Exploratory testing2026-11-12T13:00:51+00:00

Exploratory testing

Find conversion-harming defects before your customers do. Digivante’s managed exploratory testing services use real users, devices and unscripted behaviour to uncover issues across ecommerce websites, apps and customer journeys that scripted testing can miss.

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Exploratory testing

Find conversion-harming defects before your customers do. Digivante’s managed exploratory testing services use real users, devices and unscripted behaviour to uncover issues across ecommerce websites, apps and customer journeys that scripted testing can miss.

Find ecommerce issues before they reach production

Defects across ecommerce websites and apps can frustrate customers, hurt conversions and damage your brand. Scripted or automated tests may confirm that specific journeys work as expected, but they can miss unexpected issues caused by real customer behaviour.

Digivante’s exploratory testing puts your digital experience through its paces from multiple perspectives, quickly revealing problems across areas such as product discovery, navigation, basket, checkout and payment journeys. Findings can be used to fix issues before release and strengthen regression coverage for future releases.

Digivante’s exploratory testing delivers

Coverage

With unrivalled platform and device coverage, we give you exceptional levels of flexibility by testing a wide combination of devices, browsers and operating systems.

Quality

With deep experience in uncovering issues, we typically find that 5% are critical, 20% are conversion blockers and 75% related to customer experience.

Speed

We have tens of thousands of testers in almost 160 countries who can deliver testing rapidly on any scale. We meet your need for speed with a fast turnaround, even within hours.

Flexibility

Once a test is configured it can be scheduled to run at any time or day. If you need to change timelines this can be done at the click of a button without any debate.

How we work with you

At Digivante, we combine the power of our global testing community with expert project management. Our fully-managed service ensures that every test is strategically executed and monitored, giving you peace of mind while we uncover critical issues. Through our intuitive portal, you gain instant access to results and insights, all while our QA experts oversee the entire process, from start to finish.

Verified & prioritised results

All defects raised are checked to ensure they are reproducible, non-duplicates and in scope. All verified defects are prioritised based on functional impact.

Wherever, whenever

Test when and where you want: we can mobilise testers from specific countries and run tests outside normal working hours.

Range of issues

Our exploratory testing covers functional, cosmetic and conversion issues.

Adaptable

You can test as broadly or narrowly as you want. Specify any focus areas e.g., areas of high risk where you think issues could be sitting.

Experienced

Digivante testers uncover an average of 200 defects against test environments and an average of 100 when run against live environments.

Continuous improvement

Continuously improve your app or website by proactively identifying opportunities for new features and functionality.

Ready to learn more about exploratory testing with Digivante?

We’re available at your convenience to take you through a demo of our exploratory testing service, answer any questions, and discuss about how we can help you achieve your goals.

Ready to learn more about exploratory testing with Digivante?

We’re available at your convenience to take you through a demo of our exploratory testing service, answer any questions, and discuss about how we can help you achieve your goals.

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The value of Digivante as your exploratory testing partner

We take the waiting out of testing, by quickly mobilising our worldwide community of professional testers. Our testers have the freedom to apply their creativity and experience to uncover potential weak points and usability issues buried deep within your app or website.

Unlike in-house testers, they come to the testing assignment with no preconceptions about your app or website.

Exploratory testing works best when you run it alongside other testing. It’s designed to highlight issues rather than confirming consistent performance. It can be useful to run exploratory testing, alongside your regression pack, for example. You could pick up additional issues or highlight a particular gap in your regression test pack, so you can modify it for next time.

Digivante ran a 72-hour exploratory testing engagement for Figleaves, helping the ecommerce team uncover issues affecting the customer experience. Following the engagement, mobile conversion increased by 12%, including a 17% increase on Android and 9% on iPad.

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Get an exploratory testing demo

Book some time with one of our specialists to demo the service.

Shift left/right exploratory testing

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Shift exploratory testing left

Running exploratory testing post-release can help you find quirks of behaviour that your customers might exhibit when they engage with the full site or app, beyond what you identified in earlier user tests. You can also use it to pick up cosmetic issues or spelling and grammar mistakes that were missed at go-live.

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Shift exploratory testing right

Development teams using Agile and DevOps approaches can benefit from a loop of ongoing, actionable feedback delivered in real-time, so they can prioritise optimisation work as they go.
You can schedule exploratory testing for any point past the start of a sprint or after the development cut-off to return results in readiness for the next sprint.

Frequently asked questions

What will we receive from a usability test?2026-11-09T14:59:43+00:00

What you receive depends on the scope of the testing. Digivante can provide focused usability feedback on customer journeys, including insights from testers familiar with specific markets, payment methods and local expectations.

For a full usability study, deliverables can include screen recordings, user reactions, prioritised findings and recommendations, alongside measures such as trust rating, net promoter score (NPS) and web usability score.

The aim is to give your team practical evidence of where users struggle and what to improve, rather than simply unfiltered feedback.

Can usability testing help with product discovery, baskets and checkout?2026-11-09T12:54:37+00:00

Yes. Usability testing can help identify where customers struggle throughout an ecommerce journey, from finding the right products to completing a purchase. Real users can be asked to carry out tasks such as searching and filtering products, comparing options, updating their basket or progressing through checkout.

Observing their behaviour and reactions helps reveal confusing navigation, unclear information and points of hesitation. These findings give your team practical evidence to prioritise improvements and make the shopping experience easier.

How is usability testing different from exploratory testing?2026-11-09T12:52:24+00:00

Exploratory testing focuses on investigating a website or app to uncover unexpected problems, including functional defects and usability issues. Experienced testers explore beyond predefined test scripts to identify things that structured testing might miss. Usability testing focuses on how real people experience a website or app. By observing people who match your target audience, you can identify where journeys become confusing, frustrating or difficult to complete, even when everything works technically. Both approaches can work together to give teams a clearer understanding of how their digital experience performs.

What should UK ecommerce teams look for in a usability testing provider?2026-11-09T14:42:48+00:00

Look for a usability testing provider that can recruit real users who match your target customers and observe how they interact with your website or app on real devices. The findings should go beyond raw feedback, with clear evidence of where users struggle, issues prioritised by importance and practical recommendations your team can act on. It’s also worth considering whether the provider offers complementary services, such as exploratory, accessibility and payment testing, so you can investigate both usability problems and technical issues affecting the customer journey.

Can we usability test designs before they’re built?2026-11-09T14:41:28+00:00

Yes. Usability testing can be carried out on early designs, wireframes and prototypes before development begins. By asking people who match your target audience to complete tasks using these designs, you can identify confusing navigation, unclear instructions or difficulties with key journeys before they’re built into the finished product. This helps your team make more informed design decisions early, reducing the risk of costly changes later in development.

What is usability testing for ecommerce websites?2026-11-09T12:50:55+00:00

Usability testing involves real people who match your target customers using your website to complete common shopping journeys, such as finding products, choosing options or checking out. By observing their behaviour and reactions, you can identify where shoppers hesitate, become confused or struggle to complete a task, even when the website is working correctly. The findings help your team understand what’s causing friction and prioritise improvements that make the shopping experience easier.

Speak to one of our testing specialists

Tell us a little about your needs and we’ll connect you with a Digivante expert.

  • Discover how our solutions can benefit your business
  • Get guidance on industry-leading practices
  • Receive a cost estimate for Digivante services
  • Experience a demo of our platform
  • Review case studies of our work with companies like yours.
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