Curiosity, Testing in Fintech, and Embracing Healthy Tension

Posted on

August 15, 2023

In the world of fintech, Square is a global leader. Their point of sale technology and services have helped countless businesses, both big and small, succeed. And a global leader in fintech requires a global beta team, ready to test out new innovations and understand how to integrate with financial systems and rules all across the world. And at the center of that is Lindsay Brown. As global head of beta testing, she leads a team that tests everywhere from the Bay Area to Japan, ensuring that Square’s suite of services and products works wherever business takes place.

Over five years, she’s grown her program’s adoption by 150%, scaled her team by four times, and helped modernize Square’s online beta testing community. And her passion for building incredible products, and leading a team effectively, really shone through during our conversation. Lindsay shared her wisdom on being curious, how she earned the title of “Queen of Feature Requests”, and why embracing healthy tension was vital for Square’s beta program.

If you’re someone looking for another playbook on how to run an amazing beta program, it’s all right here.

In this episode:

(0:00) - Intro
(2:07) - Lindsay’s start at Square
(7:00) - Global Testing, Localization, and QA
(12:27) - Preconceptions and User Research
(15:04) - How Square’s approach has changed over the years
(20:44) - Leveraging “Healthy Tension” to enable success
(22:26) - What launching with confidence means to Square
(29:06) - Testing during COVID-19
(34:52) - How can AI affect the beta testing industry?
(41:17) - How to break down silos within an organization
(50:50) - Proper planning, tester engagement, and working with different financial regulations
(1:02:24) - What does the future of beta testing look like?
(1:05:41) - How has beta testing changed Square?

About Our Guest

Lindsay Brown is the Global Head of Beta Testing at Square. Over the past 5 years, she's grown her beta program's adoption by 150%, scaled her team by 4x, launched Square in new markets in Europe, and modernized her online beta testing community. She is passionate about building valuable products for business owners, and creating a culture of collaborative conflict to ship superior solutions.