Beta testing

Beta testing means having a small set of users try out your product before the actual product release in order to get feedback. The difference between beta testing and alpha testing is that the test users involved in alpha testing are from the development team, whereas users testing in beta are not from the development team. "Beta testing" is also known as user acceptance testing (UAT), customer acceptance testing (CAT), customer validation (CV), field trials, and pre-release.

Beta testing done badly means beta testing performed while not knowing the point of testing. Having potential users test an incomplete product is a waste of time on both the developers' end and the users' end. More testing would be needed after the product is finished anyway. Having not enough testers to reach a significant conclusion also defeats the purpose of testing in the first place, and having too many testers when a test's question has already been answered is also inefficient. Of course, a beta testing run should be designed well to the point where test managers understand why they are conducting the tests they are conducting. This means understanding different design possibilities for the product, and understanding how each test will clarify which design possibility is better for the product's purpose.

Learn About Beta Testing. (2014, January 1). Centercode Beta Blog. Retrieved May 17, 2014, from http://www.centercode.com/beta/