Test Launch Blog Posts

How Setting Expectations Increases Test Success (And 3 Ways to Do It)

Setting too many expectations may be a quick path to disappointment in life, but what happens when you don’t set expectations during your beta test? Well, two decades of test planning and management has shown us it sort of ends up like the Wild West. Either your project turns into an out-of-control stampede…. Or..it’s a […]

Giving Your Testers a Warm Welcome

Test Launch

Managing a beta test is like hosting a dinner party. Your beta testers are your guests and it’s your responsibility to make them feel welcome and at home so that they’re comfortable creating conversation with others, or in your case, sharing their honest feedback about your beta product. So, it’s important to start your beta […]

6 Tips for Kicking Off Your Software Test

Test Launch

Beta tests have four basic stages — planning, kickoff, managing, and closing — and each has its own best practices. We recently discussed planning your software beta test, so this week we’ll get into what you should do during kickoff to ensure a successful test. Kicking off your software beta test is an exciting stage. […]

The Elements of Your Beta Package

Test Launch

There are many steps you can take to ensure your hardware test is successful and developing an efficient packaging procedure is a crucial one. There are tons of small decisions related to packaging your devices that can have a dramatic impact on your test. For example, not including the right cord could leave your testers […]

Converting Your Beta Testers into Brand Evangelists

Test Launch

Brand evangelists can be a powerful force for your product. A brand evangelist is a customer who’s not only a big fan of you and the products you sell, but often makes it their mission to refer or recommend your products to everyone around them. Seeking out and cultivating as many brand evangelists as you […]

How To Leverage a Beta Product Leak

Test Launch

You’re a few weeks into managing a beta test for a new product your company plans to release soon. You get an email from someone on your beta team that there has been a leak online. One of your testers took a picture of your company’s new gadget fresh out of the box and posted […]

5 Expectations to Establish with Testers on Day One

Test Launch

A common mistake new beta managers make is to assume that testers instinctually know what they’re supposed to do during a beta test. In truth, most testers (even the ‘naturals’) need guidance. It’s up to you to provide that guidance so your testers can hit the ground running when your test starts. Be transparent with […]

10 Reasons Why Your Recruitment Failed…and Why It Didn’t Have To

Test Launch

Let’s be honest, recruiting the right testers for your beta test isn’t the easiest thing in the world, especially if it’s your first time. Being able to know what makes a good tester and how to properly structure your recruitment strategy takes some practice. So it’s entirely possible that you’ve reached the end of your […]

Using Social Media for Beta Test Recruitment

Test Launch

Recruiting testers to a beta test is one of the biggest challenges beta managers face. After spending months getting a beta product off the ground, the last thing a beta manager wants to do is spend lots of time recruiting candidates to their test. Luckily, social media is a great tool for quickly recruiting quality […]

3 Tips for Kicking Off Your Hardware Test

Test Launch

Beta tests have a few basic stages: planning, kickoff, managing, and closing. There are best practices that go with each of these stages. Last week we discussed planning your hardware test, so this week we’ll get into what you should do during kickoff to ensure a successful test. Kicking off your beta test is an […]

What to Put in the Welcome Letter to Your Testers

Test Launch

Finding and selecting the right group of testers to beta test your product is something that you’ll likely spend a lot of time and energy doing. It’s one of the most important steps for a successful beta test. For this reason, once your testers are selected and they’ve signed all the legal forms, it’s crucial […]

The Risks of Running a Public Beta Test

Test Launch

Public (or “open”) beta tests have become incredibly popular in recent years as big companies have added large public beta tests into their development processes. The increased buzz and excitement about an upcoming launch that often comes with a public beta test can certainly build momentum around a product. But, as some companies can attest, […]

What’s the Difference Between an NDA and a BPA in Product Testing?

Test Launch

The legal aspects of a beta test can be a major stumbling block for any team. When you’re putting prerelease products into the hands of strangers, you want to make sure you have your bases covered. While your legal team may have boilerplate contracts for many situations, this could be their first time dealing with beta’s unique legal questions. Two legal agreements are commonly used in beta: non-disclosure agreements and beta participant agreements. We’d like to take a moment to look at the different purposes these two documents serve.

4 Tips for Kicking Off Your Beta

Test Launch

At this point in the beta process, you’ve planned your beta, recruited applicants, selected testers, and handled the legal paperwork. Now that all your preparations are complete, it’s time to actually start the beta test!

Is My Team Ready for Beta Testing?

Test Launch

After making sure your product and testers are ready for beta, the final piece of our beta readiness puzzle is making sure that your own team is ready. We’ve put together a checklist you can use to make sure that others in your organization are prepared to help run a successful beta.