In this blog post for Software Testing Tutorial, we will learn What product testing is, the Types of Product testing approaches, and some examples.
What is Product Testing?
Product testing is a broad term for evaluating a product or service related to its intended purpose and audience, typically using scientific methods.
Product Testing Methods are techniques used in software testing to evaluate the quality of a feature or function of an application under test. These tests are performed after the software development stage, validating whether the software or an application meets the product requirements.
Testing methodologies are categorized into two broad categories: black-box and white-box testing. The “Box” in these terms refers to knowledge about the internal function of the system under test and, therefore, does not specify whether testing is done with a particular tool or technique. In black-box testing, the tester has no knowledge about the internal functions of a system and tests based on requirements, specifications, or user stories. In white-box testing, the tester has some knowledge about the internal functions of a system and tests based on flowcharts, code walkthroughs, etc.
Types of Product Testing Approaches:
To perform product testing, we have mainly followed two approaches; although they have the same methodologies, they still have many differences. Here are the two approaches for product testing:
- In-Home Usage Test (IHUT)
- Central Location Test (CLT)
In-Home Usage Test (IHUT)
In-Home Usage Test is a testing model where the customer uses the product at home for a few days or weeks and gives his/her feedback about the software. It has various advantages, including:
Customers can understand how he or she works with software and can provide useful feedback on it. Customers can identify problems in any condition rather than lab testing. Customers can use it as they want, which is impossible in lab testing.
Customers can give good feedback because they are more involved with products at their homes rather than giving feedback in the office or another place. This testing model is mostly used for hardware (laptop or any other electronic) and software products.
Central Location Test (CLT):
Central Location Test is a testing model where customers come to a central location after receiving the product and use it for a few days or weeks. This testing model has various advantages, such as:
The customer has more time to find any software error so that it can be corrected before shipping products. Customers also provide useful feedback on the software. The customer has a more environment in CLT which is not possible at home.
Central Location Test (CLT) has some disadvantages, too, such as:
The customer needs to travel to a central location, which increases the cost of testing. Customers may encounter communication issues because they are busy with other things and might not find time to provide good feedback on the software. The customer may not have enough time to test the product at the central location.
Benefits of Product Testing
Product testing has some benefits, such as providing confidence to customers that software is installed properly and is working well. If the application has been tested properly, customers will not face any problems after installing the product.
Software or hardware can be in better condition before shipping because customers may encounter an error during use, so they have enough time to report it. This can be helpful for customers if they provide useful feedback on the software. It is not easy to find errors in software after shipping, but if you perform various kinds of testing before shipping, it will help a lot to prevent bugs from happening and also give a better user experience.
The testing approach depends upon the application requirement, testing budget, development life cycle, and product type. The in-home usage test is also called Alpha testing, and the central location test is also called Beta Testing.
Ultimately, these two approaches have their advantages and disadvantages, so you should decide which one will be more appropriate for your software or hardware products. It would help many customers to provide good feedback about the product they use, so you should try to get feedback from customers as much as possible.
Thank You for reading this post; if you have any suggestions or good experience in software testing, please share them with me via comments. I would appreciate your contribution to this blog. Thanks again, and All The Best!!
