Demystifying Exploratory Testing

Early in my testing career, I discovered exploratory testing (simultaneous test design, execution, and learning [1]) and tried to practice what experts recommended in their articles. I thought I was applying their ideas as best I could, and I knew what I was doing would be called “exploratory testing,” but I was concerned. I wondered if I was missing something. I had this gnawing fear that I had misinterpreted or misunderstood a key concept. In short, I lacked confidence in my exploratory testing approach.