What is Beta Testing?
Beta testing is a type of software testing characterized under User Acceptance Testing. It is performed by the end-users of the software application in the real world. The developer team hands out the near-finished product to a group of target users who evaluate the product and give feedback. The common features evaluated during beta testing include the following:
- reliability
- security
- robustness
Conditions
Although there is no set standard for beta testing, the following conditions must be fulfilled for successful beta testing:
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The product should be in the completion stage.
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The product should be free from any unpredictable bugs or crashes.
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The testers should be real end-users of the product.
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One should do the testing based on real-life scenarios and environments and not the testing labs.
Advantages
A few advantages of beta testing include the following:
By gathering and incorporating customer feedback, beta testing increases product quality, reduces risks of product failures, and increases overall customer satisfaction.
Disadvantages
A few disadvantages of beta testing include the following:
