How do you use tools to support your exploratory testing? - 30 Days of Tools, Bonus Sponsor Challenge

📆 30 Days of Testing
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We’re back again with another bonus 30 Days of Tools challenge from our sponsor Xray. This challenge gets us thinking about how we can use tools in relation to exploratory testing.

How do you use tools to plan/record/capture/note down/share your exploratory testing?

  • How do you use tools to plan your exploratory testing?
  • How do you use tools to assist you while performing exploratory testing (e.g.,record, capture, take notes)?
  • How do you use or integrate with tools to share your exploratory testing findings?

Feel free to reply to this post and share wherever you like, on the MoT Slack, LinkedIn, Twitter using #30DaysOfTools, Racket, your blog, with your team and any place you feel might inspire yourself and others to do the same. Let’s learn from each other throughout October. Visit the 30 Days of Tools page and select the “Subscribe to Topic” button to receive each daily challenge direct to your inbox.

:point_right: Have you seen the amazing schedule and registered for Test.bash();?

It’s on October 28th, 10am-10pm UK time. Available with a Pro Subscription or you can purchase a ticket.

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Ahhh exploratory testing, one of my favorite testing topics :slight_smile:

  • How do you use tools to plan your exploratory testing?

It depends on the context, what do I want to explore, and if I do it on my own, with testers, or with non-testers.
Some of my go-to tools are pen & paper for outlining some ideas, or virtual whiteboards or mindmaps if I’d like to share my thoughts and give it a more professional touch

  • How do you use tools to assist you while performing exploratory testing (e.g.,record, capture, take notes)?

I use screen capturing tools for taking screenshots, short videos, or gifs in case they will explain better than a plain picture. And I am a regular user of the Xray exploratory app when I am running a bit longer exploratory testing sessions. It makes note-taking quite comfortable.
If I am running an ensemble session I might record the entire session.

  • How do you use or integrate with tools to share your exploratory testing findings?

Well, all the above-mentioned tools support the sharing fairly well.
Again, depending on the context I might run a short debriefing session for the product manager (and others) to explain the observations while going through the session report.
Later the report, additional pictures, etc. will be either attached at the feature item in the tracking system or uploaded to the shared test documentation folder. So that whoever wants to come back to it, has the chance to do so.

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I create charters in TestRail - that’s what I got a license for. Xray and Testrail have the same owner now, so I think this still counts. :smiley:

Xray Exploratory Testing app is a tool I’ve really grown fond of, very nice from UI/UX standpoint has everything I need (taking different kind of notes. screenshots, videos, etc) and it’s not cluttered with too many feature.

In the future I’d like to check out Xray Exploratory Testing app integration with Xray for Jira plugin.

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I’ll be delivering a workshop on Xray Exploratory Testing, next monday the 25th.

Hope to see you there @mirza and @andreajensen :slight_smile:

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@darktelecom you are already on my calendar :wink:

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  • Plan exploratory testing: JIRA
  • To assist me/to share: AIFEX it does record, capture, notes and way more!
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