Beta Testing and Why it Never Ends

So what is beta testing? Why is that term popping up everywhere?

Beta testing pertains to a testing period when software is near it's final version. It's intended to catch minor issues or bugs that have gone unnoticed. Beta testing typically involves a small group of would-be customers that test at their locations. What this provides a testing experience that can't be as easily replicated by it's developers. A few examples include:

• being able to compare user experiences for users using a variety of platforms, as opposed to the one platform of the developer and the virtual environments used to simulate other platforms
• comparing the performance of two users connecting across the country as opposed to two users who share an office
• volume testing, seeing if the servers can handle large scale activity

Beta testing has become a popular buzz word in this generation and the reason for that is simple: everyone is participating in it at some level. Technology today is constantly connected to the internet, making software updates quick, easy, and in many cases too subtle to even notice. Released software is never really in a finalized version, only a stable one. And with user feedback being made so easily available, end users are testing your product for you every time they use it.

Whether it's an app on your phone, a new PC game that was recently released, or your favorite web browser, by the end of the month there will be a released update to download and install, likely based on collected user feedback. You might as well find a shirt like the one below in your size, because like it or not, you are part of the beta testing collective.

;

Sources:
. (n.d.). . Retrieved May 5, 2014, from http://www.jkkennedytv.com/wp-content/uploads/the-momsalon-beta-test.png

. (n.d.). . Retrieved May 5, 2014, from http://shelbot.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/available-beta-testing.jpg

User acceptance testing. (2014, March 5). Wikipedia. Retrieved May 5, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_acceptance_testing