Product Testing Approach

What is product testing?

Product testing is a method of analyzing a product concept, feature or
functionality to determine how potential customers may use or react to the
product. It's a common part of software development, though many
companies use this type of testing to create and market products effectively to
consumers. The testing process typically begins with a question to be
answered, such as whether users may use a new feature on a mobile
application. The product team then develops a hypothesis and tests their
theory by using one or several testing methods.
Depending on the methodology of the product team, this testing may occur in
various stages throughout the development process. Typically, product
testing occurs within these methodologies:
Waterfall: Teams using a waterfall methodology often conduct product
testing during the initial stages of a project to evaluate the product concept
and market potential. Then, they complete other types of product testing once
they've finished building the product.
Agile: This methodology encourages teams to conduct continuous product
testing throughout all phases of development. Teams may use product testing
to evaluate new ideas, test features for functionality and continually review
the product even after its release.
Why is product testing important?
Product testing can help various members of the development team, including
project managers, developers, testers and managers, measure the success of a
product. Teams can use this type of testing to determine whether a product
functions as expected or whether customers may find value in a new product
feature. Specifically, product testing can help teams:
Gain insights: This type of testing can help teams gain valuable insights
about customers' needs and preferences, which can provide direction during
the development process.
Improve products: By gathering and reviewing feedback during
development, teams can use this input to improve products to meet
customers' expectations and requirements.
Save time: Product testing can help teams save time during development by
identifying potential problems or risks early in the development process,
before launching the product to consumers.
Achieve business goals: Teams can use product testing to help them
understand the priorities of the product so they can achieve key business
goals, such as attracting more customers or increasing revenue.
6 types of product testing
While product testing can vary widely based on the project, there are several
types of testing that share similarity across various industries. Here are six
common types of product testing with examples to help you understand each
one:
1. Concept testing
During concept testing, product teams explore the feasibility of a product
idea or concept and evaluate how it may perform in the marketplace.
Depending on the type of product being built, concept testing often involves
presentations, customer surveys or wireframes, which are frameworks for
digital products, such as a website. Concept testing can help teams determine
whether to progress to the next stage of development by evaluating
customers' responses to the idea. It can also provide clarity on the features or
functionality customers want from the product.
Example: A food manufacturing company wants to launch a new brand of
sugar-free cereal. The product development team decides to survey existing
customers to determine the potential profitability of the product. The team
sends an email to 500 customers, asking them questions about their preferred
brand of cereal and their interest in a sugar-free option. Most customers
express interest in the concept, so the product team begins to plan the
development of the new cereal.
2. QA testing
Quality assurance (QA) testing often occurs in a staged environment, where
teams can test the features or functionality of a product before releasing it
publicly. Typically, testing teams evaluate the product using different
scenarios to imitate a customer's experience. They may also use QA testing to
test product updates or new features before releasing the changes publicly.
This type of product testing ensures the product works as expected and helps
teams identify problems before launching the product.
Example: A restaurant chain wants to add a new map feature to its mobile
app, allowing customers to use their location to find a restaurant near them.
The software development team creates the feature and sends it to the QA
team for testing. The QA team tests the map feature on three different
operating systems and then performs additional testing on various versions of
each system. After testing, the QA team determines the feature works as
expected, and the company releases the new feature as part of its next update.
3. A/B testing
With this type of product testing, teams create two versions of a product
feature or component and ask customers which version they prefer. The
differences in the versions may be slight, such as two different color schemes
for a website, or they may be considerable, such as two different product
names. Often, teams use A/B testing to make design choices based on
customers' preferences. It can also help teams learn more about customers'
needs and preferences so they can create products to meet those expectations.
Example: A retail company decides to redesign its website to make it easier
for customers to make purchases online. The development team creates two
versions of a "Shop Now" button for the website. The first button has a red
background, while the second button has a black background. After receiving
both versions of the button, the product team conducts A/B testing and finds
more website visitors click on the button with a black background. The
company decides to use that button on its redesigned website.
4. Market testing
Market testing involves introducing a product to some customers to assess the
market. The product team may release the product to customers in different
geographic areas, or they may choose specific demographics, such as
customers between the ages of 18 and 35, to receive the product. This type of
product testing can help teams measure the potential success of a product in
the market. They often use market testing to forecast product sales, plan
advertising campaigns and determine effective distribution strategies.
Example: A retail clothing store plans to expand its products with a new line
of athletic wear. The product team decides to use market testing to estimate
sales revenue from the new line. The team chooses a small group of loyal
customers to try the products and offer their opinions. After receiving
feedback from the group of customers, the product team analyzes the data to
develop revenue projections for the new products.
5. User testing
User testing occurs after the development team has built the product and
released it publicly. Teams perform user testing by observing how customers
interact with the product. They gather data and information based on
customers' experiences with the product to determine whether to make
changes in future iterations. It's commonly used in software development to
determine whether any updates are necessary to better meet users' needs or
improve the user experience.
Example: A software development company releases an update on a mobile
photo app that allows users to share their photos through a direct message.
After two weeks, the product team reviews user data and finds users aren't
using the new feature as much as expected. The product team assembles a
focus group to conduct user testing. By observing the focus group, the team
learns that customers have a difficult time locating the sharing feature. The
product team shares the data with developers, who redesign the feature to
make it easier for users to access.
6. Regression testing
Teams use this type of product testing after customers have begun using the
product. During regression testing, teams test the current features of a product
to help them determine the features they want to add or update. While some
existing features may remain the same, regression testing helps teams
determine if the new features may impact the current product's functionality
or usability. Teams can perform regression testing to ensure the product
continues to work as expected after the update.
Example: A development operations team plans to release an update to a
mobile food delivery app so users can communicate directly with the
restaurant preparing their food. The developers write code for this new
feature and want to ensure it functions correctly. They perform regression
testing on a past product release to determine how the app performs with the
new function enabled. Finding no errors, the development operations team
decides to release the update to the public.