"In-The-Wild Testing": The Missing Link in the QA Chain
Does it ever seem that no matter how much time, effort and money your QA team spends improving and refining software testing processes that some sort of defect is always found in the application, website, or mobile app after launch? Surprisingly, it has little to do with your organization's in-the-lab testing – whether in-house or outsourced, manual or automated. In fact, it's likely due to the fact that the lab environment you're testing in cannot adequately replicate real-world conditions (real users, real devices, diverse locations, imperfect connectivity, not to mention a range of devices, operating systems, browsers, etc.).
And thus, companies test extensively in the lab, launch their apps into the real-world conditions of users, and we're all surprised when these products don't perform as expected. But what kind of testing can fill this gap effectively and affordably? It was out of this persistent question that uTest and crowdsourced testing was born. And the by-product of this was a new category of testing which has become a must-have for mobile, social and local apps known as "In-The-Wild Testing."
"In-The-Wild Testing" (ITWT) is an effort to educate tech leaders about how to help QA teams and organizations launch higher quality software, quicker, faster, and cheaper. The idea of in-the-wild testing is about providing organizations with the real-world testing data necessary to make informed decisions about releasing products to market. According to Matt Johnston, Chief Marketing Officer for uTest, "Don't be fooled by the word 'wild' when it comes to testing software. When you think of the term 'In-the-wild testing' think of it as 'real-world vs. laboratory conditions.'"
This is not outsourcing or beta testing, and it's definitely not suggesting you replace the QA teams or solid processes you have in place within your test lab. Rather, this is about complementing, scaling, and aligning professional testing resources with your in-house or outsourced QA team.
I predict that this concept will explode in the next five years . But the first step is to understand what ITWT is (and isn't).
I sat down with Johnston for a detailed discussion about their In-the-Wild Testing educational campaign, and most importantly, what this new concept will mean to the future of QA and the testing world. I want to be clear, I'm not a tester. However, as a person with more than 30 years of business experience supporting IT professionals, I can see that this concept is a strategic initiative that businesses have to consider if they recognize the value of testing as a crucial business driver. In fact, the ITWT concept seems so practical for filling an obvious need that I am surprised it has taken this long. But sometimes it takes time for new models to develop.
In-The-Wild Testing is definitely a new model and new concept that derived from the need to get to market faster and with the quality, reliability and ease-of-use that today's consumers expect from new technology and software. It's a concept that has been embraced by more than 1,000 organizations, from Fortune 500 to SMBs and startups, who are using this concept to supplement their QA teams. According to Matt, "It's a cost-effective, efficient way to improve the quality of software releases while protecting brand credibility. For about the same cost as hiring one additional QA Engineer, companies can complement their current in-the-lab testing efforts with a full year of in-the-wild testing performed by 15-20 professional testers, working outside the lab under real-world conditions."
My goal for this article is to facilitate a conversation that I believe is important, not just in the software testing and quality world, but as a matter of practical business sense in the real world. As I deliver my thoughts on this new concept, I encourage testers to engage their business colleagues in the discussion. After all, as Matt explains, "The goal of in-the-wild testing is to empower QA and development teams to make good decisions based up comprehensive results, which can only be gained by testing beyond the firewall and outside lab."
We hope you will comment on this concept at the Software Test Professionals website (www.softwaretestpro.com). For more detailed information about In-The-Wild Testing, I encourage you to visit www.inthewildtesting.com.
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Come see Matt Johnston's keynote presentation: SoLoMo Is Shaking Up The Testing Landscape: How QA Organizations Can Adapt, Keep Up & Thrive on Wednesday, 1:15pm - 2:00pm at the Software Test Professionals Conference 2012.
Register before February 10th and save up to $400.00. Also, you will be entered for your chance to win a Kindle Fire.
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