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Stakeholders

How Sonos is Leveraging User Research to Enhance Their Beta Program

Leader Insights

Beta testing is much more than a box to check off on a list. While some companies only think of it as a last-ditch effort to tie up loose ends before launch, others are tapping user research to play a more fundamental role in the product development process. In fact, today’s most forward-thinking companies are […]

The Beginner’s Guide to Identifying Beta Program Metrics

Product Development

What are beta program metrics exactly? Which ones are important? Why do I need them? These are the types of questions that suddenly pop into the minds of product and program managers when an executive team comes looking for Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). I recently had an opportunity to work with Alex Larsen, the manager […]

Mobile Beta Test Planning Tactics and Strategies

Test Planning

When a mobile app is sluggish, unresponsive, or difficult to use, one of two things is likely to happen. One, it gets buried on a screen full of other apps and forgotten about. Or two, long press and uninstall. If your company is like most organizations, there’s a team running a mobile beta test to […]

Making Your Customer Testing Program More Valuable in 2019

Product Development

On an intuitive level, company leaders understand the necessity of Customer Validation. But actually proving the worth of a customer testing program can be a challenge. The 2019 Customer Validation Industry Report showed that despite the high emphasis companies place on customer insights, many professionals are still struggling to get the resources they need. Leadership […]

How to Craft Task Scenarios Like a Pro

Test Planning

One of the biggest challenges of managing feedback is organizing it. This isn’t news to most test managers. When the bulk of prioritization happens on the back-end of a test, it can create a massive time sink. That’s why using task scenarios to organize feedback on the front-end of the test comes in handy. Task […]

How to Promote a Customer Zero Culture with Dogfooding

Product Development

Over the course of the Dogfooding Best Practices series, we’ve discussed the advantages dogfooding brings and why some programs still experience friction. The last installment focuses on overcoming organizational resistance by reinventing your program through a “Customer Zero” approach. With a company culture that promotes and values employee feedback, you’ll see the highest return from […]

3 Dogfooding Best Practices for Overcoming Employee Beta Challenges

Test Strategy

Last week in the Dogfooding Best Practices Series, we looked at the advantages eating your own dog food can bring to both your product and your company. From improving product quality to promoting product awareness, a well-oiled dogfooding program sends far-reaching benefits throughout your organization. But, of course, it isn’t easy. Building and maintaining a […]

9 Benefits of Dogfooding Your Pre-Release Product

Test Strategy

With so many company initiatives competing for often limited resources, understanding the return-on-investment of dogfooding is essential to proving its organizational value. Luckily, the benefits of dogfooding programs are immense. By identifying key metrics, you can make informed tweaks that improve program performance throughout your company. Last week’s blog post explored the basic concepts of […]

Six Time-Saving Beta Testing Tips for Product Managers

Test Management

If you are reading this, it probably won’t surprise you that 47% of product managers have to run Beta Tests as part of their job. In last week’s webinar with Pragmatic Marketing, Centercode CEO Luke Freiler shared Beta Testing tips for product managers so they can, even with limited time and resources, leverage turnkey Customer […]

How Do I Make Stakeholders Care About My Beta Feedback?

Test Closure

You put a lot of time and effort into collecting actionable feedback during your beta test. This feedback not only has the power to improve the quality of your product, but can positively impact the entire customer experience — ultimately helping you release a better, more successful product. But that will only happen if your […]

What Needs to Be in Your Beta Plan

Test Planning

Every successful beta test starts with a great plan. Our software and hardware beta test planning kits are designed for larger teams with dedicated resources to get their beta test off the ground. So we wanted to share the very basics of what needs to be in your beta test plan — designed for smaller […]

5 Hats You’ll Wear as a Beta Manager

Test Management

Running a successful beta test is no small feat. You’re often wrangling testers, building surveys, analyzing data, dealing with stakeholders who needed to have results yesterday, and more, all at the same time. As a beta manager, you wear many different “hats”. One minute, you’re a psychologist, analyzing a tester’s mindset and how it affects […]

5 Warning Signs Your Beta Test is in Danger

Test Management

Sometimes, despite good planning, a beta test will fall off track. You could follow all of our best practices for planning and running a beta test, but there may be a moment when things begin to go wrong. There are a number of reasons why this might happen, and they are often beyond your control. […]

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