Typically, products go through two stages of testing before they are ready to launch. The first stage is alpha testing, which is usually performed by the people developing the product. The second stage is called beta testing, which involves people outside of the company, testing a product that is close to being ready for launch. Beta testing provides valuable feedback and gives you the chance to amend any issues before you make your product publicly available. Check out the following five tips to ensure your beta test runs successfully.
Choose Beta Test Methods
There are various kinds of testing methods available, so select the ones that best suit your product and your reasons for testing. Popular beta testing methods include surveys and user interviews. And if you are testing the functionality of a product, user testing with prototypes is essential. Surveys are particularly helpful for conducting generative research to ensure you’re addressing the right problems in a way that inspires user retention. User interviews are valuable for many reasons, but the primary reason for using them is to understand the motivations and context behind what beta testers say. User testing products is vital. In addition to obtaining feedback on your prototypes, it’s also a good idea to get customer feedback on your competitor’s products. Once you have identified the methods you will employ for the beta test; you can design relevant beta testing survey questions.
Choose Primary and Secondary Goals
Quality improvement aspects, such as finding bugs, are part of every beta test. But what else is in the trial is up to you. Determine what you want to accomplish from the test before you begin. You can then design the test to receive the type of feedback you require. You should decide on both primary and secondary objectives. The former includes goals that are the basis for conducting the beta test. Your goals will drive decisions about who you recruit to take part in the test, what feedback to collect, and how you handle the data results. Secondary objectives concern goals you would like to be met but are not entirely necessary.
Select the Right Testers
You must select the right testers for the product you are testing. You need to have enthusiastic people who match your target market profile. Testers also need to be able to communicate effectively. Ask lots of questions when interviewing testers to ensure they are committed and will give thorough responses.
Provide a Beta-ready Product
When testing a product, the product must be beta ready. That means the experience the tester goes through is as close to that of a real-life customer as possible. Of course, testers need to find bugs in products. But if there are too many glaring bugs and problems, your testers could burn out and provide less meaningful feedback. So, don’t test your product too early.
Evaluate the Findings
Once beta testing is complete, you need to evaluate the feedback against the problems you set out to solve. There’s no point in spending all your valuable time conducting beta tests if you don’t learn from the results.