Questions

Just wondering how to run a closed-beta for an ios app. 1. How many users? 2. What kind of tools? (TestFlight? - recommend me!) 3. Other things to keep in mind

Beta testing is an important part of the app launch process. After developers test their app (that’s a rigorous testing process called alpha testing), they push it forward to real users to test it. At this point, they can get big flaws resolved before making the app available for the wider audience. Here are the steps you need to follow:
1. Decide how many testers you need: How many people will you engage during the beta testing period? Keep in mind that not all testers will give you valuable feedback. Some of them will not detect bugs, and some of them will tell you they liked the app even though they faced problems with it. It is just easier to write “everything is okay” than to provide detailed feedback. You cannot have only 10 testers. However, you should not get too many testers, either. If, for example, you get 1,000 testers for an app, collecting feedback will be difficult to process. In general, it is advised to get 100-300 beta testers to make sure your app works well before you launch it. This gives you enough feedback to work with, but you will not get overwhelmed by it.
2. Decide what type of testers you need: Depending on your goals, you must decide what type of person to select as a beta tester based on their background and experience. Developing a beta tester persona will help you choose the right users for this stage of development. There are two types of beta testers: technical (these detect bugs and give you constructive feedback) and marketing (they are usually influencers, who increase the awareness before your app gets launched). In this article, we focused on technical beta testers.
3. Develop a beta tester persona
During the planning part of the app development process, you probably defined your user persona. You developed the entire concept around that final user, and probably had several questions on your mind:
i. What problems do they have?
ii. What solutions do they need?
iii. What solutions can I provide?
iv. What would make this person use an app daily?
v. What features are they looking for?
You will need that user persona when developing the marketing campaign, too. You also need a persona when looking for beta testers. At this point, you have additional requirements:
i. What goals do you have for the beta-testing phase?
ii. Do you want to get feature request? Discover bugs? Develop an audience of early users? Bring awareness to the app?
Based on your needs, answer this question: what skills do you want this person to have? From there, it is easier to build the persona you are looking for.
4. Give testing a timeframe: If you do not plan a timeframe for your test period, it can go on for ages. TacoBot, for example, was announced back in 2016, but it still has not reached its audience. You do not want to extend the beta testing page to an indefinite period. This does not mean that you should rush through the beta test. It must be thorough. You should give the beta testers enough time to try all features of the app and detect all its issues. How long should the beta test last? According to Centercode, the answer to that question will depend on few factors: your goals, resources, the tester limitations, and the number of test phases you opt for.
5. Find your beta testers: So where do you find the people who will test your app and provide valuable feedback? There are few places you can try:
i. Erli Bird
ii. BetaList
iii. Betabound
iv. BetaTesters
Those were few specialized platforms that can connect you with beta testers. You can also search for testers via Twitter, Reddit, and Quora. Use an appropriate hashtag, such as #testmyapp on Twitter, and people will start contacting you. You can share the news on specific subreddits, such as /r/TestMyApp.
6. Deliver the app to your beta testers: You got to the point of actual distribution? That is great! If this is your first time dealing with beta testing, you must be wondering: how will you do that? There are app distributing platforms you can choose from. These are only some of them:
i. AppBlade
ii. Google Play Console
iii. Appaloosa
iv. TestFlight

7. Keep your testers engaged: So, you developed the beta tester persona, you found your beta testers, and you distributed the app with instructions on what you expect. Now what? You must make sure this process will deliver the results you need. You want their input, so you must motivate them to use your app and share feedback. You can do that by providing various incentives. For example, you can give them codes so they can get premium features for free. You will not lose a lot of money, but you will encourage the testers to spend more time with your app.
8. Take their opinions into consideration: When your beta testers inform you about bugs, you will clearly do everything to fix them. But what happens when they give you tips for improvement? You worked hard for some of the features, but it turns out that most beta testers do not like them. You found your community. The least you can do is trust these people. Whatever comments or questions they provide, take them into consideration as you are improving your app before its release.
9. Be selective: Does the above point mean you should make every single change that your beta testers suggest? Absolutely not. You should listen to them and consider them, but you may proceed only with those suggestions that make sense.
10. Keep the connections: Once you go through a successful beta testing stage, you will realize how important it is for the overall success of your app. When you make connections with passionate beta testers, who enjoy trying out new apps, maintain them. Contact them whenever you develop a new app that needs testing.
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath


Answered 3 years ago

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