The Biggest Responsibilities for a Tester
Whether you’re already a Betabounder or if you’re visiting our site for the first time, one thing is true: you’ve got a piqued interest in product testing! Who can blame you? Product testing is a lot of fun. Not only will you have the chance to try out new, unreleased products before most people, but you’ll provide your opinions directly to the team developing it, making a huge impact on the product’s future. But this will also come with responsibilities.
Once you’ve joined one of our exclusive testing opportunities, it’s easy to get absorbed with playing around with a new gadget or program, but it’s important not to lose track of what the client expects from you as a tester. Here are the biggest responsibilities you’ll have when participating in one of our exclusive tests.
Log in Daily
Tests are often short (sometimes only a week or two), so it’s important that you log into the project space every day during the testing period. In addition to reporting your daily experiences with the product, you’ll have the opportunity to check for any new updates or announcements, read through fellow testers’ feedback, and add your voice to any feedback or discussions regarding the product.
Protect the Test’s Secrecy
You’ll be testing an unreleased product, so it’s vital to keep any information about your involvement under wraps. As exciting as it is to test out a new gadget, our clients don’t want any information leaking out to the public until they’re ready to share it on their own terms.
Once you’ve signed a non-disclosure agreement, you’re expected to keep your experience confidential – that means you won’t share your thoughts online or on social media, even long after the test is over.
This one’s important. Breaking the non-disclosure agreement will impact your Betabound standing and will incur the wrath of the client’s legal department. You’ll want to avoid all of this trouble, so remember to respect the NDA!
Continuously Provide Feedback
Testing is all about your opinions and impressions of the product, so provide feedback regularly. When it comes to Issues or Ideas, submit them as soon as you discover them. You don’t want to find something substantial and forget to post about it. It might be easy to think that other testers will find the same feedback and provide it to the client but you can’t guarantee that they will have the same experience with the product that you will. Your individual experience is important and one of the main reasons that companies run product tests. They want to hear from everyone.
Complete Weekly Tasks and Surveys
You’ll be responsible for completing weekly tasks that center around certain aspects of the product and will fill out a corresponding survey so the team can better understand your experience for the week. It’s best to start these activities as soon as possible. Our clients often like to collect information during specific stages of your experience, like product unboxing, or in response to a specific piece of feedback they’ve received during the test and would like your updated thoughts.
Collaborate with Other Testers
Even if you don’t experience any Issues, you can still contribute to the test on a regular basis by interacting with existing feedback. If a certain Issue mentions a problem that you can’t replicate, please share that with us! Our clients need to know how widespread some of these Issues are and this definitely helps in determining that!
Many of our tests will also feature Discussions, which allow you to connect with other Betabounders within a forum to speak about your experiences so far.
Return all Test Materials Afterwards
There are times when you’ll be able to keep the test product, but you should never assume that’s the case. You might be participating in a test with products that are just prototypes or that are not ready for long-term usage. You should just be ready to return all of the materials, which includes the product and any packaging or directions that came with it. Any materials you receive for testing should never end up in the trash so keep everything, just to be safe.
If you don’t return the testing materials, you may be in direct violation of the NDA you signed at the beginning of the test, which as we discussed above, will have serious consequences.
Communicate with Your Test Manager
Our Test Managers want to make sure you can test successfully and are always here to help. If you run into any problems completing any task or survey, you’ll want to communicate with your Test Manager quickly so you aren’t blocked from providing feedback.
We also understand that life is unpredictable and something may come up that keeps you from being able to fulfill your duties as a tester. Keep us in the loop so we can help you determine the best plan.
By having these in mind throughout the testing process, you’ll prove yourself as a great and reliable tester and be eligible for even more future testing opportunities. Product testing is a big responsibility and sometimes, testers don’t understand the huge role they play in launching a successful product. If you take these responsibilities seriously, you’ll get the most of your testing experience and easily become one of our top testers.
Not a Betabounder? Sign up now!
Look familiar? This post is a part of a series in which we’re breathing new life into some of our older entries.