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Explore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing
Uncover surprises, risks, and potentially serious bugs with exploratory testing. Rather than designing all tests in advance, explorers design and execute small, rapid experiments. In this book, you'll learn how to analyze software to discover key points of vulnerability, how to design experiments on the fly, how to hone your observation skills, and how to focus your efforts.
You'll start by crafting charters to guide your exploration. Then you'll vary interactions, sequences, data, timing, and configurations. You'll incorporate analysis techniques such as state modeling, data modeling, and defining context diagrams. Finally, you'll apply the skills and techniques in a variety of contexts and integrate exploration into the development cycle from the beginning.
You can apply the techniques in this book to any kind of software to discover its capabilities, limitations, and risks.
You'll start by crafting charters to guide your exploration. Then you'll vary interactions, sequences, data, timing, and configurations. You'll incorporate analysis techniques such as state modeling, data modeling, and defining context diagrams. Finally, you'll apply the skills and techniques in a variety of contexts and integrate exploration into the development cycle from the beginning.
You can apply the techniques in this book to any kind of software to discover its capabilities, limitations, and risks.
162 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
July 7, 2020
This was a very clear thought out way to explain exploratory testing. I will be using this as one of my reference guides from here on out.
September 1, 2012
There are two chapters being written yet, but the book is just awesome!
The best book I've read about testing until today.
I really recommend it, specially for for developers and testers, but it could be interesting for everyone working on team that is building any kind of (software) product.
The best book I've read about testing until today.
I really recommend it, specially for for developers and testers, but it could be interesting for everyone working on team that is building any kind of (software) product.
December 13, 2013
Exploratory testing has been getting press lately. Deservedly so, I should say. Still, outside of blog posts and direct interaction with those who have represented the movement of exploratory testing, there isn't a good one stop for explaining what exploratory testing is in a meaningful way. Practitioners have to scratch around and try out a number of different sources and models and deal with a lot of "it depends". Getting all of the details in one place, and with a smooth narrative that can help make sense of the process is a good thing. Giving you ways to practice it and actually get some hands on understanding is even better. Hearing it in a voice and a narrative that flows smoothly, is not overly technical, and allows users to connect the dots effectively would also be a huge plus. Are we there yet? With the release of "Explore It!" by Elisabeth Hendrickson, I'll dare say we are are a lot closer than we have been to date.
Software development is hard. It takes a certain amount of discipline, structured thinking and a variety of language skills to put a system together. What makes it even more challenging is that it's not like building a house on rock. It's not even like building a house on sand. It's really more like building a boat on an ocean. So much of software development requires the interaction of so many moving parts that, really, nothing is stable or static. Not really. It's in this world that we as testers are often asked to do our work. If we have illusions that everything is going to be neat and orderly and tidy, like a house built upon a stone foundation, we are liable to miss a great deal of what happens. This is where having an exploratory approach and mindset is critical. We understand that we need to explore, but how do we develop that mindset? It's with this aspect that much of the initial chapters are focused.
Part One deals with establishing and developing the exploratory foundations, so this is where exploration is explained and put into terms that a variety of people, not just testers, can understand. The key attributes of exploration (execution, learning and steering) are put forward, as well as disavowing the notion that testing is only a process of the test team (it's not, everyone tests, whether they are aware of the fact or not). Creating testing charters and understanding how to make them neither too specific nor too vague is important. There is also an emphasis on time boxing and Session Based Test Management, so as to help keep things in focus and make the exploration meaningful and on target. I like the approach Elisabeth uses in this early section to make a simple and easy top understand exploration template. Much the way that Agile development makes a story ("As a [stakeholder]., I want [functionality] So that I can [achieve result]"), consider exploration to be "Explore [target] with [resources] to discover [information]". That alone is a great takeaway from this section!
Observation is a big part of exploration, and Elisabeth puts a good emphasis on learning how to see what others don't. Inattentional blindness is addressed, and yes, we get a visit from "The Moonwalking Bear" (and if you have no idea what that is, follow the youtube link in the footnotes). The key point is that we need to make an effort to make the invisible more visible, and Elisabeth explains a number of techniques and methods to do exactly that.
Part Two digs deeper, and gives us the opportunity to work variations and different approaches to our explorations. Elisabeth recommends that we take some time to recognize our habits and how those habits may be blocking our vision to see the unseen. From there, make a conscious effort to avoid doing things the way you normally do. Personas are introduced, and fleshed out considerably. For anyone who has heard this term, Elisabeth give this a good treatment, and also puts it into perspectives you may not have considered. States and transitions are an avenue for exploration that gets a good treatment here, and how to take advantage of them to vary your testing approach. Modeling the system and the way we interact with it are also covered. Look for places where transitions occur, and see if you can influence the way those transition occur.
Part Three puts the different approaches into unique contexts and shows that the skills are applicable in a broad range of circumstances. Exploration is often considered a front end approach, but it can be used in many places; unit tests, acceptance test driven development, behavior driven development, testing of API's, and anywhere that a user might interact with an application, even if the end user isn't actually a human. Also, while exploratory testing is encouraged for systems under development, it's just as powerful a tool for legacy and currently marketed applications, too. Elisabeth describes the value of doing reconnaissance on applications. Discover the applications capabilities and its limitations. From this, you can start asking interesting questions of the application, and discover areas where it should be doing something, or should not be doing something, and when to tell the difference.
Part of what makes this book fun, at least for me, is the fact that I have worked with Elisabeth in the past. I know her, I know her sense of humor, her manner of speaking, and the way that she gets points across. Thus, it's very easy to read this book in her voice. Even if you are not familiar with Elisabeth and how she talks and describes things, you will still be able to follow along with her as she makes the examples relevant, and sometimes amusingly so. While calculating to the air velocity of a swallow (European or African), the fact that she's willing to include those whimsical details makes it easy to get into the spirit of the book and go with the flow of the narrative. For technical books, that's quite an achievement.
Long story short, this is a muh needed book for the software development world. Programmers, testers and managers would all be well served to read and ponder the contents of Explore It, and apply it to the work that they do.
Software development is hard. It takes a certain amount of discipline, structured thinking and a variety of language skills to put a system together. What makes it even more challenging is that it's not like building a house on rock. It's not even like building a house on sand. It's really more like building a boat on an ocean. So much of software development requires the interaction of so many moving parts that, really, nothing is stable or static. Not really. It's in this world that we as testers are often asked to do our work. If we have illusions that everything is going to be neat and orderly and tidy, like a house built upon a stone foundation, we are liable to miss a great deal of what happens. This is where having an exploratory approach and mindset is critical. We understand that we need to explore, but how do we develop that mindset? It's with this aspect that much of the initial chapters are focused.
Part One deals with establishing and developing the exploratory foundations, so this is where exploration is explained and put into terms that a variety of people, not just testers, can understand. The key attributes of exploration (execution, learning and steering) are put forward, as well as disavowing the notion that testing is only a process of the test team (it's not, everyone tests, whether they are aware of the fact or not). Creating testing charters and understanding how to make them neither too specific nor too vague is important. There is also an emphasis on time boxing and Session Based Test Management, so as to help keep things in focus and make the exploration meaningful and on target. I like the approach Elisabeth uses in this early section to make a simple and easy top understand exploration template. Much the way that Agile development makes a story ("As a [stakeholder]., I want [functionality] So that I can [achieve result]"), consider exploration to be "Explore [target] with [resources] to discover [information]". That alone is a great takeaway from this section!
Observation is a big part of exploration, and Elisabeth puts a good emphasis on learning how to see what others don't. Inattentional blindness is addressed, and yes, we get a visit from "The Moonwalking Bear" (and if you have no idea what that is, follow the youtube link in the footnotes). The key point is that we need to make an effort to make the invisible more visible, and Elisabeth explains a number of techniques and methods to do exactly that.
Part Two digs deeper, and gives us the opportunity to work variations and different approaches to our explorations. Elisabeth recommends that we take some time to recognize our habits and how those habits may be blocking our vision to see the unseen. From there, make a conscious effort to avoid doing things the way you normally do. Personas are introduced, and fleshed out considerably. For anyone who has heard this term, Elisabeth give this a good treatment, and also puts it into perspectives you may not have considered. States and transitions are an avenue for exploration that gets a good treatment here, and how to take advantage of them to vary your testing approach. Modeling the system and the way we interact with it are also covered. Look for places where transitions occur, and see if you can influence the way those transition occur.
Part Three puts the different approaches into unique contexts and shows that the skills are applicable in a broad range of circumstances. Exploration is often considered a front end approach, but it can be used in many places; unit tests, acceptance test driven development, behavior driven development, testing of API's, and anywhere that a user might interact with an application, even if the end user isn't actually a human. Also, while exploratory testing is encouraged for systems under development, it's just as powerful a tool for legacy and currently marketed applications, too. Elisabeth describes the value of doing reconnaissance on applications. Discover the applications capabilities and its limitations. From this, you can start asking interesting questions of the application, and discover areas where it should be doing something, or should not be doing something, and when to tell the difference.
Part of what makes this book fun, at least for me, is the fact that I have worked with Elisabeth in the past. I know her, I know her sense of humor, her manner of speaking, and the way that she gets points across. Thus, it's very easy to read this book in her voice. Even if you are not familiar with Elisabeth and how she talks and describes things, you will still be able to follow along with her as she makes the examples relevant, and sometimes amusingly so. While calculating to the air velocity of a swallow (European or African), the fact that she's willing to include those whimsical details makes it easy to get into the spirit of the book and go with the flow of the narrative. For technical books, that's quite an achievement.
Long story short, this is a muh needed book for the software development world. Programmers, testers and managers would all be well served to read and ponder the contents of Explore It, and apply it to the work that they do.
June 12, 2019
Excellent summary of exploratory testing and how to use it well in various environments. A book I continue to come back to, to look stuff up and get a refresher on various exploratory testing topics. Well written, this book pulls in you while teaching you a lot about how to be an effective tester.
October 24, 2021
This is an awesome read for any tester. It provides great tips and structured guidelines for our everyday testing activities!
August 29, 2018
I read this book with a group and enjoyed discussing each chapter. I was hoping to find more advice on how to get a team to support me in exploratory testing but I guess I am on my own for that. I found most of the content applicable and helpful. I have certainly gained a stronger understanding of exploratory testing and how to better approach it in the future.
September 1, 2024
A truly comprehensive guide to exploratory testing by Elisabeth Hendrickson, describing all the main techniques, how to properly organize expeditions, and study your area of responsibility. Considerable attention is given to various approaches, such as CRUD, but in the context of how they can be applied in exploratory testing.
The book is quick and easy to read, and the knowledge can be applied to any product and domain: web, mobile, and desktop applications.
It provides a correct explanation that exploratory testing should not be conducted as a last-resort measure before the end of the release process. At the end of the book, there's a brief description of all the techniques covered in the book, plus an example of interviewing testers to understand their level of exploratory testing skills.
As for drawbacks, some points are obvious or intuitively grasped during the process, but explicit descriptions never hurt.
The book is quick and easy to read, and the knowledge can be applied to any product and domain: web, mobile, and desktop applications.
It provides a correct explanation that exploratory testing should not be conducted as a last-resort measure before the end of the release process. At the end of the book, there's a brief description of all the techniques covered in the book, plus an example of interviewing testers to understand their level of exploratory testing skills.
As for drawbacks, some points are obvious or intuitively grasped during the process, but explicit descriptions never hurt.
December 2, 2024
Hey there! So, I checked out "Explore It!" and here's the scoop.
Honestly, I was surprised how much you could actually write about exploratory testing! The book's packed with some cool bug discovery stories, and the way it wraps up with testing suggestions is pretty neat. I kinda wish I'd stumbled onto this book way back when I first started in QA.
Real talk? It's probably not gonna be a game-changer for senior testers. The tech world moves fast, and these days we're all about delivering faster and automating everything. Some stuff feels like it's straight out of a standard ISTQB manual.
But don't get me wrong - it's a solid read. Short, sweet, and to the point. Just might not be everyone's cup of tea, especially if you've been in testing for a while.
Bottom line: Good book, but your mileage may vary depending on where you're at in your QA journey.
Honestly, I was surprised how much you could actually write about exploratory testing! The book's packed with some cool bug discovery stories, and the way it wraps up with testing suggestions is pretty neat. I kinda wish I'd stumbled onto this book way back when I first started in QA.
Real talk? It's probably not gonna be a game-changer for senior testers. The tech world moves fast, and these days we're all about delivering faster and automating everything. Some stuff feels like it's straight out of a standard ISTQB manual.
But don't get me wrong - it's a solid read. Short, sweet, and to the point. Just might not be everyone's cup of tea, especially if you've been in testing for a while.
Bottom line: Good book, but your mileage may vary depending on where you're at in your QA journey.
August 23, 2020
There are hundreds of books on Software Testing. All of them have similar table of contents - Introduction to Testing, Testing Types, Testing Methodologies, Testing Techniques, Approaches, Strategies, Reporting, Test Management etc. I am not criticizing these books, they are good on their part. However, these books limit the Exploratory Testing in few paragraphs or within a chapter at max. Explore It! by Elisabeth Hendrickson complements all these books and teach the Exploratory Testing "in detail". In my opinion if one wants to be a skilled tester then the person must read it. This is not a book, this is an experience.
February 12, 2021
Inspiring. The best book I've read all year. This is going to make me a better tester.
There is checking. This is when you test to make sure your project does what it was designed to do under the best conditions.
Then there is exploring. This is when you test to make sure there is no risk. This is where many of us fall woefully short. Reading this book made me realize I need to step it up. But Exploring is the fun part of testing. It's why I became a tester.
I am excited to begin implementing what I learned.
There is checking. This is when you test to make sure your project does what it was designed to do under the best conditions.
Then there is exploring. This is when you test to make sure there is no risk. This is where many of us fall woefully short. Reading this book made me realize I need to step it up. But Exploring is the fun part of testing. It's why I became a tester.
I am excited to begin implementing what I learned.
January 27, 2024
I thought the book was practical and well organised, offering important tools to help anyone working with software explore it so that they might uncover its use, capabilities and issues. The greatest advice was given right at the start by showing how charters can help focus the effort of exploratory testing and how documenting your findings can lead to exploring in depth area that you might find as problematic. I’m glad that I read it and looking forward to checking some other book references that I found in it.
February 4, 2024
Loved book on Testing methods.
Explore It
Always make sure end to end tests are working.
Adopt different personas e.g. analytics manager creating dashboard how would he do it . Is he patient and would try different Dashboard features to demo presentation.
CRuD- create read update delete
Entities- when we create or click on new it’s an entity
E.g. survey is an entity and questions it’s attributes
Entities can have one too many and many to many relationships
Find it in architecture diagrams and try to test them , update and delete see if it breaks anything in other tables.
Explore It
Always make sure end to end tests are working.
Adopt different personas e.g. analytics manager creating dashboard how would he do it . Is he patient and would try different Dashboard features to demo presentation.
CRuD- create read update delete
Entities- when we create or click on new it’s an entity
E.g. survey is an entity and questions it’s attributes
Entities can have one too many and many to many relationships
Find it in architecture diagrams and try to test them , update and delete see if it breaks anything in other tables.
March 17, 2021
Un aguia muy buena e interesante sobre los caminos de las pruebas exploratorias.
Tiene muchos ejemplos y tips practicos. Asi como guia de un proceso mental a traves de mas de un procesos de pruebas.
Es una lectura indispensable para cualquiera que trabaje en las areas de calidad en sistemas.
Recomendadisimo!
Tiene muchos ejemplos y tips practicos. Asi como guia de un proceso mental a traves de mas de un procesos de pruebas.
Es una lectura indispensable para cualquiera que trabaje en las areas de calidad en sistemas.
Recomendadisimo!
February 21, 2018
This is a quick read and offers some sensible approaches to exploratory software testing. There's no great insights, and personally I don't feel I'm going to approach testing any differently as a result of this book, but it certainly contains information that others may find helpful.
April 25, 2018
Super helpful and insightful book on exploratory testing, both on methods and how it fits into the product lifecycle. Peppered with interesting anecdotes from the author's many years of testing and development experience.
January 10, 2019
A well written, and engaging, read. It would suit testers, programmers, and product owners and would provide insight into how to explore applications, or specifications to ensure a good quality result.
May 31, 2019
First real book on exploratory testing I found. I like it is short , concrete and with real life examples. Not perfect, because it may not give you much if you have some experience in this area. But really good for everyone who is new in exploratory testing.
December 30, 2024
Very nice book. I would have given a 5-star review. But I was missing the Flow state when reading it. It would have been better to start with Apendix 2, then the Flow state could have been induced, I recommend this method to anyone wanting to read it.
March 16, 2018
- good chapter of interview experience
- good examples
- I liked the part when there is no UI
- good examples
- I liked the part when there is no UI
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 18, 2019
Easy to read introduction to exploratory testing
August 3, 2019
Nie jest to najnowsza pozycja, lecz wiedza ukryta w niej nadal aktualna. Lektura, z której każdy tester coś wyniesie.
May 1, 2020
Remarkable. This book shaped my way of thinking as a software developer. 100/100
July 25, 2020
Some really cool insights.
January 16, 2022
This changed a lot of things I was working on. It also have sparked a couple of new ideas to improve my work. Highly recommend reading this book 🤟🏻
March 24, 2022
An amazing book on exploratory software testing. I wish it was written when I was starting my career.
June 19, 2022
This is a great book for testers of all experience levels. New testers will get exposure to some excellent foundations. Experienced testers will get a refresher, and maybe even a few new ideas.
April 24, 2026
Really concise, good little book on manual and exploratory testing
May 27, 2017
The book talks about exploratory approach to testing wherein we explore the subject at and around "boundaries" to figure out how the subject performs at and around "boundaries". The book provides good strategies to process to conduct exploratory testing along with exploration strategies specific to different kinds of boundaries. If you write tests on a day to day basis and benefit from them, most of the content may seem like "been there done that" or "I agree". However, if you are skeptical about testing or are looking for ways to write effective tests, then you will find lot of useful tips and tricks to improve your tests.
In my view, exploratory testing is no different from say testing that checks for specification. The reason being that testing is about checking if the subject operates as intended. This is not just about happy paths. It is not just about satisfying the said specs. It is also about figuring out how a subject operates when specs are violated and is the operation as intended. Often, the intentions are not available for when the specs are violated. More importantly, there is seldom info about how specs can be violated. So, one explores to figure out how specs can be violated. Hence, in my view, exploration occurs even when checking if specs are met. In short, exploration is at the core of testing both abstractly in terms of spec and concretely in terms of implementation. It is for this reason the techniques in this book can be applied to testing in general. Better yet, they can be applied to requirements/specification elicitation.
In short, if you write code, then read this.
In my view, exploratory testing is no different from say testing that checks for specification. The reason being that testing is about checking if the subject operates as intended. This is not just about happy paths. It is not just about satisfying the said specs. It is also about figuring out how a subject operates when specs are violated and is the operation as intended. Often, the intentions are not available for when the specs are violated. More importantly, there is seldom info about how specs can be violated. So, one explores to figure out how specs can be violated. Hence, in my view, exploration occurs even when checking if specs are met. In short, exploration is at the core of testing both abstractly in terms of spec and concretely in terms of implementation. It is for this reason the techniques in this book can be applied to testing in general. Better yet, they can be applied to requirements/specification elicitation.
In short, if you write code, then read this.
December 10, 2014
Another great book from Pragmatic Programmers that is worth reading whether you are in management, software development, analysis or testing. The thoughts are well laid out, the author is personable, the chapters are organized well, and lots of real world examples are provided from specific projects.
In my years of working in software development I have noticed to paths testers take. Chaotic, where they initially try to break the system with the most extreme choices they can, and spec testers that work closely to specific test cases. If a person applies the principles in this book to software testing it will lead to respectable feedback to the developers for addressing deficiencies (whether those are bugs or expected functionality that is lacking). The benefits of both the harsh and spec based testing will be made manifests in exploratory testing.
The chapter on chartering is excellent, because it not only proposes a good practice for software testing but for addressing a multitude of problems. It is as follows: Explore ___ with ___ to discover ____. Outside of testing software consider its application to acquiring virtues, trying out new team practices, or making any type of major "trial" to see if a process is in somehow improved.
The Test Heuristics cheat sheet is excellent for beginners, and is worth going over with your newer software testers so that they are providing value above that of just a standard user testing the software.
I would recommend this book and encourage members of my team to read it.
In my years of working in software development I have noticed to paths testers take. Chaotic, where they initially try to break the system with the most extreme choices they can, and spec testers that work closely to specific test cases. If a person applies the principles in this book to software testing it will lead to respectable feedback to the developers for addressing deficiencies (whether those are bugs or expected functionality that is lacking). The benefits of both the harsh and spec based testing will be made manifests in exploratory testing.
The chapter on chartering is excellent, because it not only proposes a good practice for software testing but for addressing a multitude of problems. It is as follows: Explore ___ with ___ to discover ____. Outside of testing software consider its application to acquiring virtues, trying out new team practices, or making any type of major "trial" to see if a process is in somehow improved.
The Test Heuristics cheat sheet is excellent for beginners, and is worth going over with your newer software testers so that they are providing value above that of just a standard user testing the software.
I would recommend this book and encourage members of my team to read it.
March 2, 2015
Testing can be more than just following a script. When the basic functions work one can start with tests that are not formalized (jet) to figure out how wide the happy path really is. Often enough a minor difference in the input and a webpage or a parser no longer works as expected. Problems like those will not be found by regular testing and need therefore a different approach. Elisabeth Hendrickson explains in this book what exploratory testing is, how you should time box your explorations and what you can do to maximize the output. This book offers you a good guidance to start your own explorations and enough resources to be successful.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews