Software developers have turned to crowd testing to ensure that the SaaS products, apps, websites, and IoT device software they are working on are stable and secure before releasing them. But, what exactly is crowd testing? How does it work? And what are the benefits of doing this form of testing? Keep reading below to learn more!
Crowd testing is the process of having a large group of individuals review your mobile apps, websites, mobile applications, software, products, or services to identify any defects or areas that can be improved before launching as part of the user acceptance testing stage. This form of testing, which is done remotely, differs from traditional in-house user testing by having the opportunity to branch out worldwide to receive feedback from multiple groups of people varying in age, sex, cultural backgrounds, etc. To receive feedback from testers, virtual machines (VMs) or device emulators connected to a crowdsourced testing platform can be utilized, or, in some cases, testers may use their own devices to test any software, apps, etc. and submit their feedback. Once all the information is compiled and reviewed, developers can use the testers’ feedback to improve the applications or products they are working on based on their comments and recommendations.
Some of the benefits of crowd testing include scale, cost-effectiveness, speed, device diversity, and value. But what exactly do these benefits mean? And how do they come into play? In terms of scale, having access to large groups of diverse testers allows you to test on a far larger scale than a small group of in-house testers. This scale means more eyes to review each section of your app or software, more tests to make sure all of its functions work correctly, and a greater ability to detect uncommon bugs that can pass by a smaller, in-house testing team.
In terms of speed, the importance of developers getting timely and relevant bug information is crucial. With such a large, global number of people involved in testing, crowdsourced testing can lead to significant improvements to your software or product’s quality. As for device diversity, by having access to large groups of testers, you can organically gain data from devices that run on iOS, Android, or Windows operating services through the sheer scale of the crowd. Lastly, in terms of value, since you typically only pay for discovered bugs during the testing process, testing your app, software or product lets you test at just a fraction of the cost of performing similar tests internally with a group of users.
Add in the savings you achieve from not always having to purchase different devices, and the value of crowdsourced QA testing becomes even more significant. You get access to higher-quality testing at far lower costs than what you’d pay for doing user acceptance testing using traditional methods.
The result is an application that’s optimized for performance, free of significant bugs, released on schedule, and frequently due to the crowd testing process thoroughly user-tested at or under its target budget.
An example of what the crowd testing process could look like is:
Define your project with a set budget, specific testing requirements, and tester demographics.
Qualified testers begin the testing process.
Testers highlight bugs, provide feedback and compile reports on their process, findings, and recommendations for further action.
Test administrators review the testers’ findings and send the information over to the development team.
Approved testers are paid, test results are compiled by the project manager, and presented to the client.
With years of experience in quality assurance testing, Boston Technology Corporation can expertly guide you through the crowd testing process by developing a plan to implement testers’ recommendations and translate that information into viable results to improve your product. To learn more about BTC, the services they offer, and how they can assist you during this process, click here.
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