Alpha and Beta Testing

Beta Testing

Beta testing is one of the final steps in our software development lifecycle before the product, or the software goes live. Beta testing is also referred to as testing of the user or the validation of the customer. The beta testing aims to ensure that the end-users are satisfied with the software or the product before making it generally available. Beta testing is performed by the real users of the software or the application in a real-life environment. It is the type of user acceptance testing. It helps reduce the risks of failure and increases the quality of the product. Beta testing commonly uses black-box testing. It does not require a testing environment because it is conducted out in the user's local environment. It is performed by clients who are not employees of the company.

Now, let's discuss the process of Beta testing.

Process of Beta Testing

There is a total of 6 steps being followed by the beta testing. 

These steps are as follows:- 

1. Identify and Select the Target Platform - We choose the appropriate platforms for testing the software product in this step. To get our product beta tested, we select from various operating systems and devices.
    
2. Invite Beta Testers - The most important step is to invite and carefully choose beta participants. Ideally, we should start with 200-300 beta testers to receive more input and recommendations for product enhancement. 
    
3. Distribute the Beta Testers - Now that we have compiled a list of beta testers, it's time to send them an invitation using the appropriate distribution mechanism. We can choose the tool that best meets our needs. Testflight, Google Play Developer Console, Crashlytics (Fabric), and more tools are available.
    
4. Collect Feedback - Now that end customers have evaluated our product, it is time to get feedback. Feedback might be good or negative, depending on the beta testers' prior experience with our product.
    
5. Evaluate and Iterate - Iterate the product based on the comments and ideas from the participants so that it is ready to give the optimal customer experience.
    
6. Reward Beta Testers - We should compensate testers with promised rewards because they have given you their important time and input. Coupons, discounts, promo codes, deals, and other forms of rewards are all possible.

Entry and Exit Condition for Beta Testing

Entry Condition

It is a set of conditions that are required so that beta testing can be started.

1. Positive feedback from alpha sites.
2. Customer bugs discovered during alpha testing have been fixed.
3. There are no such fatal faults that can damage the software's operation.
4. The secondary platform compatibility testing is finished.
5. Regression testing for the hug fixes has been carried out.
6. Beta sites are ready for installation.

Exit Condition

It is a set of conditions that are required so that beta testing can be completed.

1. Collect comments and input from beta testers.
2. Make a list of all major bugs.
3. Notify the developers of any bug-fixing concerns.

Advantages of Beta Testing

1. It adds another degree of testing/product validation to the product's development lifecycle.
2. It aids in detecting unanticipated mistakes that the in-house QA team fails to detect.
3. A wide group of consumers frequently carries out this sort of testing. This significantly broadens the field of testing.
4. It is usually less expensive than alpha testing.

Difference between Alpha Testing and Beta Testing

FAQs

1. What is the significance of a computer network?
   Have you heard of the Internet, sometimes referred to as the NET? I think you came upon this Coding Ninjas Studio blog by surfing the web. Have you thought about the Internet? Computer networks have become a crucial part of our lives and technical interviews because the Internet links all network-enabled devices and allows them to share data and information.
    
2. What comes first Alpha or Beta?
   Alpha testing is performed first, and the company's internal employees perform it. After that, Beta testing is performed, which is performed by real-world users.
    
3. What is black box testing?
   Black Box Testing is a software testing approach that tests the functionality of software applications without knowing the internal code structure, implementation details, or internal routes. Black Box Testing is totally based on software requirements and standards, and it primarily focuses on the input and output of software applications. It is also known as Behavioral Testing.

Key takeaways

In this article, we discussed what alpha and beta testing are, and we have also discussed how alpha and beta testing is performed. We have discussed the entry and exit conditions for alpha and beta testing. I hope you must have gained some insight into this topic of alpha and beta testing and if you want to learn more, you can refer to the Software Engineering guided path.

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