The author of the text discusses how high test failure rates can lead to a "noise-to-signal" ratio, where critical failures are easily missed among the many failing tests. This is often due to a lack of maintenance and updates to existing tests as new features are added, resulting in more tests that fail without providing useful feedback. To improve this situation, the author suggests four best practices: (1) focusing on running the right tests all the time on all the devices used most by customers; (2) prioritizing testing on critical user journeys and touchpoints tied to revenue; (3) asking oneself if a test is worth running in the critical path of a build, and keeping it separate as part of a low-priority check; and (4) conducting regular test audits to identify and remove outdated or redundant tests. Additionally, the author recommends using "atomic" tests that focus on testing one specific action at a time in isolation, making them less likely to fail due to unrelated issues and dependencies. By adopting these best practices, teams can improve their signal-to-noise ratio and reduce the noise of failing tests.