Product Testing Guide | What You Should Know

In this article in Software Testing Tutorial, we will learn What is Product Testing, the Types of Product Testing approaches, and the following.

What is Product Testing?

Product testing can be defined as the process of measuring the properties or performance of a product. Before developing the product, this helps companies to ensure that the product meets the needs of various customers. They will get a clear idea of what exactly needs to be implemented in the product i.e get the common requirements of the customer, to make the product better.

Product testing allows the brands to collect information about consumer’s potential behavior, preferences, expectations, and reactions while using the product. It doesn’t matter whether it’s an online product or a physical product, product testing helps you to collect your target consumer’s experience.

Types of Product Testing Approaches

Product testing has two approaches, even though the research and methodologies used for both approaches are the same, there are a few differences. The two testing approaches for product testing are

1. In-Home Usage Test (IHUT)
2. Central Location Test (CLT)

In-Home Usage Test

As the name suggests, these businesses send their products to those product testers who are under their target audience list and ask them to give them a review. Thus the research is conducted within consumers’ homes.

• The consumer uses these products within their home and shares their real experiences while using the product.
• It is usually conducted on online market research platforms.

Central Location Test

In this approach, the consumers are recruited as participants of a research study and this happens in a controlled environment.

• Controlled environments can be a public space like a supermarket, mall, or at the company’s laboratory, where these target consumers consume a product and are asked to share their experiences.
• This type of research is usually conducted by traditional market research companies.

Types of Product Testing Research Stages

Step 1: Identifying the target audience for the product testing research.
Step 2: Selecting the type of product testing to be implemented.
Step 3: Defining the objective of the research.

Usually, product testing happens to identify the failure of the product or to test a new product, so the objective of the product test can come under these categories:

• Unachieved Product Goals
• Poor Customer Feedbacks
• New Feature Development
• New Product Development

Companies ask these product testers to fill out a questionnaire or write down their experience in different time frames of consumption to understand the consumer’s behavior or know the consumer interacts/uses the products to how they feel about it. So they are broadly divided into three sections

1. Before Consumption
2. During Consumption
3. After Consumption

Before Consumption:

Here they check out the initial reactions of consumers when they look at the product or its packaging This helps the company to know about the customer’s expectations before using the product, the whole experience with the product starts from this forest impression. Some sample questions they might ask you.

• Tell us what you think about the appearance of the product?
• Tell us what you think about the portion of the product?
• Tell us what you think about the smell of the product?

During Consumption:

Based on the type of product, the consumer starts using the product or rather consumes the product. This where the company gets its important insight from the user as they can see how the product is being used by a real user.

Example: Let’s take a food product that needs product testing, the sample questions might be

• Tell us which kitchen tools did you use while preparing this product?
• Tell us which of the activities you did while cooking/eating/cleaning up the product?
• Can you take a video while you are preparing/eating the product?

After Consumption:

The consumer provides overall feedback to the brand in this stage. They evaluate the impact and usability of the consumer.

• Tell us your overall experience with the product?
• Tell us how much do you need this product?
• Tell us would you choose this product over the product you most frequently purchase?
• Tell us what brand you think this product is?

Uses of Product Testing

• Provides insights into functions in a system level
• Helps the company to understand what their product can endure
• Can help the team to identify the defects in the product at an early stage are sold.
• Ensures that the consumer gets a quality product.

Benefits of Product Testing

• Product testing can provide a chance to introduce the product to its ideal users without actual marketing.
• It can provide a competitive edge over similar competitor products.
• It provides critical feedback about the product from its real users.
• Can provide data from actual customer spending
• Eliminates the risk of a full-scale launch.

Why is Product Testing Important?

• Helps in demonstrating proof of concept.
• Helps to determine whether the product is doing what is intended to do.
• Gives clear data for the research and development department.
• Identifies and solves problems with the current product
• Finds out potential cost savings in products.

Stages of Product Testing

In product testing, the different stages of testing are usually designed based on the unique requirement of the product.

1. Choosing the product
2. Choosing the metrics
3. Send the product along with the survey
4. Testing the product
5. Collecting feedback
6. Analyzing the results

How to Become a Product Tester?

• First, you have to sign up on a product testing site.
• You will be asked to fill out surveys to verify if you are the target audience for the product.
• Once your application is selected, you will be sent a product or asked to get to a certain place to test the product
• They will ask you to feedback on the product, you should honestly reply how you feel about the product.

List Of Top Product Testing Sites

#1. UserTesting

How it works: You have to sign up for a User testing website, take a basic test that involves screen recording your computer screen, and voicing out your opinion about a website. Once you pass the test, you will get regular surveys on usability test for websites and you’ll be paid based on the length of the session

Example of testing items: Usability testing for mobile apps and websites.

Payment options used: Paypal

#2. Toluna Influencers

How it works- You have to fill in surveys, interact with the community, play games, and even watch videos on this platform to make money.

Example of testing items: Personal banking, shopping habits, films, travel, sports, and loads more

Payment options used: Tesco, AmazonGift cards, PayPal

#3. BzzAgent

How it works: Once you sign up you will receive a product and share your experience on social media.

Example of testing items: Beauty products and services

Payment options used: You can redeem My points through Paypal

#4. JJ Friends & Neighbors

How it works: You have registered yourself on the website. They will give you a survey based on your demography, you have to read the brief description to see if the study interests you. Open the survey link and complete the screening questionnaire. Once you are selected, you will receive an email confirming your participation along with the next steps.

Examples of testing items: Smelling fragrances for a new body wash line, evaluating a new lash lengthening mascara, or testing types of dental floss etc.

Payment options used: Prepaid Visa Cards

#5. i-say

How it works: You have to sign up and fill out surveys, you will get at least one survey a month, you will gain points for these surveys and redeem them.

Example of testing items: Food, lifestyle, etc

Payment options used: Paytm, xoxoday voucher

#6. PINCHme

How it works: Sign up, fill out the survey and you will receive products based on your preferences, share your honest opinion about those products on this website.

Example of testing items: Personal care, pet, food, and drinks

Payment options used: Coupons, discount, and offers

#7. Pinecone Research

How it works: Pinecone research team will invite you to particular surveys. You have to fill out the survey, those answers should be based on your thoughts and opinions and once the test is completed they will give you rewards points for completing the task.

Payment options used: Gift card, Bank Transfer.

#8. American Consumer Opinion

How it works: You have to take a short survey called a screener, usually just a few minutes in length. You will get paid between 5-50 points or you will enter into a drawing for electronic gift cards. Sometimes there are follow-up surveys, they would take 5 minutes or longer to complete, you will always receive points. Once you fulfill all the terms of their agreement you can redeem your points

Payment options used: Cash (the U.S. or Canadian), Hyperwallet funds, or PayPal funds, or for an entry into sweepstakes (U.S.)

#9. Influenster

How it works: You have to download the influenster app, signup and fill out your profile, then fill out a small questionnaire that appears in your dashboard, connect your social media account and fill out a reviewer profile

Example of testing items: Beauty products- face, body, nail, lip makeup, and perfumes

Payment options used: You will get full-size products for free

#10. Beta Testing

How it works: You have to sign up with all the details that are required by the website, once you have registered, you’ll receive surveys from it. If your profile matches their need you’ll be invited to perform tests on new apps, websites, and hardware.

Example of testing items: You have to test new apps, websites, and hardware.

Payment options used: Paypal

#11. Social Nature

How it works: You have to sign up and share your genuine review on social media

Examples of testing items: Natural products in food, health, beauty, household, baby, and pets.

Payment options used: Free products and coupons

#12. Brooks

How it works: It’s pretty simple: they send you gear, you use it. All you have to do is use their gears while you jog in morning, on race days, in the sun and the snow. Just use it anywhere and everywhere you run and give them feedback on what works and what doesn’t.

Example of testing items: Running shoes

Payment options used: Not specified

#13. Smiley 360

How it works: You have to be qualified to try products and services. Once you get those products, share your feedback with friends, fellow smiley members and brand. You will earn points and badges to improve your community status.

Example of testing items: Home products

Payment options used: Free products

#14. Vocal Point

How it works- It will provide you surveys based on your specific household habits, these surveys take less than 10 mins.

Example of testing items- Household items

Payment options used- Gift cards

#15. Stan’s Gigs

How it works: Stan’s Gigs is a site that helps you find product testing opportunities as well as focus groups and free samples. Find the list of product tests and focus groups and feel free to signup to free samples as well.

Example of testing items: Cookies and Snacks, personal care, skincare etc

Payment options used: Free products, Paypal or CashApp

#16. Vindale Research

How it works: You will have to share your demographic information about yourself. They will match you to paid surveys. Usually, you will receive an email when new surveys come in that you qualify for. There also an option for you to browse current surveys in a list on their website.

Examples of testing items: Homeowner survey, Heart health study, sports survey, etc.

Payment options used: Paypal

FAQs Product Testing

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