The QA process seems pretty simple on the surface: create test cases, find bugs, document them, etc. But on a deeper level, we realise that just finding bugs is only the beginning.
Why Curiosity Matters
One thing I’ve come to realise is that curiosity is one of the most important qualities a QA can have. And by curiosity, I mean asking things like:
- “What happens if I do this?”
- “What’s going on behind the scenes?”
- “Why does it behave that way?”
- “Should this really be this way?”
That kind of mindset doesn’t just help you catch more bugs; it helps you understand the product better, think like the user, and even uncover things the team didn’t think to check. It makes a big difference both in the quality of the product and in how valuable you become to the team.
My Early QA Mindset
I used to be the type of tester that just wanted to get the job done.
I’d write the tests, run them, make sure the app works, and move on.
I didn’t explore different testing types or try to understand what the backend was doing.
As long as things were working as expected, I was good.
Meeting the QA That Changed Everything
Then I met someone who changed my entire approach.
I worked with a QA colleague who was curious about everything. And I don’t just mean QA stuff.
She wanted to know:
- how the backend and frontend interacted,
- how to do database testing,
- and she kept experimenting with new tools.
She just loved the thrill of doing new things.
I Didn’t Get It at First
At first, I didn’t get it.
I’d be like, “We’re just testing this thing na, why are you going into database test? Why exactly do you even want to do this?!”
But she didn’t know everything either and that’s what made her inspiring.
She kept asking, kept learning, kept exploring. Her curiosity was a mindset.
How It Rubbed Off on Me
And funny enough, it rubbed off on me. I got infected in the best way!
Watching her constantly poke around and ask “what if…” questions started to shift something in me.
I caught myself:
- wanting to understand more,
- learning new testing methods,
- trying tools I used to avoid,
- asking more questions in meetings.
Her curiosity gave me a boost I didn’t know I needed.
That shift made me better not just as a tester, but as a teammate.
Curiosity > Test Scripts
Curiosity takes you beyond the test script.
You stop sticking to expected flows and start trying things others wouldn’t think to.
That’s how you:
- catch bugs automation misses,
- learn faster,
- and find the issues real users face.
Most real bugs hide in strange, unexpected corners and it takes curiosity to go there.
You Don’t Have to Be Super Technical
Here’s the best part: you don’t need to be super technical to be curious.
You don’t need to write code to ask:
- “What if I refresh here?”
- “What happens if I skip this step?”
Curiosity doesn’t require credentials, just the willingness to explore, ask questions, and learn from what goes wrong.
If You’re Just Starting Out
If you’re new to QA and feeling overwhelmed by tools and tech talk, pause and take a breath.
Start with curiosity.
Ask why. Ask how. Ask what if.
Final Thought: Your Most Powerful Tool
You don’t need all the answers, just the drive to find them.
Because at the end of the day, your most powerful QA tool isn’t Postman or Selenium…
👉 It’s your curiosity!