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Mind Map Driven Heuristic Exploratory Testing

Pekka Marjamäki

I wonder if

this comes

off…

What is Exploratory testing?

• Approach

• Mindset

• Structured or freestyle

• Learning, Design and Testing

• Heuristic

• What else?

© F-Secure ConfidentialMay 3, 20122

Learning

TestingDesign

Heuristics

• “a fallible method for solving a problem or making a decision”

• A heuristic is not a rule

• a heuristic can work but might fail

• Checklists

• Feelings as heuristics

• Assumptions heuristics

• Heuristics are applied, not followed.

• Follows the Rapid Software Testing heuristics model by James Bach and

Michael Bolton

© F-Secure ConfidentialMay 3, 20123

Models and product elements

• Models a way of measuring coverage

• A model is a heuristic idea, activity, or object

• …that represents (literally, re-presents) another idea, activity, or object…

• …whereby understanding something about the model may help you to understand ormanipulate the thing that it represents.

• SFDPOT

• Structure

• Functions

• Data

• Platform

• Operations

• Time

• Something extra:

• Risks

• Bugs

© F-Secure ConfidentialMay 3, 20124

Structure

• What is this made out of?

• Physical structure

• Devices, cables

• User interface structure:

• Menus, dialogs, buttons, input fields

• Code structure

• Files, modules, classes, methods, lines

© F-Secure ConfidentialMay 3, 20125

input output

platform

Functions

• What does it do?

• What are the features?

• How do you controll it?

• What’s in the menus?

• How about keyboard/mouse only?

• Are there cross functionalities?

© F-Secure ConfidentialMay 3, 20126

input output

platform

Data

• What it does the functions to?

• What are the boundaries?

• What are the REAL boundaries?

• Can you automate inputs?

• Can you assert the outcome?

• Can you test the output values?

© F-Secure ConfidentialMay 3, 20127

input output

platform

Platform

• What does it depend upon?

• Operating systems, hardware

• External software (SaaS, Paas)

• Internal software (Adobe Reader, MS Office)

• Can you take it outside lab? Unsanitary platform?

• Oddball?

• Out-of-the-shelf installed toolbars, browsers, etc.

• Can you automate environment setup?

© F-Secure ConfidentialMay 3, 20128

input output

platform

Operations

• How is it used?

• What are the defaults?

• What is the realistic situtation?

• What is the business process?

• Who is the user?

• Use complex flows, skipping steps, going back, looping

• Can you stress the system?

© F-Secure ConfidentialMay 3, 20129

input output

platform

Timing

• How time affects it?

• Data flow

• Buffering, blocking, timeout

• Usage amount

• End of quater, end of week, business day

• Operating systems

• Idle time, thread, region times

• Rates

• Hits per second, speed, frequency

• Relationship

• Before, after, during, slower, faster

© F-Secure ConfidentialMay 3, 201210

input output

platform

Risks

• Are there risks involved?

• What are the potential areas for failure?

• What are the internal risks?

• What about the external?

• What do we need to take into account?

• Can we mitigate?

• What is the impact?

© F-Secure ConfidentialMay 3, 201211

input output

platform

Bugs

• Does it work differently than you expected?

• Can it bug someone who matters?

• Does it conflict with something known?

• Documents, claims

• Expectations, statures

• Comparable products, itself

• It this a known/recurring issue?

• Who has more knowledge in this?

© F-Secure ConfidentialMay 3, 201212

input output

platform

Demo: Ways to Understand Our Context

• CIDTESTD (”Mother approved”)

• Customers

• Information

• Developer relations

• Team

• Equipment & tools

• Schedule

• Test Items

• Deliverables

© F-Secure ConfidentialMay 3, 201213

Get your mind maps out and go to

http://www.horse-games.org/Horse_Lunge_Game.html

© F-Secure ConfidentialMay 3, 201214

Thank you!

Twitter: @pekkamarjamaki

Skype: anttipekkamarjamaki

Blog: http://how-do-i-test.blogspot.com / http://mitenmatestaan.blogspot.com

© F-Secure Confidential15