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THE REAL ROLE OF
BETA TESTING IN
PRODUCT MANAGEMENT
A GUIDE TO CUSTOMER VALIDATION FOR PRODUCT MANAGERS
ABOUT CENTERCODE
We help companies build better products. Since 2001, we’ve
helped companies of all sizes with a wide variety of products
achieve customer validation through beta testing.
OUR OFFERINGS

We can help you run more effective beta tests faster.
Software Platform

•	 Cloud-based beta test management platform
•	 Portal, recruitment, feedback, reporting

Professional Services

•	 Turnkey professional outsourced service solutions
•	 Leverages Centercode Connect and OnlineBeta.com

Beta Testers

•	 Highly-profiled beta tester community (> 75k members)
•	 International user base (50% US • 50% International)

Knowledge

•	 Free best practices tools and guides
•	 eBooks, whitepapers, kits, calculators, and more

Centercode Connect
Managed Beta Tests
OnlineBeta.com
Industry Resources
OUR CLIENTS

Incredible companies trust their beta programs to Centercode

More than 90 Product Managers
at Autodesk run their beta tests
on Centercode Connect each year

Logitech has leveraged
Centercode Managed Betas
for more than 100 products
LEVEL SET
THE PERCEIVED ROLE OF BETA TESTING
(BY PRODUCT MANAGEMENT)
THE REAL ROLE OF BETA TESTING
(IN PRODUCT MANAGEMENT)
SEVEN KEYS TO A SANE AND HIGHLY
SUCCESSFUL BETA TEST
FINAL THOUGHTS
LEVEL SET

WHAT EXACTLY IS
BETA TESTING?
A test of an unreleased product by real
customers in real environments.
MANY NAMES
Customer Validation (CV)
Customer Acceptance Testing (CAT)
User Acceptance Testing (UAT)
Friendly User Testing (FUT)
Field Trials
Customer Product Testing
Pre-Release
Early Release
Enhanced Testing
Beta Testing (we like this one)
HOW IT WORKS
1.	 Recruit a pool of candidates from your target market
2.	 Select the most qualified candidates as participants
3.	 Prep and NDA participants
4.	 Distribute product
5.	 Solicit feedback (bug reports, surveys, forums, etc.)
6.	 Distribute results to organizations in your company
WHY IT’S
ESSENTIAL

A beta test validates the performance of the
product in the hands of real customers.
HOW IT’S
CHALLENGING
1.	 Dedicating qualified resources
2.	 Recruiting appropriate beta testers
3.	 Maintaining user participation
4.	 Collecting relevant feedback
5.	 Organizing and distributing feedback
WHY IT’S
PAINFUL
•	 It’s not your full-time job
•	 It typically lacks a well-defined process
•	 It frequently has no clear owner
•	 You likely lack appropriate tools to help
•	 The timing is horrible
•	 It involves customers using a buggy product (never fun)
•	 You may be worried about controlling information
•	 If you succeed, you’ve got a fire hose of data to deal with
Thus,
Beta is a
“Necessary
Evil”
LEVEL SET
THE PERCEIVED ROLE OF BETA TESTING
(BY PRODUCT MANAGEMENT)
THE REAL ROLE OF BETA TESTING
(IN PRODUCT MANAGEMENT)
SEVEN KEYS TO A SANE AND HIGHLY
SUCCESSFUL BETA TEST
FINAL THOUGHTS
BUGS!
MOST OF WHICH YOU
ALREADY KNOW ABOUT
MARKET
RESEARCH

BUT ISN’T IT ALREADY TOO LATE FOR THAT?
FEATURE
REQUESTS
THAT YOU DON’T HAVE TIME TO IMPLEMENT
CUSTOMER
DISCUSSIONS
WHICH ARE NEARLY
IMPOSSIBLE TO QUANTIFY
LEVEL SET
THE PERCEIVED ROLE OF BETA TESTING
(BY PRODUCT MANAGEMENT)
THE REAL ROLE OF BETA TESTING
(IN PRODUCT MANAGEMENT)
SEVEN KEYS TO A SANE AND HIGHLY
SUCCESSFUL BETA TEST
FINAL THOUGHTS
BETA
MIRRORS
YOU

1

BETA TOUCHES
THE ENTIRE
PRODUCT

2

BETA
REPRESENTS
THE CUSTOMER
BETA IS AN
ARBITRATOR
YOUR CUSTOMERS ADD AN OBJECTIVE
THIRD VOICE BETWEEN YOU AND
YOUR PRODUCT TEAMS.
BETA IS A
SAFETY NET

QA CAN’T FIND EVERYTHING.
BETA IS AN EFFECTIVE INSURANCE
PLAN TO FURTHER REDUCE RISK.
BETA IS A
PRIORITIZER
QUALITY IDENTIFIES BUGS AND THEIR SEVERITY.
BETA INTRODUCES FREQUENCY TO DETERMINE IMPACT.
BETA IS FOR
PLANNING

IT’S YOUR TEAM’S JOB TO
DESIGN A GREAT PRODUCT.
BETA FEATURE REQUESTS
EXIST TO PROVIDE INFLUENCE
FOR FUTURE REVISIONS.
BETA IS FOR BUILDING
RELATIONSHIPS

USE BETA TESTERS TO BUILD A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF
YOUR MARKET AND CUSTOMERS. YOU CAN LEVERAGE THIS
GROUP AGAIN AND AGAIN FOR VALUABLE INFORMATION.
BETA IS
KNOWLEDGE
AND “KNOWLEDGE IS POWER”... YOUR BETA TEST PROVIDES
VALUABLE PRODUCT AND MARKET AWARENESS THAT CAN BE
USED TO ENHANCE YOUR POSITION AND RESPOND TO CRITICS.
BETA IS A
TOOLBOX

DON’T LIMIT YOUR BETA TO BUGS AND REQUESTS.
TEST MESSAGING. IMPROVE DOCUMENTATION.
RUN SURVEYS. ASSIGN TASKS. DON’T BE AFRAID
TO ADJUST YOUR OBJECTIVES AS NEEDED.
BETA COVERS THE
ENTIRE CUSTOMER
EXPERIENCE

BETA PUTS EYES ON YOUR ENTIRE PRODUCT.
THIS CAN INCLUDE MESSAGING, DELIVERY,
DOCUMENTATION, AND SUPPORT.
BETA ASSESSES
LAUNCH READINESS
YOUR BETA WILL DEMONSTRATE HOW READY YOU
ARE FOR RELEASE AND EXACTLY WHAT NEEDS TO
BE ADDRESSED BEFORE YOU GO TO MARKET.
LEVEL SET
THE PERCEIVED ROLE OF BETA TESTING
(BY PRODUCT MANAGEMENT)
THE REAL ROLE OF BETA TESTING
(IN PRODUCT MANAGEMENT)
SEVEN KEYS TO A SANE AND HIGHLY
SUCCESSFUL BETA TEST
FINAL THOUGHTS
1 FOCUS ON GOALS
ALWAYS DECIDE WHAT YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH BEFORE
YOU BEGIN YOUR BETA. QUALITY IMPROVEMENT (I.E. BUGS)
IS IMPLIED. EVERYTHING ELSE IS UP TO YOU.
2 PICK GREAT TESTERS

DON’T JUST TAKE ANYONE. YOU WANT
ENTHUSIASTIC PEOPLE WHO MATCH YOUR TARGET
MARKET AND DEMONSTRATE THAT THEY CAN AND
WILL COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY.
3 REDUCE FRICTION
YOUR TESTERS HAVE A LIMITED POOL OF ENERGY THAT THEY’LL
INVEST IN YOUR BETA TEST. IT’S YOUR JOB TO MAXIMIZE THAT POOL
TO GAIN THE MOST BENEFIT POSSIBLE. DO THIS BY PROVIDING CLEAR
CHANNELS OF FEEDBACK. MAKE EVERYTHING EASY.
4 PROVIDE A
STABLE PRODUCT
YOUR PRODUCT SHOULD BE “BETA READY”. THAT MEANS THE EXPERIENCE IS
CLOSE TO THAT OF A REAL CUSTOMER. IF THERE ARE GLARING BUGS, YOUR
TESTERS WILL BURN OUT BEFORE THEY PROVIDE MEANINGFUL FEEDBACK.
5 BE RESPONSIVE
YOUR TESTERS NEED TO
KNOW THAT THEY’RE
IMPORTANT, THEIR
FEEDBACK IS VALUABLE,
AND THIS PROJECT IS
YOUR TOP PRIORITY.
A RAPID RESPONSE TO
THEIR FEEDBACK SENDS
THIS MESSAGE.
6 SHARE THE RESULTS
BETA CAN BENEFIT NEARLY EVERY ORGANIZATION TIED TO YOUR PRODUCT,
BUT ONLY IF IT REACHES THEM. THAT SAID, IT’S IMPORTANT TO ENSURE THAT
NOT EVERYONE IS FORCED TO DIVE INTO EVERY PIECE OF DATA. ALWAYS
FILTER YOUR DATA SO THAT IT LANDS IN THE RIGHT HANDS.
7 LEARN FROM
YOUR MISTAKES
THIS WON’T BE YOUR LAST RODEO.
LEVEL SET
THE PERCEIVED ROLE OF BETA TESTING
(BY PRODUCT MANAGEMENT)
THE REAL ROLE OF BETA TESTING
(IN PRODUCT MANAGEMENT)
SEVEN KEYS TO A SANE AND HIGHLY
SUCCESSFUL BETA TEST
FINAL THOUGHTS
TOP 10 MISTAKES (PART 1)
1.	 Lack of universal program support
2.	 No well-defined plan
3.	 Underestimating ramp-up time
4.	 Releasing a non-viable product to test
5.	 Too few or too many beta testers
TOP 10 MISTAKES (PART 2)
6.	 Test period is too short or too long
7.	 Poorly-motivated and/or managed testers
8.	 Ineffective tools = lost time and feedback
9.	 Failing to manage feedback effectively
10.	Badly-managed incentives
5 GREAT GOALS
TO CONSIDER
1.	 Test the out-of-the-box / onboarding experience
2.	 Find and fix bugs based on frequency * severity
3.	 Assess and improve your documentation
4.	 Prep support with unsolvable issues
5.	 Collect testimonials or mock “Amazon” reviews
ONCE YOU HAVE
A SOLID GRASP

•	 Structured alpha testing
•	 Continuous feedback community
•	 Competitive testing
NEXT STEPS
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER GREAT CONTENT

WWW.CENTERCODE.COM/LIBRARY

LEARN HOW WE CAN IMPROVE YOUR BETA PROGRAM

WWW.CENTERCODE.COM/DEMO

QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, AND COMPLAINTS

EMAIL: INFO@CENTERCODE.COM
TWITTER: @CENTERCODE

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The Real Role of Beta Testing in Product Management

  • 1. THE REAL ROLE OF BETA TESTING IN PRODUCT MANAGEMENT A GUIDE TO CUSTOMER VALIDATION FOR PRODUCT MANAGERS
  • 2. ABOUT CENTERCODE We help companies build better products. Since 2001, we’ve helped companies of all sizes with a wide variety of products achieve customer validation through beta testing.
  • 3. OUR OFFERINGS We can help you run more effective beta tests faster. Software Platform • Cloud-based beta test management platform • Portal, recruitment, feedback, reporting Professional Services • Turnkey professional outsourced service solutions • Leverages Centercode Connect and OnlineBeta.com Beta Testers • Highly-profiled beta tester community (> 75k members) • International user base (50% US • 50% International) Knowledge • Free best practices tools and guides • eBooks, whitepapers, kits, calculators, and more Centercode Connect Managed Beta Tests OnlineBeta.com Industry Resources
  • 4. OUR CLIENTS Incredible companies trust their beta programs to Centercode More than 90 Product Managers at Autodesk run their beta tests on Centercode Connect each year Logitech has leveraged Centercode Managed Betas for more than 100 products
  • 5. LEVEL SET THE PERCEIVED ROLE OF BETA TESTING (BY PRODUCT MANAGEMENT) THE REAL ROLE OF BETA TESTING (IN PRODUCT MANAGEMENT) SEVEN KEYS TO A SANE AND HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL BETA TEST FINAL THOUGHTS
  • 6. LEVEL SET WHAT EXACTLY IS BETA TESTING? A test of an unreleased product by real customers in real environments.
  • 7. MANY NAMES Customer Validation (CV) Customer Acceptance Testing (CAT) User Acceptance Testing (UAT) Friendly User Testing (FUT) Field Trials Customer Product Testing Pre-Release Early Release Enhanced Testing Beta Testing (we like this one)
  • 8. HOW IT WORKS 1. Recruit a pool of candidates from your target market 2. Select the most qualified candidates as participants 3. Prep and NDA participants 4. Distribute product 5. Solicit feedback (bug reports, surveys, forums, etc.) 6. Distribute results to organizations in your company
  • 9. WHY IT’S ESSENTIAL A beta test validates the performance of the product in the hands of real customers.
  • 10. HOW IT’S CHALLENGING 1. Dedicating qualified resources 2. Recruiting appropriate beta testers 3. Maintaining user participation 4. Collecting relevant feedback 5. Organizing and distributing feedback
  • 11. WHY IT’S PAINFUL • It’s not your full-time job • It typically lacks a well-defined process • It frequently has no clear owner • You likely lack appropriate tools to help • The timing is horrible • It involves customers using a buggy product (never fun) • You may be worried about controlling information • If you succeed, you’ve got a fire hose of data to deal with
  • 13. LEVEL SET THE PERCEIVED ROLE OF BETA TESTING (BY PRODUCT MANAGEMENT) THE REAL ROLE OF BETA TESTING (IN PRODUCT MANAGEMENT) SEVEN KEYS TO A SANE AND HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL BETA TEST FINAL THOUGHTS
  • 14. BUGS! MOST OF WHICH YOU ALREADY KNOW ABOUT
  • 15. MARKET RESEARCH BUT ISN’T IT ALREADY TOO LATE FOR THAT?
  • 16. FEATURE REQUESTS THAT YOU DON’T HAVE TIME TO IMPLEMENT
  • 18. LEVEL SET THE PERCEIVED ROLE OF BETA TESTING (BY PRODUCT MANAGEMENT) THE REAL ROLE OF BETA TESTING (IN PRODUCT MANAGEMENT) SEVEN KEYS TO A SANE AND HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL BETA TEST FINAL THOUGHTS
  • 20. BETA IS AN ARBITRATOR YOUR CUSTOMERS ADD AN OBJECTIVE THIRD VOICE BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR PRODUCT TEAMS.
  • 21. BETA IS A SAFETY NET QA CAN’T FIND EVERYTHING. BETA IS AN EFFECTIVE INSURANCE PLAN TO FURTHER REDUCE RISK.
  • 22. BETA IS A PRIORITIZER QUALITY IDENTIFIES BUGS AND THEIR SEVERITY. BETA INTRODUCES FREQUENCY TO DETERMINE IMPACT.
  • 23. BETA IS FOR PLANNING IT’S YOUR TEAM’S JOB TO DESIGN A GREAT PRODUCT. BETA FEATURE REQUESTS EXIST TO PROVIDE INFLUENCE FOR FUTURE REVISIONS.
  • 24. BETA IS FOR BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS USE BETA TESTERS TO BUILD A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF YOUR MARKET AND CUSTOMERS. YOU CAN LEVERAGE THIS GROUP AGAIN AND AGAIN FOR VALUABLE INFORMATION.
  • 25. BETA IS KNOWLEDGE AND “KNOWLEDGE IS POWER”... YOUR BETA TEST PROVIDES VALUABLE PRODUCT AND MARKET AWARENESS THAT CAN BE USED TO ENHANCE YOUR POSITION AND RESPOND TO CRITICS.
  • 26. BETA IS A TOOLBOX DON’T LIMIT YOUR BETA TO BUGS AND REQUESTS. TEST MESSAGING. IMPROVE DOCUMENTATION. RUN SURVEYS. ASSIGN TASKS. DON’T BE AFRAID TO ADJUST YOUR OBJECTIVES AS NEEDED.
  • 27. BETA COVERS THE ENTIRE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE BETA PUTS EYES ON YOUR ENTIRE PRODUCT. THIS CAN INCLUDE MESSAGING, DELIVERY, DOCUMENTATION, AND SUPPORT.
  • 28. BETA ASSESSES LAUNCH READINESS YOUR BETA WILL DEMONSTRATE HOW READY YOU ARE FOR RELEASE AND EXACTLY WHAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BEFORE YOU GO TO MARKET.
  • 29. LEVEL SET THE PERCEIVED ROLE OF BETA TESTING (BY PRODUCT MANAGEMENT) THE REAL ROLE OF BETA TESTING (IN PRODUCT MANAGEMENT) SEVEN KEYS TO A SANE AND HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL BETA TEST FINAL THOUGHTS
  • 30. 1 FOCUS ON GOALS ALWAYS DECIDE WHAT YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH BEFORE YOU BEGIN YOUR BETA. QUALITY IMPROVEMENT (I.E. BUGS) IS IMPLIED. EVERYTHING ELSE IS UP TO YOU.
  • 31. 2 PICK GREAT TESTERS DON’T JUST TAKE ANYONE. YOU WANT ENTHUSIASTIC PEOPLE WHO MATCH YOUR TARGET MARKET AND DEMONSTRATE THAT THEY CAN AND WILL COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY.
  • 32. 3 REDUCE FRICTION YOUR TESTERS HAVE A LIMITED POOL OF ENERGY THAT THEY’LL INVEST IN YOUR BETA TEST. IT’S YOUR JOB TO MAXIMIZE THAT POOL TO GAIN THE MOST BENEFIT POSSIBLE. DO THIS BY PROVIDING CLEAR CHANNELS OF FEEDBACK. MAKE EVERYTHING EASY.
  • 33. 4 PROVIDE A STABLE PRODUCT YOUR PRODUCT SHOULD BE “BETA READY”. THAT MEANS THE EXPERIENCE IS CLOSE TO THAT OF A REAL CUSTOMER. IF THERE ARE GLARING BUGS, YOUR TESTERS WILL BURN OUT BEFORE THEY PROVIDE MEANINGFUL FEEDBACK.
  • 34. 5 BE RESPONSIVE YOUR TESTERS NEED TO KNOW THAT THEY’RE IMPORTANT, THEIR FEEDBACK IS VALUABLE, AND THIS PROJECT IS YOUR TOP PRIORITY. A RAPID RESPONSE TO THEIR FEEDBACK SENDS THIS MESSAGE.
  • 35. 6 SHARE THE RESULTS BETA CAN BENEFIT NEARLY EVERY ORGANIZATION TIED TO YOUR PRODUCT, BUT ONLY IF IT REACHES THEM. THAT SAID, IT’S IMPORTANT TO ENSURE THAT NOT EVERYONE IS FORCED TO DIVE INTO EVERY PIECE OF DATA. ALWAYS FILTER YOUR DATA SO THAT IT LANDS IN THE RIGHT HANDS.
  • 36. 7 LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES THIS WON’T BE YOUR LAST RODEO.
  • 37. LEVEL SET THE PERCEIVED ROLE OF BETA TESTING (BY PRODUCT MANAGEMENT) THE REAL ROLE OF BETA TESTING (IN PRODUCT MANAGEMENT) SEVEN KEYS TO A SANE AND HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL BETA TEST FINAL THOUGHTS
  • 38. TOP 10 MISTAKES (PART 1) 1. Lack of universal program support 2. No well-defined plan 3. Underestimating ramp-up time 4. Releasing a non-viable product to test 5. Too few or too many beta testers
  • 39. TOP 10 MISTAKES (PART 2) 6. Test period is too short or too long 7. Poorly-motivated and/or managed testers 8. Ineffective tools = lost time and feedback 9. Failing to manage feedback effectively 10. Badly-managed incentives
  • 40. 5 GREAT GOALS TO CONSIDER 1. Test the out-of-the-box / onboarding experience 2. Find and fix bugs based on frequency * severity 3. Assess and improve your documentation 4. Prep support with unsolvable issues 5. Collect testimonials or mock “Amazon” reviews
  • 41. ONCE YOU HAVE A SOLID GRASP • Structured alpha testing • Continuous feedback community • Competitive testing
  • 42. NEXT STEPS CHECK OUT OUR OTHER GREAT CONTENT WWW.CENTERCODE.COM/LIBRARY LEARN HOW WE CAN IMPROVE YOUR BETA PROGRAM WWW.CENTERCODE.COM/DEMO QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, AND COMPLAINTS EMAIL: INFO@CENTERCODE.COM TWITTER: @CENTERCODE