ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Orthogonal array testing

Okay kiddo, have you ever played with building blocks before? Orthogonal array testing is a way of testing things like software using building blocks too, but instead of toy blocks, it uses special sets of instructions called factors.

Imagine that you have a set of 5 blocks, each with a different color: red, blue, green, yellow, and purple. You also have a set of 3 blocks, each with a different shape: square, circle, and triangle. Now, if you wanted to test all possible combinations of colors and shapes, you would have to stack each color block with each shape block, which would result in 15 different combinations (5x3=15), right? But this could be very time-consuming and exhausting.

That's where orthogonal array testing comes in handy! It's like having a blueprint of instructions that tells you exactly what combinations to test without having to try them all. In our example, we could use an orthogonal array that would only require testing 9 combinations instead of 15.

This method works by grouping the factors into sets and then selecting a specific combination of factors from each set that will provide optimal coverage of all possible combinations. For example, in our previous example, we could have a set for color and a set for shape, and use an orthogonal array to test the optimal combination of color and shape.

So, in conclusion, orthogonal array testing is a smart way of testing different combinations by using sets of instructions that will give you the best results while saving you time and effort. Just like playing with building blocks, but using your brain instead of your hands!