The Surprisingly Good Reason Why We Don’t Pay Testers
Have you ever heard the saying, “too much of a good thing won’t be good for long?” The same principle applies to incentivizing testers. If you ask anyone committed to recreational interests or hobbies, they’ll tell you the most fulfilling thing about them is the personal satisfaction received from doing something for the sake of enjoyment.
For the most part, the reasons for being a tester follow the same idea. The vast majority of testers are made up of enthusiastic people who enjoy technology and are interested in using products before everyone else gets to. Once money gets involved, the basic ‘recreational’ quality loses its value. Tests are supposed to be fun and engaging, and the introduction of money often turns testers’ experience into a more formalized, task-oriented undertaking.
Money Affects Testing Quality
There are many reasons why testers test, but having a personal interest in the product, company, or industry is a big part of it. This is why tests are so effective — they allow for interested people to provide objective feedback that isn’t dictated by anything but the opinion of the tester. Once any money is offered, however, tester feedback typically ends up reflecting those cash rewards instead of their experience with the product.
When a test manager pays testers for each Issue encountered, then testers tend to only focus on finding Issues. When managers ask for mock reviews, testers may give positive reviews because they think that’s what managers want to hear (and what will get them on future tests).
Test managers want you to integrate the product you’re testing into your daily life. If you are only using the functionalities of the pre-release unit that you will get paid for, then the product is not being tested to its fullest potential. Ultimately, cash changes the focus of the testers and in turn, the value of their feedback (and not in a good way). Without unbiased feedback, it’s almost impossible for even the best managers to turn data gathered during a test into real improvements to the product.
The Real Perks Of Product Testing
The rewarding perks of being a tester far outweigh just getting cash.
Explore Opportunities Important to You
As a Betabounder, you get tons of opportunities to explore products that are specifically interesting to you. With other forms of software testing (like QA or crowdsourced testing) you often have to work with products that might or might not interest you. Being a tester with Betabound on the other hand will mean discovering products that you care about, and getting a sneak peek into upcoming gadgets and other tech products.
Be a Part of a Collaborative Community
Betabound is an international community (250,000 testers and growing!) of individuals who are passionate about emerging technologies. Our blog features posts on how to become a great tester, results from our community surveys, profiles on Betabound team members, and more.
Plus, Betabounders have the opportunity to get to know other like-minded testers while testing together within a project. Our community definitely encourages testers to get in on the conversation about what excites them about testing and overall tech trends.
Build and Improve Your Testing Skills
By testing for Betabound, you can build your skills as a tester. Through our informative blog posts and a variety of testing opportunities, you can learn how to provide better feedback, find Issues, submit Ideas, award Praise, and get selected for the tests you’re interested in. By honing your skills as a tester, you can even put your testing experience on your professional resume.
Here at Betabound, we truly value the quality feedback provided by our testers. Our community would not be what it is today without the hard work and thoughtful engagement of our members.