Session based testing is right up there with regression testing for me on my list of least favorites. Going into testing with a set amount of time, say 90 minutes, with no interruptions allowed just isn’t my cup of tea. When it’s crunch time, sure. I work very, very well under pressure. But if not, I find that taking a break here and there, or having a “distraction” like music playing or a co-worker interrupting asking for help actually helps me. I’m the type of person that does best with multiple things going on at the same time, so while I can do session based testing, I’d rather make up my own rules which has it not really being session based testing at all.
Session based testing is testing that has a time limit, or a “session,” and during that time you have zero interruptions. Prior to beginning the session, you set a goal – that goal specifies what the focus of the testing session will be, but it doesn’t go so far as to outline a test plan or anything.
The benefit of session based testing is going into testing with a specific goal, and then getting to work without other priorities coming up. So, you get to finish testing, which isn’t always the case. With session based testing you can also learn to test more efficiently. If say, you only have 15 minutes, you learn quickly how to identify and prioritize the highest risk areas, business concerns, etc, which is invaluable when you’re dealing with a hot fix/P0 bug that needs to be out ASAP.
You can do this type of testing individually, or in a a group, but with a group I find that a little more direction, such as assigning out a goal and then certain parts that each person will cover to be the most helpful. So, if this was the Facebook login test, one tester could test the login functionality, another tester the password reset, another what happens after you login, etc. Without doing something like that you risk people wasting their time testing the same thing, or running out of new ideas on what to test before the session is over, thus just repeating things they’ve already done.
