately.
"I've been developing software for over twenty years, and I've never experienced anything like this."
What excites him most is that developers will have more time to focus on the issues that really matter.
"The technical aspect of writing code is becoming less and less of a challenge. It's increasingly about: what are we building, why are we building it, and how do we ensure it continues to work properly?"
Rick sees the same shift.
"The question is less and less about how we build something and more and more about what we should build."
And that, he says, is exactly where the greatest benefit for customers lies.
What can you expect as a Testersuite user?
After the conversation, one conclusion stands out.
AI will primarily help Testersuite users by enabling us to make improvements more quickly without compromising on quality, stability, and ease of use.
That means:
- new features will be available sooner;
- more improvements per release;
- process valuable customer feedback more quickly;
- a greater focus on quality and stability;
- maintaining the simplicity for which Testersuite is known.
Or, as Rick puts it:
"We have more time to focus on things that directly add value for customers."
Youri adds to that nicely:
"We can simply deliver more value in the same amount of time."
And that may well be the most important conclusion of this conversation. AI doesn’t help us build software faster simply because speed is important. AI helps us spend more time on what truly adds value for customers. Ultimately, that’s what good software development is all about.
