Unlike traditional testing methodologies - that rely heavily on pre-scripted tests and automated tools - Human-Centric Exploratory Testing (HCET) is a dynamic and flexible approach that leverages creativity and critical thinking, allowing interaction with the software in ways that automation simply cannot replicate. Below, we explore Human-Centric Exploratory Testing, its benefits, challenges, how to mitigate them, and the best practices for successfully implementing it.

Gone are the days when selecting software was as easy as comparing two different providers and choosing either of them based on how the box looked (yes, software used to come in boxes). Today, selecting the right tool requires careful evaluation of several requirements, including your budget, how your team is built, your tech stack, and projections for future growth (scalability).

In a world where microservices have become very popular, the connectivity aspects between systems take center stage when it comes to prioritizing quality engineering. Postman's State of API report highlights that technical and non-technical stakeholders recognize the growing importance of APIs and their testing as part of the enterprise strategy.

In our previous articles about exploratory testing, we focused on session-based test management (SBTM), one of the more popular approaches. SBTM aligns clearly with the Xray Exploratory App workflow and terminology. As a quick refresher, SBTM is a more structured technique for performing exploratory testing. The key idea is to organize delimited sessions which are uninterrupted blocks of reviewable, chartered test effort.

With the Silver and Bronze Stevie Awards, Xray reaffirms its commitment to outstanding customer support and service excellence. Xray, a leader in software testing solutions, is proud to announce its recent awards in the 2024 Stevie Awards. It secured a Silver Stevie for Front-Line Customer Service Team of the Year and a Bronze Stevie in the Customer Service Department of the Year category for Computer Software companies with up to 100 employees.

Is exploratory testing a solo practice? Is only the QA team responsible for quality? Are the great insights of an exploratory session shared with the team? We’ve been asking ourselves and our users these questions and we’re happy to launch version 3 of the Xray Exploratory App, designed to establish the foundations of collaboration in exploratory testing.

Ever felt overwhelmed by the complexity of the system that you’re testing? Navigating intricate software systems can be daunting, leaving us feeling lost and unsure where to begin. While exploratory testing gives us some degree of freedom to test, we still need some guidance on how to approach those complex systems. This is where heuristics might help by guiding us to efficiently navigate the complexities of software systems and uncover hidden issues.

Test automation is an essential component in today's software development landscape, where speed and quality are critical. It ensures the timely delivery of high-quality software by automating repetitive and time-consuming testing tasks. However, the journey to effective test automation comes with challenges such as selecting the right tools, managing complex test cases, and enabling seamless integration of testing into the software development lifecycle.

With the ever-increasing pressure to release faster and better due to the growing user expectations about quality, reliability, and zero tolerance for defects, effective test management in the development of applications has never been so critical. Xray is a Jira-native application designed to streamline test management processes within your project management tool.

The transformation from “testing” to “Quality Assurance (QA)” and then to “Quality Engineering (QE)” has been quite impressive, and it likely has a few more surprises in stock. In our previous article of the "Top 5 software testing trends of 2024", we highlighted the overall “quality at speed” theme and several key trends such as DevOps and Automation. But what exactly do those trends mean for you as the buyer and user of QE tools?