The document summarizes an exploratory testing workshop. It discusses exploratory testing approaches, common traps testers fall into, and provides tips for effective exploratory testing. As an exercise, participants are asked to use exploratory testing to find issues with a Tilted Twister device within 20 minutes. Key problems identified include inability to detect color differences, motor arm overshooting, difficulty turning it on, calibration cube being too big, and taking too long to solve with memory issues. The debrief discusses the testing process and importance of the tester mindset in exploratory and automated testing.

2. Exploratory Testing WorkshopParts of this class have been excerpted from: Rapid Software Testing, by James Bach, james@satisfice.com

3. Black Box Software Testing, by CemKaner, kaner@kaner.comName: Anne-Marie CharrettE-mail: amcharrett@testingtimes.ieWEB: www.testingtimes.iePhone: 085 289 6263

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5. Exploratory testing is an approach to software testing ….described as simultaneous learning, test design and test execution.

6. tester's responsibility for managing his or her timecognitive engagement of the tester

7. Exercise

8. ObservationBe aware of what you are looking out forWatch out for the assumptions you makeYour “idea” or “model” of your what you’re testing often determinesWhat you decide to test What you decide is a bugRemember. We are all biased!

9. Tester MindsetCurious SkepticalSelf ManagementCommunicationObservant

10. Tunnel Vision TrapBias limits the number of bugs you findDiversify your strategy

11. Context TrapWhat is your mission?Who are your stakeholders?

12. Quantity TrapToo LittleToo MuchJust Right

13. Generic Risk ListComplex Anything disporportionality large, intricate or convolutedNew Anything that has no history in the productChanged Anything that has been tampered or "improved"Upsteam Dependency Anything whose failure will cause cascading failures in the rest of the systemDownstream Dependency Anything that is especially sensitive to failures in the rest of the systemCritical Anything whose failure could cause substantial damagePrecise Anything that must meet requirements exactlyStrategic Anything that has special importance to your business, such as a feature that sets you apart from the competitionThird-Party Anything used in the product, but developed outside of the projectDistributed Anything spread out in time or space, yet whose elements must work togetherBuggy Anything known to have lots of problemsRecent Failure Anything with a recent history of failureFocus

14. How do we choose where to look?How do we see what is NOT there? Depends a lot on our choice of ModelInput OutputState MachineEvent Driven BehaviorRequirements FunctionalityData Driven Modeling TrapDiversify

15. Tilted TwisterThis is a mind storm Tilted TwisterIt solves Rubix Cubes It consists of software and hardwareI will be video recording this I want you to use exploratory testing to test it

16. Mission: Tilted Twister DataProject Manager: A client requested a rubix cube solver, the developers gone on holiday. I want you to test this, before the client turns up.Find Top 5 Issues in the next 20 minsAny questions?

17. Turbo Twister InstructionsOrange Button = Select Light Grey Buttons – Move through optionsDark Grey – Back or Exit My Files->Software Files->Tilted Twister

18. Problems FoundCannot detect colour differencesMotor arm overshootsHard to know how to turn it onCalibration Rubix cube is too bigTakes to long to work out solution & then runs out of memory

19. Debrief What was your mission?What problems did you find?How did you know they were problems?How did you find them?What questions did you ask?Can you report credibly?Did you need more time?