The STARWEST Virtual Attendee Experience
Can't make it out to Anaheim? We'll miss you but join virtually instead!
This is not just any virtual testing conference. You'll be able to solve existing testing roadblocks or tackle new challenges in the upcoming year with knowledge from our keynotes, sessions, industry technical presentations (ITPs), and live virtual training classes. Register for a free or paid pass and view the schedule below!
View Virtual Schedule → Register →Powerhouse Experts
Our virtual conference is filled with experts from leading companies—IBM, Disney, Insider Intelligence, Discover Financial, and more!
Leading Industry Topics
From Test Management and Automation to the Cloud and Data Testing, you’ll learn ideas and strategies from leading experts and innovators.
On-Demand
Can't attend live? Register anyway—the virtual content will be available on-demand for six months after the conference for you to watch and re-watch.
Explore the STARWEST 2023 Virtual Schedule
* Content is Exclusive to the paid Virtual Pass
Wednesday, October 4
8:45 AM PT
K1
Tariq King
EPAM Systems
KEYNOTE | The Rise of Generative AI: Judgment Day
It’s been over 70 years since Alan Turing defined what many still consider to be the ultimate test for a computer system—can a machine exhibit intelligent behavior that is indistinguishable from that of a human? Originally coined the imitation game, the Turing test involves having someone evaluate text conversations between a human and a machine designed to respond like a human. The machine passes the test if the evaluator cannot reliably tell the difference between the human versus machine-generated text. Although the Turing test generally serves as a starting point for discussing AI advances, some question its validity as a test of intelligence. After all, the results do not require the machine to be correct, only for its answers to resemble those of a human. Whether credit goes to artificial "intelligence" or imitation, we now live in an age where machines are capable of generating convincingly realistic content. Generative AI does more than answer questions, it writes articles and poetry, synthesizes human faces and voices, creates music and artwork, and even develops and tests software. But what are the implications of these machine-based imitation games? Are they a glimpse into a future where AI reaches general or super intelligence? Or is it simply a matter of revisiting or redefining the Turing test? Join Tariq King as he leverages a live audience of software testing professionals to probe everything from Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) to Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPT). Let’s critically examine the Turing test and more because it’s judgment day—and this time, we are the judges!
10:00 AM PT
K2
Aprajita Mathur
Guardant Health
KEYNOTE | Bootstrapping a Tester's Journey
Have you ever felt stuck and considered changing your career path as a tester because your opinion didn’t matter, or the popular opinion was “anyone can test !”? During this keynote, Aprajita Mathur will share her personal experience of feeling stuck in an endless "loop", regardless of role or position. During her journey, Aprajita missed opportunities and epically failed because she lacked the tools, attitude, or mindfulness to become unstuck. So, what does it take to bootstrap yourself? Aprajita will share the five concepts attendees need to keep building upon during their career to achieve growth, along with how to use them to rise to the next level.
11:30 AM PT
W1
AI/ML*
What Can ChatGPT Do Your Testing Organization?
Tonya Jackson, CSAA
W5
Test Automation*
Riding the Hybrid Car—Our Continuous Test Automation Journey
Shai Srinivasan, Markel Insurance
ITP1
Industry Technical Presentation
Lowering IT Infrastructure Costs with Simulation
Christopher Colosimo, Tricentis
ITP4
Industry Technical Presentation
Padawan to Jedi: The Journey to Mobile Testing Maturity
Katie Kemper, Kobiton
12:30 PM PT
ITP8
Industry Technical Presentation
Assessing Release Readiness: Leveraging 5 Essential Test Reports
Punit Samtani, QMetry
Break in the Expo - Play the Amazing Race Game
1:30 PM PT
W9
API Testing*
Comprehensive API Testing Ecosystem
Sachin Avasthi & Shailaja Patel, IBM
W10
Exploratory Testing*
The Theatre of Exploratory Testing: Going Off Script
Philip Daye, Insider Intelligence
ITP9
Industry Technical Presentation
Mission to Continuous Quality: Igniting Testing Excellence with BlazeMeter & Perfecto
Mimi Benach, Perforce
ITP12
Industry Technical Presentation
Enabling Quality Breakthroughs
Kayla Hildebrandt, TTC Global
2:45 PM PT
W13
AI/ML*
How AI Like ChatGPT & Bard Will Change Testing & DevOps
Chris Navrides, DevTools, Inc.
W14
Test Leadership*
Building a QA Department With a New Vendor in a New Management Role
Neeta Sonnakul, Council for Affordable & Quality Health
ITP13
Industry Technical Presentation
Have You Written Your Last Test Script?
Kevin Parker, Appvance
3:45 PM PT
Break in the Expo - Play the Amazing Race Game
4:15 PM PT
K3
Alison Wade
TechWell Corp.
KEYNOTE | Lightning Strikes the Keynotes
Throughout the years, Lightning Talks have been a popular part of the STAR conferences. If you’re not familiar with the concept, Lightning Talks consists of a series of five-minute talks by different speakers within one presentation period. Lightning Talks are the opportunity for speakers to deliver their single biggest bang-for-the-buck idea in a rapid-fire presentation. And now, lightning has struck the STAR keynotes. Some of the best-known experts in testing will step up to the podium and give you their best shot of lightning. Get multiple keynote presentations for the price of one—and have some fun at the same time.
Thursday, October 5
8:30 AM PT
K4
Kristoffer Nordström
Northern Test Consulting AB
KEYNOTE | How My Testing Skills Served My Personal Life
Kristoffer Nordström faced one of the most challenging and emotional times of his life when his daughter was diagnosed with a rare and life-threatening disease. As a caregiver, father, and primary project manager, he had to learn everything he could about her illness, treatment options, and potential outcomes. The skills he acquired as a tester helped him manage this overwhelming amount of information, make sense of it, and develop a plan of action while still being a loving and ever-present parent. He asked questions, researched, and analyzed data to make informed decisions about his daughter's care. He also worked with different personalities, including doctors, nurses, and family members, to form relationships that helped his family navigate the complex medical system—he learned to juggle many tasks and prioritize them based on urgency and importance, just as he did in his testing work. During this time, Kristopher discovered woodworking, which became a source of therapy for him, a way to escape from stress and express his creativity. Once again, his testing skills, such as attention to detail, patience, and problem-solving, translated well into woodworking. The skills and traits we acquire as testers are not limited to our professional lives. As testers, we constantly learn, improve, and adapt; these qualities are invaluable in life. In this keynote, Kristopher will teach you how your testing skills can serve you and your personal life and help you navigate challenging situations, learn new things, and discover new passions.
9:45 AM PT
T2
Test Management*
The QA Unicorn
Stephanie McSwain, Kickfin
T5
Test Automation*
Coded Automation Isn't Dead—A Deep Dive on the Page Object Pattern with Some Super Cool New Twists
Timothy Heck, MRI Software
ITP17
Industry Technical Presentation
Unleash the Power of Coded Automations and Generative AI with UiPath Test Suite
Dan Ryan, UiPath
ITP20
Industry Technical Presentation
TesterGPT: Generative AI (Tester vs. GPT)
Jonathon Wright, Keysight
10:45 AM PT
Break in the Expo - Play the Amazing Race Game
11:15 AM PT
T7
The Cloud*
Harnessing the Power of Ephemeral Environments
John Jenkins, Disney
T10
BDD*
Simplify Agile Testing Using SPOCK
Pradnya Adwankar, Discover Financial
ITP21
Industry Technical Presentation
Unraveling the Maintenance Mayhem: The Critical Role of Maintenance in Continuous Quality Assurance
Navroz Vadsaria, Avo Automation
ITP24
Industry Technical Presentation
The Power of Combining Dynamic and Static Analysis
Jan Aarsaether & Daniel Caruso, Qt Group
12:30 PM PT
ITP28
Industry Technical Presentation
Moving Faster: Leading with Culture, Innovation, and Continuous Delivery
Stacy Kirk, QualityWorks Consulting & Erika Chestnut, Realtor.com
1:30 PM PT
T16
DevOps*
Pipelines and Deployments and QA! Oh My!
Kathleen Naughton, World Wide Technology
T18
Test Planning*
Inconceivable! How the Princess Bride Teaches Planning
Mark Minson, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
ITP29
Industry Technical Presentation
Finally, Accessibility Makes Sense
Kevin Berg, Evinced
ITP32
Industry Technical Presentation
Application Testing at Scale in the Enterprise World: Top 5 Things to Consider
Michael Palotas, Element34
2:30 PM PT
Break in the Expo - Play the Amazing Race Game
3:00 PM PT
T19
Data Testing*
Data Quality Engineering: Enabling Success of Data Driven Solutions
Dinesh Rajput, KPMG US, Advisory Services, Lighthouse
T24
Testing in Production*
Graceful Degradation—Failing with Style
Samer Naqvi, Global Logic UK & I
ITP33
Industry Technical Presentation
MLOps: Testing and Deploying Machine Learning Models and AI Models
Jeffery Payne, Coveros
4:15 PM PT
K5
Hajer Ben Moussa
Coveros
KEYNOTE | Test Automation and Boxing: A Surprising Combination
Boxing is all about strategy, technique, and agility; the same goes for test automation. You may be surprised to learn that Hajer Ben Moussa is an avid boxer. To be successful in test automation, you need to have a game plan, the right tools, and the ability to adapt to changing situations. Hajer will walk you through a step-by-step strategy to build your test automation game plan. Join her as she gets you warmed up, lays out training tactics, and teaches you the how, when, and where of the fight so that your critical tests are the knockout punch in your belt. She’ll also reveal how to playback, analyze and learn from your results for the next round! Hajer will also share some of her painful Test Automation losses, the ones that left her on the floor down and out, so that ultimately you can learn from her playbook where automation can go wrong, causing delays, errors, and even financial losses! You will walk away thinking like a test automation champion.