Looking at the performance of the production environment during testing can also contribute to how aggressively the product should be rolled out. Product managers can also run experiments and a/b tests during beta tests, seeing which different prompts, notifications, messaging, layouts, and featured content move the needle and drive the desired behavior.
For example, if product development was resistant to address something, the input from beta testers can help product management make a stronger case that it should be resolved.
#What is facebook beta how to#
How to Use the Beta Test Feedbackįeedback from testing can also be used as ammunition if there is a dispute over how big a deal a “known issue” might be. Gathering these learnings before a general release can inform priorities about user education, onboarding, user help, and documentation to make it a smoother experience for the general user base. In addition, because testers are encouraged (and sometimes incentivized) to provide feedback, they are far more likely to make requests and comments than typical users proactively.īeta testing is also a chance to begin looking at usage behavior and analytics to confirm that users interact with the product as expected or discover unexpected usage patterns. Product managers can tap into the feedback flood of beta testing to collect a host of ideas and suggestions to consider for future releases. How do Product Managers use Beta Testing? However, getting some early-adopting influencers into the beta testing pool can build some buzz and anticipation for the general release. While beta testing is not typically a period when new features or functionality is introduced, it can inform any “fast follows” required to satisfy users’ needs fully.īeta testing is also a chance to refine the positioning, marketing, and communication about the product, as these can be tested out against people who are now using it.Īnother potential objective of testing comes when invitations to the beta are “exclusive.” This is because it’s more relevant for new products than for subsequent releases. In addition to finding problems, testing is an opportunity to validate hypotheses about how users will use new functionality and ensure the product meets requirements and expectations.
#What is facebook beta software#
This ensures the software can perform under real workloads and that speed, storage, and scalability all work as expected. While internal testing can uncover many problems, nothing can truly simulate real users trying to complete real tasks.Īdditionally, beta testing is the first opportunity to test software in an actual production environment versus a lab or stage setting. What is the Objective?īeta testing is the best chance to find bugs and usability issues before a product is fully released. A test aims to ensure that real users can complete their tasks, get a wide range of users interacting with the product, and test the product’s scalability, performance, and reliability under real-world usage scenarios. The goal of the alpha test is to catch as many issues as possible before the product has any public exposure or usage. The primary difference between an alpha test and a beta test is who is doing the testing-alpha tests are typically performed by internal employees in a lab or stage environment, while actual users in a production setting conduct beta tests. The difference between beta testing and alpha testing
Testing can either last for a set period or run until new issues stop being reported and all-important ones have been addressed. Sometimes they are conducted by diverting a certain percentage of users to the beta site instead of the current release. In closed beta, the testing is limited to a specific set of testers, which may be composed of current customers, early adopters, and/or paid beta testers. In an open test, anyone can use the product and is usually presented with some messaging that the product is in beta and given a method for submitting feedback.
#What is facebook beta full#
This also means it’s the first chance for full security and reliability testing because those tests can’t be conducted in a lab or stage environment.īeta tests can either be open or closed. The objective is to uncover as many bugs or usability issues as possible in this controlled setting.īeta testers are “real” users and conduct their testing in a production environment running on the same hardware, networks, etc., as the final release. Beta testing is an opportunity for real users to use a product in a production environment to uncover any bugs or issues before a general release.īeta testing is the final round of testing before releasing a product to a wide audience.