Crowdsourced versus in-house software testing

Finding the most efficient and effective way to test products in the lead-up to release is the goal of every software company. With end users displaying an increasingly low tolerance for products that fail to work perfectly the first time around, the pressures on today’s development teams are greater than ever before.

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The choice of testing solutions usually falls between assembling an in-house team or outsourcing the process to a specialist company. Even though some companies might be concerned that outsourcing lengthens the communication chain and reduces managerial control, this can be a double-edged sword because having too much control over testing can be restrictive and limit the number of bugs that are identified.

Specific

Crowdsourced testing is ideal for carrying out large-scale testing on specific tasks, but there are also benefits to be gained from letting the testing company examine a program in a less organised way because internal teams can often be stifled by the need to toe the corporate line.

Crowdsourced software testing services enable you to go beyond the limitations of your in-house team in terms of location, operating system, language, time zone and other criteria. Crowdsourced testing provides a far broader range of coverage, which reduces the chance of missing out on critical testing areas.

Effective

Crowdsourced testing also means the products are being tried out by people who are far more likely to resemble the typical end user than is possible with an in-house team, thereby making the testing process far more beneficial and cost effective. However, any form of testing is only worthwhile if the results are easy to understand, so it is especially important in the case of crowdsourced solutions to ensure that the company you choose to provide software testing services has a clear and simple way of reporting back.

Ultimately, no in-house team is able to compete with the breadth of coverage provided by a crowdsourced testing solution. If you want your apps to be reliable, fully functional and secure for the largest number of users possible, sending them out into the wild is the fastest and most efficient way of doing so. While a small number of highly sensitive projects might not be suitable for crowdsourced testing, the right company will usually be able to offer all of the necessary guarantees and reassurances to eliminate any concerns.