Beta testing is a method of giving free an unfinished version of a product to real customers in exchange for feedback on their experience with it.
Users can try the program in a variety of contexts that cannot be recreated in a lab, which adds a significant dimension to quality testing. Beta testing has a lot of advantages (but also a lot of drawbacks) for both product developers and their customers.
Why do beta testing?
Beta testing, in addition to helping product developers to enhance their goods rapidly and inexpensively, can be used to achieve a variety of additional objectives, including:
- Requirements Management – Beta testing allows product owners to identify any additional requirements that need to be addressed, as well as clarify and priorities those already in the backlog.
- Bug Tracking — Beta testing uncovers flaws that only appear during real-world use, providing us a glimpse into the product’s level of performance that can be expected once it is in the hands of the users.
- Usability Issues – Beta testing helps us to examine the user experience and identify methods to improve it, either through input from users or through insights gained from analyzing their interaction patterns with the product.
- Support – Testing documentation and support materials can be produced in such a way that they correctly reflect real-world usage, making them a clearer and more useful resource for those who use them.
- Product Marketing – Gathering feedback allows product owners to discover which features users enjoy using the most, as well as any unexpected and implicit benefits in the software that give it an advantage over competitors, and finally market the product by addressing all of this information in promotional materials.
Setting up beta testing
There are many ways to carry out a beta test, however most managers follow a plan which includes some or all of the following stages:
- Project planning – Before beta testing can begin, the project’s goals must be documented and agreed upon. In order to make the process more effective, definable targets and essential metrics to measure must be chosen.
- Recruiting testers – Beta testing begins with a call for volunteers who are willing to use an unfinished version of the product in exchange for feedback. Participants should ideally be persons whose opinions are unaffected by their association with the company. It’s fine to use prior clients, but it’s not a good idea to hire your own employees. It is critical to recognize that your coworkers’ feedback is skewed. It may be acceptable to employ your coworkers in specific scenarios if you are aware of this, but your own team will not be particularly useful as beta testers in most cases.
- Distributing different versions of the product — As soon as new versions of the product are ready, they’re sent to the beta testers, giving them to get a firsthand sense for how the product works in real-world settings.
- Collecting input — As soon as your participants start using the beta product, you must collect feedback fast. Bug reports, general remarks, quotes, ideas, surveys, and testimonials are all examples of helpful feedback. It’s critical to have a tool that can manage all of them.
- Feedback should be evaluated in a methodical manner based on its influence on the product and relevant teams. While problems are frequently the main focus of a beta, the test can also yield other useful information.
Beta testing: Benefits and Concerns
Better products and a higher user experience result from beta testing, which leads to better ratings and sales, as well as fewer support costs and a more positive company image.
Customers also get the option to experience new products before anyone else, and by providing comments, they may directly influence the development of the things they love.
Using an unfinished and buggy product, on the other hand, may be a frustrating experience for many people, and until the major faults are sorted out, the developers should expect to be inundated with negative feedback.
Testers must make sure that all feedback is gathered, acknowledged, and analyzed as soon as possible. Without the correct tools, it can be tough to remain on top of a dynamic and complex process like beta testing, which is why a single testing platform like Mammoth-AI can be a lifesaver.
How Mammoth-AI makes it easier to capture beta user feedback
Mammoth-AI is a cool feature that gives your team a terrific tool to make your beta testing period less stressful and more productive!
You can create bug reports right away by emailing them to Mammoth-AI. This tool was created to save you time and organize feedback as soon as it arrives in the system.
In Mammoth-AI, you can set up a specific email address to get feedback. User feedback is then transformed to requirements or defects automatically.
For more info: https://www.qaaas.co.uk/testing-services/
Also Read: https://www.guru99.com/software-testing.html