Agenda

In modern video game dev, having QA as a design ally can provide you with more than a feeling of safety. This talk will explore how empowering QA teams as subject matter experts (SMEs) can elevate game design through intentional collaboration, visibility, and qualitative feedback. Drawing from experience as a QA Lead on World of Warcraft, Carey Littlefield will walk through real examples of how embedded QA improved features before they reached players. Attendees will learn how to integrate and align with QA to bring them into the fold early; to build trust between disciplines and find feedback congruency with design timelines. This session will challenge older, outdated models and offer actionable strategies to make QA an invaluable inclusion in your development pipeline.

Takeaway

Learn how embedded QA subject matter experts helped shape features in World of Warcraft through early playtests, sprint-aligned feedback, and design visibility; additionally take home actionable strategies to integrate QA into your own development and design cycles for impactful iteration, polish, and cross-discipline collaboration.

Intended Audience

QA professionals, designers, and producers who want to improve development outcomes through early QA involvement. This talk benefits anyone managing features, facilitating playtests, or cross-discipline workflows, offering real examples and actionable strategies to embed QA as a design ally.