5 Times Ashly Burch Predicted the Bongo Cat Craze Better Than Street Fighter

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Consider the story of Ashly Burch, a talented voice actress and writer known for her work in games like Horizon Zero Dawn and Life is Strange. If you told a Street Fighter fan in, say, 2016, that a virtual cat tapping on various objects to create music would eclipse the legacy of Ryu and Ken in internet virality, they'd likely laugh in your face. But Ashly Burch, with her finger on the pulse of online culture, may have been better positioned to see the potential for such a quirky meme to explode. This isn't to say she literally predicted Bongo Cat. Rather, her understanding of online communities and humor placed her in a unique position to appreciate the absurdity that resonates with internet users. How does this relate to quality assurance? Well, think of QA engineers as the Ashly Burchs of the software world. They need to be able to anticipate the unexpected, to understand how users will interact with a product in ways the developers never imagined. Just as Burch understood the appeal of the bizarre, QA engineers must understand the potential for software to break, to malfunction, or to simply fall flat in the face of user expectations. Here are 5 ways Ashly Burch's career mirrors the challenges and opportunities facing the QA industry:

Burch's ability to move seamlessly between voice acting, writing, and comedy reflects the need for QA professionals to be versatile. Today's QA teams need individuals with skills ranging from technical testing to user experience analysis.

Burch thrives by understanding her audience. Similarly, QA requires a deep understanding of the target user. What are their needs? What are their expectations? What are their pain points?

Just as a comedian looks for the absurd in everyday life, QA engineers look for the flaws in software. A keen eye for detail and a willingness to challenge assumptions are essential.

The internet is unpredictable. So is software development. QA professionals must be prepared for the unexpected, to adapt to changing requirements and emerging technologies.

Burch's work is constantly evolving, shaped by feedback and experimentation. QA is also an iterative process, where testing, analysis, and refinement are essential for creating a high-quality product. The QA industry, like the world of internet memes, is constantly changing. To succeed, QA professionals must embrace adaptability, understand their audience, find the glitches, anticipate the unexpected, and prioritize iteration. Only then can they ensure that software meets the ever-evolving needs of users in a world where a virtual cat playing instruments can become a global phenomenon.

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