Exploratory testing is a heuristic approach in which learning, test design, and execution proceed concurrently. Unlike algorithmic test cases and scripts, it relies on observing a situation, applying human judgment, and choosing the next action. section 8.0
A focused exploratory testing session can combine:
- A charter that defines what to explore, under which conditions, and what the investigation should discover. section 8.0 section 8.2
- Technical interaction with the system alongside mental heuristics and oracles that guide interpretation and further testing. section 8.2
- Explicit mnemonics such as PAOLO to prompt additional ideas when experience-based heuristics stop producing useful directions. section 8.2.3
Exploring a crowded report calendar
A session explored how a report calendar rendered a very large collection of bookings, particularly whether the resulting view remained readable. Investigation found a pop-up that overflowed above the page, slow loading for heavily booked days, and keyboard-focus problems involving bookings outside the pop-up bounds. These findings came from combining direct exploration with heuristics about rendering, layout, and keyboard access. section 8.2 section 8.2.3
Figure 8.3 The report page under test
Use the report-page figure to visualize the interface being explored and the rendering problem under investigation. section 8.2
