A startup is something that has just set up to motion, something that has ambitions as bright as the sun but has light as little as the Moon. Beginning as they all say is the hardest Part, with a startup this beginning becomes Harder. With hundreds of things to look at, with limited number of resources, with funds squeezing and with timelines dropping. It’s a lot for a startup product to bear and thus comes the need of testing. The following things should be known to a startup regarding Testing:
Number 1 – You Cannot Skip it
Good Testing may not be cheap, but it would surely sound too ‘expensive’ if you decide to skip it and go live without actual testers testing your application and no we are not talking about that friend of yours that you showed your beta to and asked to give you a “GENUINE” feedback, nor are we talking about that cousin of yours who also happens to be a java developer and took a glance at your source code. We are talking about professional testers who know what to look for and where to look for.
Since many Startups are short on money in their beginning days, lot of them decide to not spend much on Testing as they so call it “It can be done by anyone”, No it cannot be. If by any chance you don’t want those heart breaking reviews for your app on Play store, get your product TESTED by TESTERS.
Number 2 –Tier of your Problem
What if I ask you, “Do you want to get into a Problem?”
Your very obvious reflex answer would be ‘No Please’. Thus, it’s correct to say, Nobody wants Problems. ‘WRONG’
An Entrepreneur is always on the look-out for Problems. A Problem for which he can find a solution, sell it and become a Billionaire. That is the Plan.
A testing team is required to analyse not just your solution but also the Pain Point that you plan on healing. Testing teams go through that problem and tells you the Tier/Degree of the Problem that you aim to solve, If it is too timid a problem, they can very well let you know about it in the beginning days, saving you a lot of time, effort and most importantly MONEY . Also, If you have caught up a problem that is a Giant, Well congratulations..!!
Number 3 – Competitive Analysis
After the problem has been analysed, Testers help the startup find answers to the following:
- Who are your competitors?
- How are they solving the same Pain Point?
- What challenges are being faced by your competitor’s solution?
- How did they overcome the challenges?
- What are the things that your competitor is doing better?
- Is and how is your product better?
With those answers on the table, a startup can be believed to have enough ammunition required for the battle of acquiring and retaining a user base in the present ecosystem.
Number 4 – Improvements & Feasibility
A tester is a person whose one of the main job is to find gaps in a system, now no matter how bullet proof your Idea is, you always have some cracks here and there that should be mended and thus Improvements.
If a startup takes Testing seriously and gets its initial phase of requirements developed and tested, the startup wins an exclusive entry to the world of Improvements. Your Testers are your first real users. They have used the same functionality a hundred time if not more and they know more than any analytic graph will be able to tell you:
- What is the best part of the product?
- What is the Worst?
- What can be improved?
- What should be removed?
- What has to be left the way it is?
Also, since your testers also have an eye on the technical implications they do know what Improvement is Feasible and what is not. Thanks to your testers, chunks of your Current account is saved.
Number 5 – Testing is Confidence
Summarising all the above points in this one. A tested Product may not be Bullet Proof but it does give the founders, the developers and all the other stakeholders involved a sense of Confidence. They have a level of peace with the product. They know that since its tested and approved as per their set of requirements, what they once thought is now a reality and the product has not deviated to something they did not want. They can completely concentrate on all the other aspects of Sales and Promotions and can leave the headache of the product to a testing team that feels similar level of Ownership.
Written by
Amit Vyas | Software Tester
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