There is a basic checklist in the app development and launching process that every developer clearly adheres to – starting from market research, pinning down to the target market/audience, developing an app to preparing and implementing marketing plans alongside and launching the app at the right platform. And we are sure that you have gone through the same graph of app development and launching stages.
However, one of the most significant step in all these stages is testing of the app. So, you have shown the app to your friends or people you know at the work place and they apparently loved it which makes you quite confident about the success of your app.
Switch to the reality where you see that your app is being installed by people and they are liking the idea of your app, but they are not using it much. In fact, most of them are uninstalling it after using it just once. Now that’s a pretty worrisome situation, isn’t it?
Now the question arises that even after doing everything in a seemingly perfect manner, why are people not liking the app (even though they are liking the concept of your app). Well, UI (User Interface) and UX (User Experience) are two very substantial factors that would help you retain the users and get new ones through the word of mouth marketing and when you got the testing of your app done by your acquaintances, there is a higher probability that they might have missed out on some of the elements that affect the experience of your target audience.
Hence, it is always advisable that you get your testing done from a group of people who are not related to you and who form a part of your target market so that they can provide you the bugs through rigorous testing. And more often, they would do it for free. You just have to approach the right set of users for your beta testing before the actual launch and you are sure to get the kind of success that you are aiming for.
And if you are wondering where would you find such users, we will provide you three platforms through which you can find the right audience to test your app with interest and give some useful feedback.
1. Emailing List
If you haven’t even hit the production stage and are thinking about where will you get your beta users, then you have landed here for this suggestion at the right time. And if you are in your pre-launch stage looking for ways to find right audience to test your app then also you are not too late.
Start maintaining a database of email ids of the people who comprise your target audience whom you might have come across during your market research. While you are in the production process, keep these people involved by sending them surveys, newsletters and getting their suggestions about how they would like the things to be in the app if you are confused at any point. And out of these emails, separate the ones which you feel are more involved so you can mail them beta version of app for testing.
2. Facebook Groups
Facebook is indeed a very popular platform to interact with people with different interests and from different geographical areas. So no matter on what criteria you have segmented your audience, you will definitely find your target audience on this social networking website.
You can either search for the groups that are already active on Facebook with similar interests that match your app’s concept or create a new group and invite people to join in and once you have a particular set of people who are actually interested in your app, you can approach them to test your beta app. The best part is that you can definitely expect some constructive feedback from those people as they want an app like that and they would be the ones using it later too.
3. Personal Sourcing
Depending on the purpose of your app and the target market that it has, you can go out and personally meet the set of people who are a part of the audience for whom you have developed the app. It is a perfect medium to receive first-hand and live feedback.
In fact, you can actually be present there while those people are using/testing your app and you can get a lot of feedback by observing their behavior and other non-verbal communication traits. For instance, you can pick up a set of students from a classroom and gather them at one place to use your app if it is aimed for the college going people or the people of that age-group. And if it is an on-demand app then you can simply get beta users from the building you live in.
Summing it Up
Remember! Beta testing is a very important stage for the successful launch of your app and you cannot take any risk or be casual there. If you have people who will provide you completely unbiased and honest reviews for your mobile app, it is going to be useful for you in the long run.
About Author:
Ashish Sharma is a Key Account Manager, looking after Marketing Strategies and building new business tie ups at WeDigTech – A hub of Skilled Mobile App Developers in India. Focused on helping enterprises StartUps from domestic to MNCs.