Exploratory testing is an approach to testing that is often misunderstood. Actually it is an approach to testing that emphasizes testers ability to explore an unknown object or area through concurrent test design and test execution. In order to be skillful in it, you need to have several assets that will help you reveal relevant information about the product you’re building. I will share many of the things that I consider essential for a person who wants to understand more about exploratory testing. Talk is focusing a lot on things that have evolved my thinking and therefore helped me be more valuable as a tester. Many of them are also useful for anyone working in software development.

1. HOW TO THINK
LIKE AN
EXPLORATORY
TESTER
ALEKSIS TULONEN
COMIQ OY
TURKU AGILE DAY 2014

2. www.comiq.fi
@al3ksis

3. www.commonsensetesting.org
@al3ksis

4. @al3ksis

5. TESTING
Experimenting with something in order to
evaluate it.
@al3ksis

6. @al3ksis

7. Testing is about mental engagement.
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8. EXPLORATORY
TESTING
An approach to testing that emphasizes testers
ability to explore an unknown object or space
through concurrent test design and test execution.
Explore = travel through (an unfamiliar area) in order to
learn about it (Oxford Dictionaries)
@al3ksis

9. FREEDOM &
RESPONSIBILITY
“A style of software testing that emphasizes the personal
freedom and responsibility of the individual tester
to optimize the quality of his or her work by treating
test design, test execution, test interpretation, and test-related
learning as mutually supportive activities that continue in parallel
throughout the project.” – Cem Kaner
@al3ksis

10. CREATING BY
REACTING
“An essential aspect of a painter's canvas and a
musical instrument is the immediacy with which
the artist gets something there to react to.
A canvas or sketchbook serves as an "external
imagination", where an artist can grow an idea
from birth to maturity by continuously reacting to
what's in front of him.” – Bret Victor (Learnable
Programming)
@al3ksis

11. THINGS THAT HAVE HELP
ME EVOLVE AS A TESTER
@al3ksis

12. 1. QUALITY IS A
RELATIONSHIP
“Quality is value to some person.” – Jerry Weinberg
“…who matter.” – James Bach & Michael Bolton
By “value,” I mean, “What are people willing to pay
(do) to have their requirements met.” – Jerry
Weinberg
@al3ksis

13. "You can't separate the quality of
your employees work-life from
the quality of your products.”
(Source: W. Edward Deming Quality
Guruhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQpY3lnljBE - 5:22)
@al3ksis

14. BUG FOR ONE,
FEATURE FOR
ANOTHER
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15. 2. COMMUNICATION
SKILL
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16. @al3ksis

17. “Agile Is Dead.”
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18. “What observation led you to that
conclusion?”
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19. “What is your intention?”
“What are you trying to achieve
with what you just said?”
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20. @al3ksis

21. 3. LEPRECHAUN
HUNTER MINDSET
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22. @al3ksis

23. @al3ksis

24. @al3ksis

25. @al3ksis

26. @al3ksis

27. @al3ksis

28. @al3ksis

29. @al3ksis

30. @al3ksis
“Show Me the Data.”

31. WHAT DO WE SAY WHEN
WE SEE A CURVE LIKE
THIS?
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32. SUMMARY
• Exploratory Testing:
• Mental Engagement, Responsibility & Emphasizing
Exploration
• Quality:
• Quality is value to some person(s). Who is the person(s) that
matter?
• Communication Skill
• Check Intake, Check Meaning
• “What observation led you to that conclusion?”
• “What is your intention?” & “What are you trying to achieve
with what you said?”
• Leprechaun Hunter Mindset
• “Show Me the Data.”
@al3ksis

33. SOURCES OF
INFORMATION
• Evolving Understanding of Exploratory Testing (by
Michael Bolton) -
http://www.developsense.com/resources.html#exploratory
• Exploratory Testing (by Cem Kaner) -
http://www.testingeducation.org/BBST/exploratory/
• Telling Your Exploratory Story (by Jon Bach) -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUdWm7ddgfU
• Exploratory Testing (by Jon Bach) -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Y4WCdJRfV4
• A Case Against Test Cases (by Jon Bach) -
http://www.quardev.com/blog/a_case_against_test_cases
@al3ksis

34. SOURCES OF
INFORMATION
• The Leprechauns of Software Engineering (by Laurent
Bossavit) - https://leanpub.com/leprechauns
• Perfect Software: And Other Illusions about Testing (by
Jerry Weinberg) – You can find it from Amazon
• Explore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with
Exploratory Testing (by Elisabeth Hendrickson) – You can
find it from Amazon
• Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas (by
Seymour Papert) – You can find it from Amazon
• Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (by Carol
Dweck) – You can find it from Amazon
• “The Idea Accelerator” (by Ken Hudson) – You can find it
from Amazon
@al3ksis

35. SOURCES OF
INFORMATION
• “What is Exploratory Testing?”
http://swtester.blogspot.ca/2012/05/what-is-exploratory-
testing.html (by Paul Carvalho)
• “The Little Black Book on Test Design”
http://thetesteye.com/blog/2011/09/the-little-black-book-on-
test-design/ (by Rikard Edgren)
• “To The New Tester”
http://www.satisfice.com/blog/archives/958 (by James Bach)
• “Fractal Exploratory Testing” http://www.a-sisyphean-
task.com/2013/01/fractal-exploratory-
testing.html#.UpxHGWRgY3Y (by Adam Knight)
• “Learnable Programming”
http://worrydream.com/LearnableProgramming/ (by Bret
Victor)
@al3ksis

36. SOURCES OF
INFORMATION
• “Two Forgotten Agile Values: Discipline and Skill”
http://www.exampler.com/discipline-and-skill.html (by Brian
Marick)
• “Practical Tools For Playing Well With Others”
http://oredev.org/2013/wed-fri-conference/practical-tools-for-
playing-well-with-others (by J.B. Rainsberger)
• “Patterns for The People” http://vimeo.com/19124478 (by
Kevlin Henney)
• “The Satir Interaction Model” http://sstc-
online.org/2006/pdfs/JB1365Notes.pdf (by Virginia Satir)
• “Test Heuristics Cheat Sheet” http://testobsessed.com/wp-
content/uploads/2011/04/testheuristicscheatsheetv1.pdf (by
Elisabeth Hendrickson)
@al3ksis

37. Twitter: @al3ksis
Blog: flowoftesting.wordpress.com
LinkedIn: Aleksis Tulonen
Email: aleksis.tulonen@gmail.com