Testing your digital product is critical, but it’s also where many projects get stuck. After all, you want to make sure your product is perfect when it launches, right? You only get one first impression, so you’d better make it perfect, right?
Wrong. As one of my clients used to say about his software apps, “Done is better than perfect.”
Get your product tested, get it launched. It’s not making money till you launch, so you need to be sure your testing process isn’t holding up the making-money process.
Here’s a quick checklist we use for testing a digital product prior to launch, adapted from the outstanding podcast, The $100 MBA. If you’re not listening, you should be.
- Get 3rd party feedback. You need to have someone else do your testing for you. As the creator of your product, you see your product from a completely different perspective from your potential customers. Ideally, get multiple people. You’ll be surprised how differently diverse personalities view your product.
- Recruit testers. Here are few places to consider recruiting beta testing:
- Through your existing email list.
- Social media
- Facebook Groups
- Use your team. If you have a team, get them to test for you. You might consider having them test prior to releasing the product to your testers to look for typos, grammatical errors, etc.
- Incentivize your testers. With a little thought, this is easier than you think. You could offer:
- A few free months of your product.
- A t-shirt.
- A gift card, like iTunes or Amazon.
- Entry into your ambassador program.
- Be specific about the benefit of being a tester. Your request for testers will read something like, “Hey, we need a few beta testers to test this product, here’s what it will take, and here’s the benefit you will get.”
- Be specific about what feedback you need. This is vital. Detail exactly what type of feedback you’re looking for.
- How much should they use your product? For example, you may ask them to use the software for 3 sessions of 10 minutes apiece.
- Ask them to do a screen capture video as they use your product, and to talk through their process of using the product. You’ll get extremely valuable insight from this method! And it’s very easy for your tester to do!
- Are you going to follow up with them after testing? What should they expect after testing.
- Put a time limit on your testing. I’ll say it again. Put a time limit on your testing. And communicate that to your testers (more than once).
I’ve learned over the years that the standard honest response to the question, “How long do you need to get this done?” should be “How long will you give me.” People often will take as long as you give them to complete a task, so establish a deadline to ensure you do not delay launch. - Ask for honesty. Reassure your testers that they get their reward whether they like your product or not. You need honest, maybe even brutal, feedback.
- Filter the feedback.
- Just because a beta tester suggest something doesn’t mean you have to do it.
- Prioritize the feedback.
- What is CRITICAL to launch?
- What can be tweaked or added later, after launch. Remember, making money is better than perfect.
- What should be put into File 13?
- Launch first, then add the nice-to-haves…
Summary
- Testing your product to ensure it’s ready for launch is crucial.
- There’s a difference between ready for launch and perfection. You just need to ensure you have a working product, a minimum viable product, that works.
- You can always improve the product later.
- Have a plan to get more feedback after launch. Your paying customers can also serve as subject matter experts who can help you define future enhancements to your product.
- Test, but get it out there ASAP.
