Pros and Cons of Volunteering in Software Testing

by Nataliia Vasylyna | July 15, 2015 10:43 am

Sometimes software testing company receives a project for testing in which it is necessary to involve not only a team of professional testers, but also the most ordinary users, who can be not enticed into the industry of software testing at all.

Customers insist on this approach, because if the developed system is designed for a large number of users, it is necessary to check the work from the end users’ point of view. Such behavior detects bugs that cannot be found by testers.

“Volunteers” are people ready to work or just occasionally help a little in the software testing process without waiting for financial or any other remuneration from the company. From this the question emerges: in what types of testing the extraneous audience can be involved?

Volunteers Can Participate in Following Types of Testing:

Usability Testing.
Load Testing.
Ad Hoc Testing.
Multi-Platform Testing.

Of course, engaging common users in a testing process has its drawbacks. For instance, they are not experienced in professional terminology, so sometimes it is hard to understand what kind of phenomenon is meant in a bug description. Also some difficulties can appear because of the inability to use bug tracking system or programs for making screenshots or video.

But despite the imperfections the method of attracting volunteers has its advantages. Suppose it is necessary to perform usability testing. Who, if not the first-hand user, is able better to detect the inconveniences in system functionality or interface? Professional testers check the program by means of pre-written test cases, but users can act differently. Exactly their opinion and suggestions on the usability issues are important for software under test.

Software testing is a field where quality assurance is the main objective. Therefore the opinion of ordinary people who want to help product to become better and easier to use should not be ignored.