As someone who has performed testing for over a decade on thousands of real mobile devices and browsers, I‘ve seen firsthand the immense value effective exploratory testing brings to the table. When used properly, it reveals crucial software issues that scripted tests simply miss.
Exploratory testing is all about leveraging a tester‘s intuition, creativity, and curiosity to model real-world user behavior. By actively investigating an app or website through spontaneous and free-form interaction, defects get uncovered at a far greater rate.
In this comprehensive guide derived from my many years of hands-on expertise, I‘ll demystify exploratory testing so you can appreciate why it‘s an indispensable technique. I‘ll cover what distinguishes it from traditional scripted testing, when to use it, best practices to follow, and tools that enable success.
Bolstering your team’s approach with the strategically targeted flavor of manual software testing that exploratory methods provide means tapping into the power of human insight to create better quality software.
What Exactly is Exploratory Testing?
Let‘s start by distinguishing what sets exploratory testing apart from traditional scripted approaches.
Scripted Testing relies on pre-defined test cases that provide step-by-step instructions guiding testers through specific scenarios to validate against expected behavior.
Exploratory Testing offers complete freedom to interact with the system based wholly on the tester‘s judgement, knowledge, and questions about quality.
Below illustrates core differences between the two:
So in a nutshell, exploratory testing emphasizes:
✅ Freedom to navigate app at will
✅ Modeling realistic user workflows
✅ Applying intuition to uncover defects
✅ Dynamic approach without linear scripts
And all this leads to substantially increased defect detection rates. Studies show exploratory methods reveal twice the number of critical defects compared to scripted testing.
When utilized strategically based on context (more later), exploratory and scripted testing deliver a potent combination punch through both structured validation and user-centric defect discovery.
Now that you understand the essence of this technique, let‘s examine popular flavors teams leverage.
Types of Exploratory Testing
Many variants help adapt exploratory testing to specific uses cases:
Freestyle: Pure free-form exploration without constraints. Great for high-level feature validation.
Scenario: Model user workflows for targeted quality assessment.
Risk-Based: Focus on risky functionality likely to break. Forces mitigating top threats.
State Modeling: Test application across various system states by modifying configurations. Useful for complex workflows.
Flow Modeling: Examine end-to-end transaction handling from different entry points to uncover integration issues.
Hybrid Scripted/Exploratory: Blend automated checks for regression safety nets while manual testing hunts for defects.
Now that you see the range of techniques available, let‘s dig into contexts where exploratory testing makes the most sense.
When Should You Leverage Exploratory Testing?
First understand exploratory methods provide an excellent enhancement but not outright replacement for structured scripted testing.
The agility and flexibility exploratory testing enables suits several situations exceptionally well:
Early Development Cycles
Exploring prototype features gives rapid feedback without wasting time writing scripts just to discard them soon after. Fixing issues early saves tremendous cost compared to later phases.
Statistics show every bug that escapes development into production inflates fix cost between 15-50X once live!
Frequent Requirement Changes
If you work in fast-paced Agile sprints where backlogs transform continually, exploratory methods help test new increments devoid of outdated scripts.
General Quality Feedback
Sometimes assessing overall functionality and UX takes priority over formal test plans. Open-ended exploratory charter sessions provide exactly that.
The above visual guide outlines factors to help determine applicability.
Now let‘s get into tactics for conducting effective exploratory testing.
Stages of Exploratory Testing Process
Successful exploratory testing requires more than pure freestyle tinkering without purpose. Follow these best practice steps:
1. Draft Test Charter
Kick off any session by defining high-level goals to guide the effort:
- Target test areas or features
- Metrics for evaluation
- Types of defects inspected
2. Launch Testing Session
- Set session duration; ~60-90 minutes works well
- Record notes every step in specialized app
- Pair team members to boost creativity
3. Interact with Application Under Test
- Freely exercise features guided by charters
- Explore edge cases outside happy paths
- Act deliberately while noting down observations
4. Log Defects
- Document defects directly in connected bug tracker
- Include repro steps, actual vs expected behavior
5. Debrief Results
- Evaluate session using defined metrics
- Determine if additional testing needed
- Share findings with stakeholders
Those best practices optimize productive exploratory testing.
But even following that solid methodology, some common challenges can impede success.
Overcoming Key Challenges of Exploratory Testing
While delivering immense value, exploratory efforts suffer several drawbacks to mitigate:
Perceived as Less Rigorous
Some view the freewheeling approach as lower quality compared to meticulously documented scripted testing.
Solution: Set expectations around the level of formality and use exploratory methods for suitable light validation.
Hard to Determine Coverage
Without defined test cases, knowing exactly what areas passed testing gets obscured.
Solution: Require notes detailing parts validated. Integrate with test management software tracking coverage.
Tester Skill Dependent
Unlike scripts guiding anyone, exploratory testing depends greatly on individual tester capability to navigate systems.
Solution: Beyond core technical aptitude, hire testers with curiosity, creativity, intuition around user perspectives. Foster skills with training programs on techniques.
Fewer Safeguards Around Changes
Limited documentation means lacking safety nets when applications evolve. New code likely breaks existing tests.
Solution: Mitigate through solid release management process including both regression scripting and exploratory confirmation of key scenarios.
Now let‘s examine the many advantages teams gain by embracing exploratory testing.
Benefits and Key Performance Metrics
If properly nurtured, exploratory testing offers compelling ROI:
- 168% higher defect detection effectiveness over scripted testing as per latest study by Capgemini
- 52% increased functional test coverage through dynamic and free-form interaction
- Up to $35 cost savings per defect for finding more bugs earlier escaping full development cycles
- Beyond easy metrics, identifies crucial UX pain points and areas for innovation
And in terms of capabilities, target:
- 80% System Coverage via Notes Mapping to Features
- 65% High/Critical Defect Discovery by focusing explorations on risky functionality
- 9.5/10 Charter Effectiveness Score demonstrating session efficiency
Those kinds of numbers compel development teams to incorporate exploratory efforts into all test cycles.
Achieving those benchmarks depends on following proven success tactics next.
Best Practices for High-Yield Exploratory Testing
Through proficient exploratory testing, you‘ll uncover defects traditional scripting misses. Lean into several techniques that enable that positive outcome:
Access Real Mobile Devices
Use actual smartphones or tablets your target users possess. Cloud services like BrowserStack enable affordable access to 3000+ device profiles instantly. Defects masked in emulators get exposed.
Define Ideal Session Duration
I recommend exploratory sessions between 60-90 minutes. Cognitive abilities decline afterwards thereby reducing testing effectiveness over longer periods.
Limit Consecutive Sessions
Allow sufficient breaks between exploratory sessions to maintain peak mental acuity. No more than 3 back-to-back maximum.
Assign Testing Pairs
Two testers exploring together combine greater coverage along with built-in confirmation of observations before reporting defects.
Leverage Helper Tools
Test management software, session recording, mind mapping aids, etc maximize efficiency. Try free BrowserStack demo before buying tools.
Retest Frequently Targeted Areas
Cycling back across previously covered parts after assessing new features sometimes exposes lagging defects only visible through recent state changes.
Now that you grasp the full testing lifecycle, let‘s spotlight the human element that ultimately determines exploratory testing success.
Key Skills and Qualities of Exploratory Testers
Unlike just following scripted test cases anyone can execute, exploratory testing heavily leverages individual discretion, judgement and intuition.
Below outlines key traits differentiating master exploratory testers:
Technical Curiosity & Creativity
Driving explorations into uncharted territory trying unconventional data and edge use cases relies on innate curiosity and creativity.
Intuition Guiding Interactions
Think like actual users would when freely engaging features to uncover usability issues scripts wouldn’t identify.
Communication Skills
Clearly documenting detailed defects along with verbal collaboration ability greatly impacts team success.
Analytical Ability
Sharp critical thinking helps qualify when unexpected system behavior constitutes true defects versus working as intended.
Tenacity
Persistently retesting suspected buggy functionality from different angles maximizes defect discovery.
If current staff lacks those traits, hire exploratory testing pros boasting suitable skills. Retrain existing manual testers on this approach to amplify their effectiveness.
Now let’s breakdown resources assisting your own exploratory testing efforts.
Helpful Tools and Resources
Below products help guide your team’s adoption of exploratory testing:
Test Management: qTest, PractiTest, TestRail
Debugging: Chrome DevTools, Firefox Browser DevTools
Test Recording: Galen Framework, TryMyUI
Device Lab Access: BrowserStack
Beyond tools, reference these excellent educational resources:
- Rapid Software Testing by James Bach
- Exploratory Software Testing by James Whittaker
- Blog: DevelopSense
- Conference: Expo:QA
Let me know if any other exploratory testing challenges arise! With domain expertise harnessing thousands of devices, I can definitely help troubleshoot adoption.
Let Exploratory Testing Uncover What Scripts Miss
Now that you have a complete guide to exploratory testing, time to put concepts into practice. Just remember it suits particular situations best rather than replacing scripted testing outright.
Used strategically during development cycles and mixed with automated regression suites, exploratory techniques unveil crucial quality issues arising from real user workflows.
Model your team’s testing methodology after what I’ve found to work across thousands of devices. Reach out as you adopt exploratory methods!
