Here it is, the last part of our masterclass in partnership with Business Reporter. Today, Philipp Benkler, CEO and Co-Founder of Testbirds, talks about our core service – Crowdtesting – and why we believe it’s THE way to go, following our mission to create digital products people truly love. Crowdtesting means testing with an online community. It helps you test and optimize the user-friendliness, usability, and functionality of your digital products in real-world conditions. Get a first glimpse of the video here:
At Testbirds, anyone can become a member of the Crowd – no matter whether they have testing experience, or not. Once they’re a member of the Crowd they get invitations for QA and UX tests and are asked to look for defects and usability problems on their own device.
Depending on what kind of test it is, we’re either looking for testing experts with a lot of experience, or for real end-users – or both.
For most quality assurance tests we need a good mix between experienced testing experts and “normal” end-users. Experienced testers will find bugs and problems reliably and in almost no time at all. But on the other hand, real users often have a different approach and way of using a product, so they will most likely find different bugs than the testing experts.
For usability and user experience tests, it’s very important to find the right representatives of the customer’s target group. You want to get feedback from your exact target group because it doesn’t make sense to let IT specialists check an app that’s made for young parents or pet owners.
Let me give you some tips for conducting successful Crowdtests in the following paragraphs.
Crowdtesting – How to best perform it
Before you’re ready to start your first Crowdtest, there are some things you should keep in mind before, during, and after the test.
1. Responsibility
It’s a must that Crowdtesting is embedded into the overall strategy, in a way that works on an individual basis. When working with a Crowd, it’s vital that tasks are clearly outlined and that crowdsourced workers have a strong grasp of the responsibilities that are expected of them.
This is especially true due to the fact that the Crowd is often located internationally and communicated with remotely. Similarly, it’s important that the entire process is well-organized and thought through in detail, before testing begins. Who oversees the testers and who creates the test design? Who implements the results of the testing process and responds to questions in case the software doesn’t work after fixes are applied?
2. Preparation
Planning is an absolute must – no matter what testing method is used. With crowdsourced testing it’s especially important as testers work remotely. This means that they are unable to receive feedback immediately and communication as a whole doesn’t take place instantaneously.
Before testing it’s important that the goal is kept in mind, questionnaires with detailed instructions on what to do are designed, and the steps that will guide testers through the process are well defined. It’s important that the people designing the test try to visualize the problems that might arise or aspects that might be unclear to testers when setting the test up.
If you want to learn more about creating test scripts read our blog post “Successful UX Tests: How to Write a Test Script
3. Tester Training
It’s vital to train people appropriately and make them aware of the requirements. It’s equally important to show them how best to use the platform. Entry tests ensure that testers know how to handle their devices and the testing platform, which in turn will yield results of a higher quality. Tutorials and videos that show how the platform works and how to report bugs can ensure that testers are well-prepared to handle the responsibilities expected of them.
4. Tester Selection
To select the right people for a test, you need as much information about them as possible. For usability testing, people that represent the target group for the product is a must – in the end, they will be the customers actually using and reviewing the product.
For functionality testing, this isn’t as big of an issue, instead, it’s important that testers are experienced and have the necessary devices.
Want to learn more about tester selection and defining your target group? Then read our blog post “UX Testing – User-Based Testing”
5. Motivation
Happy testers are good testers. Therefore, it’s beneficial to provide adequate incentives and motivating tasks. Other than fair payment, a reward system can also be used to motivate people, based on the quality of the bug reports, for example, or gamification of the testing process. Additional payment for bugs found when performing a test can lead to an increase in creativity and engagement when hunting for bugs.
Giving experience points for test participation helps qualify testers and can also serve as motivation for the testers themselves. Tester rankings and awards for extraordinary achievements can also be used to further motivate the Crowd.
As all good things must come to an end, this was the last part of our masterclass series with Business Reporter. We hope you’ve gathered good insights into QA-, UX- and Crowdtesting, and now understand why we really need innovative testing methods.
For those of you who missed previous blog articles, here’s an overview:
Part 1: Why We Need Innovative Testing Methods
Part 2: What is QA Testing and Why Do We Need It?
Part 3: 5 Steps to Successful QA Tests
Part 4: UX Testing – User-Based Testing
