Beta testing is an opportunity for real users to use a product in a production environment to uncover any bugs or issues before a general release.
Beta testing is the final round of testing before releasing a product to a wide audience. The objective is to uncover as many bugs or usability issues as possible in this controlled setting.
What is Beta Testing?
Beta testers are “real” users and conduct their testing in a production environment running on the same hardware, networks, etc., as the final release. This also means it’s the first chance for full security and reliability testing because those tests can’t be conducted in a lab or stage environment.
Beta tests can either be open or closed. In an open test, anyone can use the product and is usually presented with some messaging that the product is in beta and given a method for submitting feedback. In closed beta, the testing is limited to a specific set of testers, which may be composed of current customers, early adopters, and/or paid beta testers. Sometimes they are conducted by diverting a certain percentage of users to the beta site instead of the current release.
Testing can either last for a set period or run until new issues stop being reported and all-important ones have been addressed.
The difference between beta testing and alpha testing
The primary difference between an alpha test and a beta test is who is doing the testing—alpha tests are typically performed by internal employees in a lab or stage environment, while actual users in a production setting conduct beta tests.
The goal of the alpha test is to catch as many issues as possible before the product has any public exposure or usage. A test aims to ensure that real users can complete their tasks, get a wide range of users interacting with the product, and test the product’s scalability, performance, and reliability under real-world usage scenarios.
What is the Objective?
Beta testing is the best chance to find bugs and usability issues before a product is fully released. While internal testing can uncover many problems, nothing can truly simulate real users trying to complete real tasks.
Additionally, beta testing is the first opportunity to test software in an actual production environment versus a lab or stage setting. This ensures the software can perform under real workloads and that speed, storage, and scalability all work as expected.
In addition to finding problems, testing is an opportunity to validate hypotheses about how users will use new functionality and ensure the product meets requirements and expectations. While beta testing is not typically a period when new features or functionality is introduced, it can inform any “fast follows” required to satisfy users’ needs fully.
Beta testing is also a chance to refine the positioning, marketing, and communication about the product, as these can be tested out against people who are now using it.
Another potential objective of testing comes when invitations to the beta are “exclusive.” This is because it’s more relevant for new products than for subsequent releases. However, getting some early-adopting influencers into the beta testing pool can build some buzz and anticipation for the general release.
How do Product Managers use Beta Testing?
Product managers can tap into the feedback flood of beta testing to collect a host of ideas and suggestions to consider for future releases. In addition, because testers are encouraged (and sometimes incentivized) to provide feedback, they are far more likely to make requests and comments than typical users proactively.
Beta testing is also a chance to begin looking at usage behavior and analytics to confirm that users interact with the product as expected or discover unexpected usage patterns. Gathering these learnings before a general release can inform priorities about user education, onboarding, user help, and documentation to make it a smoother experience for the general user base.
How to Use the Beta Test Feedback
Feedback from testing can also be used as ammunition if there is a dispute over how big a deal a “known issue” might be. For example, if product development was resistant to address something, the input from beta testers can help product management make a stronger case that it should be resolved.
Product managers can also run experiments and a/b tests during beta tests, seeing which different prompts, notifications, messaging, layouts, and featured content move the needle and drive the desired behavior.
Looking at the performance of the production environment during testing can also contribute to how aggressively the product should be rolled out. For example, if scalability appears to be an issue during the beta test, the rollout can be slowed down to avoid a major outage or performance issues. At the same time, the infrastructure is ramped up for a more significant load.
Finally, it can validate that any KPIs or OKRs correlate to the expected behavior. For example, a user completing a particular task may be expected to lead to increased usage or repeat visits. Yet, if the numbers don’t bear that out, those metrics may need to be adjusted or deprioritized.
FAQs
Why is beta testing important?
Beta testing allows developers to receive real-world feedback from users, uncover bugs or issues that may not have been identified during internal testing, and ensure that the product meets user expectations.
Who are beta testers?
Beta testers are individuals or groups selected to use the software before the official release. They can be internal employees, external users, or a combination of both.
What are the different types of beta testing?
- Closed Beta Testing: Limited group of selected testers.
- Open Beta Testing: Anyone interested can participate.
- Private Beta Testing: Limited to a specific group of users.
- Public Beta Testing: Open to the general public.
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