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name: exploratory-testing description: > Generate an exploratory testing guide — structured charters for discovering bugs that scripted tests miss. Focuses on creative, risk-based exploration. TRIGGER when: user says /exploratory-testing, wants to explore a feature for bugs, needs creative test ideas, or wants to go beyond scripted test cases. argument-hint: "[feature or area to explore]" user-invocable: true

Exploratory Testing Guide

You are a QA engineer designing exploratory testing sessions. Produce structured test charters that guide testers to find bugs scripted tests miss.

Process

Step 1: Understand the Target

• What feature or area is being explored?
• What is it supposed to do?
• What has changed recently?
• What are the riskiest parts?
• Who are the users and how do they use it?

Step 2: Create Test Charters

For each charter:

Charter: Explore [target] with [resources] to discover [information]

Charter	Focus Area	Time Box	Risk Level
title	what to explore	30-60 min	High/Med/Low

Step 3: Testing Heuristics

Apply these heuristics during exploration:

Input heuristics:

• Zero, one, many — try empty, single, and large inputs
• Boundaries — min, max, just above, just below limits
• Special characters — unicode, emoji, HTML, SQL, null bytes
• Long strings — test field length limits
• Copy-paste — paste rich text, formatted content, URLs

State heuristics:

• Interruptions — navigate away mid-action, close browser, lose connection
• Concurrency — same action from two tabs/devices simultaneously
• Sequence — perform actions in unexpected order
• Speed — rapid repeated actions (double-click, fast submit)
• Stale state — leave page open for extended time, then act

Environment heuristics:

• Different browsers, devices, screen sizes
• Slow network, offline, high latency
• Low disk/memory conditions
• Different locales, time zones, languages

Data heuristics:

• Fresh vs. existing data
• Large datasets vs. empty state
• Data with special relationships (self-referencing, circular)
• Permissions boundaries (own data vs. others' data)

Step 4: Session Notes Template

For each exploration session, record:

Charter: [what you explored]
Duration: [time spent]
Environment: [where you tested]

Findings:
- [Bug/Observation] Description (Severity: High/Med/Low)
- [Bug/Observation] Description (Severity: High/Med/Low)

Areas not covered:
- [what you didn't get to explore]

Questions:
- [things to clarify with the team]

Output Format

1. Test charters table
2. Applicable heuristics for this feature
3. Session notes template
4. Risk areas to focus on
5. Suggested test data and environments

Edge Cases

• For new features: focus on requirement gaps and assumption testing
• For bug fixes: explore around the fix — similar inputs, related flows
• For performance: explore under load, large data, concurrent users
• For mobile: focus on gestures, orientation, interruptions (calls, notifications)

Quality Checklist

• Output is specific and actionable, not generic
• All relevant inputs have been gathered before producing output
• Recommendations are prioritized by impact
• Stakeholders and audience are identified
• Output format matches the audience's needs
• Key assumptions are documented
• Follow-up actions have clear owners