Crowdtesting Tip: Know Your Users

It’s easy to get taken in by the power and flexibility of crowdtesting. Real people can be testing your software or website at a moment’s notice. You can get the right mix of devices, and coverage for the most important mobile, browser, or computer OS versions. It’s a heady feeling, Your team has, up until now, probably been neglecting black box testing in favor of automated and in-house testing (Don’t! It’s not a trade-off you need to make). In the interest of making up for lost time, it can’t hurt to get lots of testers for every release, right?

Wrong!

Don’t take this the wrong way: it’s great to test your product across a huge variety of people and scenarios. However, it’s most important to know who will ultimately be using your app or site. If you don’t know this, take the time to figure it out. Do user surveys, call up a few clients, ask your account managers and front-line customer service people – do your homework on who your users and customers are.

Looking for more crowdtesting tips? Check out these posts:

• Be Specific
• Close the Feedback Loop