Do you watch Silicon Valley? In the last episode, Richard Hendricks was about to release the latest version of Pied Piper. He asked his friends to have a look at the Beta and give him feedback. Richard, if you are reading this, don’t release yet! Heed my advice!

Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure you have great friends when it comes to getting a drink or playing online games. But when it comes to software testing you have many friends, but none of them is really your friend …

Your competitor

He does not have your best interests in mind. He will try to reverse engineer any kind of beta you release, he will take any idea you have and use it for his own platform. Not your best choice. 

The nice one

Some of your friends are nice, and that’s good, but if you’re looking for honest feedback, it’s not the best choice. He will try to spare your feelings, and because he knows how much effort you put into your product, he will only tell you good things. 

Your developer

He does his best, but he’s seen your application 100 times, so he knows it by heart. And after a look he will overlook many parts of the application. He’s in the position of judge and defendant, and it’s really hard to be critical when you’re in this spot.

Your boss

Even if she has the best interests of the company in mind, it will also be hard for her to give you honest feedback. She might have a deadline, some commitments to her investors or she may be in the position to force a release even if she doesn’t like your product. She is in a tough spot too. 

This is a job for a pro

Professional testers will give you honest feedback because they get paid for it, and they won’t be afraid to hurt your feelings, either. Most importantly they’ll tell you everything that can go wrong before your next customer does!

So, please, Richard. Take my advice. Just try one round with some pros, because I really want to see Pied Piper succeed for once. It has been three seasons, you’re fighting against the entire world, and I want to see a happy ending.

We’re here to help!