I like using the software testing pyramid as a visual way to represent where you should be focusing your testing effort, and often switch between using a cloud or an Eye of Providence to represent human manual exploratory testing at the top of the pyramid that you should use to supplement and test your automated tests.

Eye of Providence

Testing Cloud

I often see organizations fall into the trap of creating ‘inverted’ pyramids of software testing – the best pyramid to invert is the cloud one since it becomes the the software testing ice-cream cone (anti-pattern)

Other Pyramids

I’ve also shared some other testing pyramids: