Test Design Techniques - Exploratory Testing (Keşif Testi)

Giriş
Açıklaması şöyle. "Keşif testi" testçinin geçmişte edindiği bilgeye dayanarak testler tasarlamasıdır.

Essentially, exploratory testing is a software testing approach that is executed without any previously developed documentation, test cases, or checklists. Therefore, a tester creates and runs tests based on his knowledge regarding the product. Overall, experience and extensive technical background of QA engineers plays a big role, helping them execute tests more accurately.

Bu Yöntem Ne Zaman Kullanılır
Bu teknik zaman kısıtı olan, test  ile gereksinim arasında izlenebilirlik kurulması gerekmeyen durumlarda kullanılabilir. Açıklaması şöyle.

-New projects that don’t have extensive documentation yet
-To identify software weaknesses
-Gathering more information about product logic and workflow
-If the testing team includes skilled testers who could perform the exploratory testing without losses in the budget and time, etc.

Nasıl Yapılır
İzlenebilecek yöntemler şöyle
1) Freestyle Exploratory Testing : Freestyle testing yöntemi kullanılsa bile bu yöntem "sağına soluna tıklama" olarak algılanmamalı. Açıklaması şöyle

As the name suggests, this technique provides a freedom to the testers to investigate bugs or defects without any detailed planning. This technique is usually carried out by a tester when there is a need to become familiarized with an application and to perform parallel continuous testing without defining any ground rules for test coverage.

2) Scenario-Based Exploratory Testing - Belli bir senaryo takip edilir. Açıklaması şöyle

This type of testing is usually carried out after the initial phase of testing in order to make revisions to the testing flow, as per the observations from the initial testing process. The idea is to develop end-to-end scenarios according to real users' interactions. Testers tend to consider different sets of possibilities by exploring the platform to match each developed scenario and provide maximum test coverage.

3) Strategy-based Exploratory Testing - Yazılıma aşina olan testçiler en riskli bölgeleri test ederler. Açıklaması şöyle

This type of exploratory testing is mostly done by testers familiar with an application’s functionalities that need testing. Familiarity with the product is important to defining testing strategies. The strategy to test is usually developed using various analyses, such as Boundary Value analysis, the equivalence technique, and the risk-based technique to identify more potential bugs.

En İyi Uygulama (Best Practice) Maddeleri

İzlenmesi gereken bazı maddeleri şöyle.

1. Organize Your Test Cycle With Enough Time Window
2. Add Checkpoints Early on in the Testing Process
3. Record the Entire Process With Great Detail
4. Aim to Be a User When Performing Exploratory Testing
5. Define the Scope of Exploratory Testing With Precision
6. Prioritize and Classify Your Bugs
7. Prepare an Informative Bug Report

Exploratory Testing ve Test Otomasyonu

Açıklaması şöyle. Bu tür testleri tam otomasyona sokmak çok mümkün değil.

While some testing activities can be done by a testbot, it is actually not possible to do a full exploratory test via test automation. Common things that we can automate in the flow of exploratory testing are generating random test data, performing functional test executions, output logging, developing reports, and sharing insights with the development team.