More and more businesses are using the crowd to help them test new software packages. Interestingly, even crowdsource software has been developed in that manner. This is mainly because the crowd is such a strong community. In it, you will find every background, geography, culture, and language, and they all use software in different ways. They can be called upon to test software, using it in realistic ways according to their own diverse knowledge and abilities. The benefits of this are boundless, enabling businesses to make sure they only make things available to the consumer market that actually works.
Crowd sourced testing is a method that is very useful for user-centric software, enabling the success of this software to be determine by real feedback. It is a particularly popular method with mobile applications and gaming apps, which people are often very keen to test. As a result, developers do not have to find specific experts to test products, nor do they have to have the resources for this.
Testing in such a manner can uncover a wide spectrum of issues within a very short period of time. This means that, for very reasonable costs, highly productive results can be delivered. For instance, it is common for developers to only have to remunerate for valid bug reports. This delivers a very high return on investment (ROI).
How Does Crowdsource Software Testing Work?
Usually, the developing company will have some sort of crowdsourcing software available. Through this, they can highlight the tests they want to have done, and through which types of devices. A tester can sign up to this, listing a profile with their skills, devices, and demographics. They can then enter a dashboard to see which projects are available to them and sign up, looking at which results are expected, how the tests are performed, and which scenarios they will be exposed to.
To get the most out of this type of testing, developing companies should have a qualified project manager on board. In the best case scenario, this is someone who has been leading in online communities, preferably because they have product tested themselves in the past. Their responsibility will be to review the various plans, approving and amending them as they see fit, so that the developing company’s testing needs are being met.
Within each project, there should be an explanation of the scenarios and product, and testers should be able to access a specific forum where they can report and discuss any issues and bugs they find. They should also be given the opportunity to ask further questions. Bug reports are documented here, and the project manager is then responsible for rating these, based on the quality of their report. In many cases, testers also have ratings attached to them, and the higher their rating, the more they can earn. This does not necessarily have to be a financial remuneration, however, but what people can earn should be outlined at the start of the project.
The strength of a community is in its competition and collaboration. People work together to solve problems, by discussing issues together. And in return, the community becomes increasingly respected for its efforts as well.
