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Exploratory Testing: A Detailed Guide

By Sandra Felice, Community Contributor -

In exploratory testing, testers do not work based on previously created test cases. They check a system without a plan to discover bugs that users may face when navigating a website or app without a specific aim or direction.

What is Exploratory Testing?

Exploratory Testing is an approach where testers actively explore the software to identify issues and assess user experience without relying on predefined test cases.

This method emphasizes spontaneous exploration and personal decision-making, allowing testers to navigate the application as real users would. By focusing on discovery and investigation, exploratory testing often uncovers issues and edge cases that traditional testing might overlook, offering deeper insights into the software’s quality and usability.

Why use Exploratory Testing?

Exploratory testing is essential and has many benefits, including:

  • Identifying Early Bugs: Exploratory testing helps detect bugs early in the development process.
  • Gathering User Feedback: It’s an effective way to obtain user feedback on new features or software changes.
  • Evaluating from a User’s Viewpoint: This approach allows testers to assess the software from the perspective of the end-user.
  • Revealing Hidden Issues: Exploratory testing uncovers usability, functionality, or performance issues that may be overlooked by scripted tests.
  • Flexible Testing Methods: Testers can adjust their methods on the fly, ensuring comprehensive coverage and efficient issue resolution.
  • Encouraging Creativity: It enables testers to use their creativity and intuition while exploring the software.
  • Ideal for Agile Environments: Exploratory testing is particularly useful in agile, complex, or fast-paced environments.
  • Quick Understanding: It’s beneficial when a rapid understanding of a product or application is needed to provide immediate feedback.

When to use Exploratory Testing?

Exploratory Testing is ideal in the below scenarios:

  1. When Time is Limited: Use exploratory testing in time-constrained projects where there isn’t enough time to create comprehensive test scripts, allowing testers to quickly identify critical issues.
  2. During Early Development Stages: Apply exploratory testing in early development phases to uncover initial bugs and gather feedback before detailed test cases are created.
  3. For Complex or Unfamiliar Systems: Use it when dealing with complex or new applications where predefined tests may not cover all scenarios, leveraging testers’ creativity to explore unknowns.
  4. To Complement Automated Testing: Combine exploratory testing with automated tests to cover scenarios not addressed by automated scripts, enhancing overall test coverage.
  5. When Adapting to Rapid Changes: Implement exploratory testing when features are frequently updated or changed, as it allows testers to adjust focus based on the latest developments.
  6. To Assess User Experience: Utilize exploratory testing to evaluate how real users interact with the application, identifying usability issues and ensuring a smooth user experience.

When not to use Exploratory Testing?

Exploratory Testing is not ideal in the below scenarios:

  1. When Detailed Test Coverage is Required: Avoid exploratory testing when comprehensive, repeatable test coverage is necessary, such as for compliance or regulatory requirements that demand structured testing.
  2. For Highly Repetitive Tasks: If the testing involves repetitive, well-defined tasks that are best addressed through automated scripts, exploratory testing may not be as effective.
  3. In the Absence of Testable Software: When the software is incomplete or unstable, making it difficult to perform meaningful exploration, it’s better to wait until the product is more stable.
  4. When Clear Objectives are Needed: If the goal is to validate specific functionalities or features against detailed requirements, structured test cases might be more appropriate.
  5. For Large-Scale Systems with Complex Dependencies: In systems with numerous dependencies and complex interactions, exploratory testing might not provide the thorough coverage needed, making structured approaches preferable.
  6. When Testing Resources are Limited: If the testing team lacks the experience or familiarity with the application, exploratory testing might be less effective than using predefined test cases.

Exploratory Testing Example

For example, developers of a shopping website know what it is meant to do. Let users select products of their choice, move them to the cart, pay, and confirm their order. The team would approach the testing more freely, without a rigid plan in exploratory testing.

Exploratory testing helps verify that the system works as expected and is an easy and pleasant user process. It lets testers ensure that extra features (payment through rewards points, ordering products for trial purposes) work flawlessly. They would try to break the elements/features by testing the boundaries with unexpected scenarios. This way, QA can find bugs that was not part of the test case and work around to fix it.

Exploratory Testing Process

Here are the steps involved in the Exploratory Testing Process:

Step 1. Classify the Bugs

  • Categorize the commonly detected bugs in similar software. Use Bug Severity and Bug Priority for categorization.
  • Analyze and record the root cause of such bugs.

Pro Tip: Use real devices for testing to consider real user conditions. These might seem trivial, and tests might pass in Emulators, but it impacts the overall user experience in the real world.

Step 2. Create a Test Charter

The Test Charter should include:

Step 3. Time Box

The point of the Time Box is for testers to test and respond to system responses. It involves the following steps in a particular slot.

  • Testers work on the tests outlined above for a specific time (usually 90 minutes).
  • This time should be without interruptions.
  • The timebox can be extended or reduced (depending on test progression).

Step 4. Review Results

Step 5. Debriefing

  • Compile the output results.
  • Compare actual results with expected results in the test charter.
  • Decide whether additional testing is required using a test summary report.

Types of Exploratory Testing

Here are different types of Exploratory Testing:

1. Freestyle Exploratory Testing

Think of this as exploratory testing with an ad-hoc approach. In this format, there are no rules, structure, or organization. Testers go through the application quickly, mainly to verify the work of other testers, investigate a particular bug defect, or do a quick smoke test.

2. Scenario-based Exploratory Testing

This form of exploratory testing is based on real user scenarios. Testers take each scenario and then explore the software in all possible ways to match that scenario. The point is to test as many scenarios as possible to provide maximum test coverage.

3. Strategy-based Exploratory Testing

This is usually assigned to testers already familiar with the software being tested. It includes boundary value analysis, equivalence technique, and risk-based technique to identify more challenging bugs.

Pros and Cons of Exploratory Testing

Here are some of the Pros and Cons of Exploratory Testing:

Pros of Exploratory Testing

  • Encourages Rapid Feedback: It allows for immediate insights into the software’s performance and usability, speeding up the feedback loop.
  • Identifies Integration Issues: Useful for discovering how different components of the software interact, revealing integration problems that might not be obvious in isolated testing.
  • Enhances Problem-Solving Skills: Testers develop their problem-solving abilities and gain a deeper understanding of the software by tackling it without a set script.
  • Adaptable to Agile Environments: Well-suited for agile development cycles where requirements and features evolve frequently, allowing for continuous and flexible testing.

Cons of Exploratory Testing

  • Difficult to Reproduce: The unscripted nature of exploratory testing can make it hard to retrace steps or reproduce specific bugs consistently.
  • Limited Repeatability: Without predefined test cases, ensuring consistent and thorough test coverage across multiple cycles can be challenging.
  • Variable Coverage: The scope of testing can vary depending on the tester’s choices, which might lead to gaps in coverage for complex systems.
  • Tester Expertise Matters: The success of exploratory testing relies heavily on the tester’s knowledge and ability to think critically, which can lead to inconsistent results if skill levels vary.

Tips for Exploratory Testing in Software Testing

Below are the tips for efficient Exploratory Testing:

  • Divide the software into modules for easier testing and more effective test coverage.
  • Make a checklist of all features to be tested so that none are missed. Read the top 5 questions in a software testing checklist.
  • Start with testing basic user scenarios. Expand it as testing progresses by adding more features to the test.
  • Check the GUI against the standards in the test charter.
  • The mission of an exploratory test session should be clear.
  • Record what needs to be tested, why, and how to assess its quality.
  • Keep a record of issues raised during the tests.
  • Pair up testers for effective testing.
  • Create as much documentation as possible.
  • Run multiple tests, if possible, for maximum test coverage.

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Advantages of Exploratory Testing in Agile Development

Below are advantages of Exploratory Testing in Agile Development:

  • It provides quick and early feedback at the early stages of development.
  • It helps to uncover a wide variety of bugs.
  • Developers, testers, designers, and any other stakeholders in a project can perform exploratory testing since it does not require a script.
  • During the Iterative coding of an application, exploratory testing is ideal for testing new features, while automation testing focuses on regression testing and backward compatibility testing.
  • If project requirements are unstable, exploratory testing is perfect for testing new requirements within limited timeframes. This is because the emphasis here is on quick and usable results.

Importance of Exploratory Testing for CI/CD

Exploratory testing is very important for CI/CD in the following ways:

  1. Promotes Adaptive Testing: Exploratory testing aligns with CI/CD’s fast-paced nature by allowing testers to adjust their focus based on evolving software and emerging issues.
  2. Encourages Innovation: Testers can experiment with unconventional scenarios and creative approaches, often discovering unique issues that standardized tests might not catch.
  3. Supports Continuous Improvement: Regular exploratory testing fosters an ongoing cycle of improvement, helping teams refine and enhance the software continuously.
  4. Strengthens Collaboration: By involving testers early in the development process, exploratory testing enhances collaboration between developers and QA teams, facilitating quicker resolution of issues.
  5. Boosts Test Coverage in Uncharted Areas: It ensures that areas of the software not covered by automated tests receive attention, providing a more comprehensive assessment.
  6. Adapts to Feature Evolution: As features and requirements change rapidly in CI/CD environments, exploratory testing can quickly address new or altered functionality.
  7. Facilitates User-Centric Testing: By focusing on real-world usage patterns, exploratory testing helps ensure the application meets the practical needs and expectations of end-users.

Qualities of an Exploratory Tester

Every exploratory tester should possess the following qualities:

  • Should have the intuition to realize how end-users think and explore software from that perspective.
  • Remember, exploratory tests have no scripts. The tester should have significant domain experience, so they don’t need to have every step outlined for them.
  • Should be active at expanding test coverage. This means they should proactively keep testing more features with every round of testing.
  • Should be able to review and express ideas logically. Exploratory testing requires critical thinking and significant domain expertise.

Best Practices for Exploratory Testing

Here are some of the Best Practices for Exploratory Testing:

1. Understand the Customer

  • Adopt Multiple Perspectives: Exploratory testing should be conducted from the viewpoint of various user demographics, including different ages, genders, economic statuses, and preferences.
  • Focus on User Diversity: Recognize that end-users interact with the software differently, and approach testing with a mindset that reflects this diversity.

2. Use Real Browsers and Devices

  • Test on Actual Devices: Since users interact with software on real devices, it’s crucial to conduct exploratory testing on genuine hardware rather than emulators or simulators.
  • Utilize Cloud-Based Testing Services: If an in-house lab is not feasible, opt for cloud-based services like BrowserStack, which offers access to over 3000 real browsers and devices for comprehensive testing.

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3. Know the Competitors

  • Leverage Competitive Insights: Understanding common issues faced by competitors helps testers anticipate and address similar problems in their own software.
  • Focus on Known Pain Points: Begin testing with awareness of areas where competing products have struggled, such as a problematic cart function, to ensure your software performs better.

4. Stay Updated with User Feedback

  • Incorporate Real User Feedback: Regularly gather and integrate feedback from actual users to ensure exploratory testing aligns with their experiences and expectations.

5. Test in Various Environments

  • Simulate Different Conditions: Perform exploratory testing across various operating systems, network conditions, and configurations to reflect real-world usage scenarios.

6. Adjust Testing Strategies

  • Be Flexible: Continuously adapt testing strategies based on new insights, changing user behaviors, and evolving software features to maintain effective coverage.

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Exploratory Testing Tools

  • Test automation tools: Although exploratory testing is primarily a manual process, test automation tools can help automate repetitive or time-consuming tasks, freeing up testers to focus on more experimental work. For example, automated regression tests can be run in the background while testers focus on exploratory testing. Some popular test automation tools include Selenium, Appium, and TestComplete.
  • Debugging tools: Debugging tools can help testers identify and isolate defects more quickly and effectively during exploratory testing.
  • Recording and playback: These tools allow testers to record actions or interactions with an application and then play them back to replicate the same behavior. This can be useful for automated regression testing or for creating reproducible test cases.
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