A path to superior testing in the 21st century

Reaching the 21st century with superior test tools will require serious attention to three areas which are often under-emphasized in automatic test system (ATS) development the needs of users, powerful user interfaces, and data collection. When the needs of the various users are understood, a properly designed interface can be created which provides simple access to the test system functionality required to meet those needs. Keeping track of system performance and changes in the users´ needs after a system is fielded must be an early design consideration to keep the user satisfied throughout the life of the system. This paper addresses the needs of users including technicians, software developers, software maintainers, and system engineers, with an emphasis on technicians. We discuss control and information presentation features which can be used to build a powerful user interface for test. Local maintenance data collection, creation and review of operator notes, and focal processing and analysis on automatic test systems can provide useful management tools in the maintenance environment. Such tools can help solve many data accuracy problems which now exist in large databases. These data collection concepts can get the users involved, improve maintenance data accuracy, and be a valuable source of operator feedback to software maintainers.