Test Process

What does a regular test entail and how to submit a bug?

Written by Markus

Updated over 2 weeks ago

"You can join as many tests as you want at once; however, consider how much time you can
dedicate and will need to participate in all of them."

Motivation

Tests are mini-projects by one of our customers that we regularly invite you to. Each test covers
a certain scope of (usually) one of their products. By testing the given scope, you will find bugs
that you can then report for one of the given features in this test. You get paid for your report if
you submit a valid bug and the team leader approves it. Other tasks may also be available in
your cycle, but you will mainly be hunting for bugs in Test IO cycles.

Test invitations

When a customer submits a new test, our distribution algorithm checks which testers match the
test's requirements regarding their profile information, devices, and individual performance. If
you match all criteria, you will receive an invitation by email. You can also find all your pending
invitations under “Interesting tests for you” on your dashboard. We recommended adding all
your devices to your Profile (such as your Smartphones, Tablets, Computers, Wearables and
Streaming devices) to increase the number of invites to cycles.

Accepting or rejecting an invitation

Whether you accept or reject an invitation is entirely up to you. But keep in mind that there are
some limitations for different Tester Levels.

To accept the test cycle, first read all test instructions to ensure you meet the test requirements.
After that, check the checkbox under the Join this Test section at the bottom of the Test Cycle
overview page, then take part in the test by clicking the Accept and take seat button in the
action bar.
Tester Level 1: Copper

Testers who are located in Level 1: Copper, will be able to accept and take a seat in just 2 test
cycles at the same time. In order to take part in some other test cycle, you will need to quit one
of those 2 cycles.

Testers located in Level 2: Bronze or above

Testers who are located in Level 2: Bronze or above can join as many tests as they want at once;
however, consider how much time you can dedicate and will need to participate in all of them.

Rejecting the test invitation & Quitting the test cycle

 Clicking on the 3 dots for a specific test in the left sidebar, and then Quit test cycle and
free seat button

 Clicking on the Quit test and free seat button located in the bottom action bar of the
specific test overview page

Test scope

All cycles will have several pieces of information that need to be carefully read by you as soon as
you join them. It's important that you understand everything that was written down by the
customer so you won't wrongly test the product. All information about the test scope and its
elements can be found in this article here.

Participating in a test

After joining a test, you will see the test overview page:
Before beginning to test, you have to read through all the instructions and feature descriptions
to grasp the scope of the test. You can do so before the test starts, so you can test right away
once the test begins. A countdown towards the top of the page indicates how much longer you
have to wait until the start or how much time remains before the test ends.

As part of our testing protocols, testers are strictly prohibited from utilizing browser AddOn
translators to translate platform content.

Furthermore, testers must handle the customer's data professionally, ensuring that information
is not exposed to third-party tools during translation processes. This safeguard maintains the
confidentiality and integrity of the customer's data throughout the testing cycle.

You must answer the question "Will you participate in this test?" positively if you agreed with
the instructions and want to test or negatively if you don't want to participate. You will be
required to give a reason for not taking this cycle and we appreciate your honest feedback here.
You may or may not be able to select the device, depending on the seats left for each cycle.

Remember, you will only be able to use this device to submit bugs the entire cycle until you
become a Bronze Level Tester, so we recommend you be careful with your choice.

Only after the test starts and while the test is running, the test environment becomes visible to
you. To start testing, you have to access that test environment first. If a mobile or streaming app
is supposed to be tested, install the app on your mobile or streaming device.
You will need to start a Test Session in order to submit reports and complete the available tasks.
Once you've found a bug on the test environment that is in scope, submit it for one of the given
features.

Here's how the test overview will look like once you can access the environment, agree with the
test instructions and start a Test Session. Notice the Submit Bug button is now active and you
can start bug hunting.

Review of your work

In every test, there is a team leader who can help you but their main focus is to check submitted
bug reports. If necessary, the team leader will ask for further information when necessary and
approve or reject bug reports. It's important that you check from time to time your bug report
status to make sure the TL did not send you any requests.

Bug reports approved by the team leader will be forwarded to the customer. Customers will
review the forwarded bug reports and will make the final decision – the bug report either gets
accepted or rejected. Customers can also send requests to testers, so it's important that you
keep an eye on your email notifications even when the cycle is over.
Furthermore, if you don't agree with a team leader's decision, you can leave a comment in your
bug report and ask them for further information about it. If you still don't agree with their
response or if they end up taking too long to answer your request, you can also open a dispute.

Where to find more information about the test process?

We’re always creating content to help you understand the testing process on our Discord server
Test IO Community or our Social Media channels. Whenever you are not sure about something
in our cycles, the Team Leader will usually be your best source of information and you can use
the chat feature to contact them.

Finally, you can listen to the podcast below for more information about ❝Understanding Tests
Setup and Contradicting Instructions❞.