Do you want to launch a product or service and are unsure if it will satisfy your target audience? Or are you looking for ways to earn some passive income online to pay those extra bills?
Either way, UserTesting has you covered!
But what exactly is UserTesting, and how does it work? Is it a legit website or a scam? If you recently heard about this site and want to get the most out of it, you’ll likely get stumped by such questions.
Here’s a quick review about UserTesting!
What Is UserTesting?
UserTesting is a video-first platform through which a service, product, website, or feature is assessed by real users.
It is critical to any brand as it helps to determine the shortcomings in the user experience. The users address their issues, and the company rectifies them before launching the official product/service.
Identifying and fixing the issue before officially launching the product/service is a plus for any company. Why? Because it cuts down the long-term cost.
The company gets to know about users’ demands, and they design their service/product accordingly.
So, marketers, executives, ecommerce managers, entrepreneurs, mobile app developers, designers, product managers, and usability professionals can utilize this service.
One may wonder how you can earn money from UserTesting then?
Well, this procedure works in two ways: for the companies and the testers. To earn money, you’d need to sign up as the latter.
How Does UserTesting Work?
UserTesting works with several companies worldwide that want to listen to genuine feedback from real users regarding their digital products.
As a tester, you can help companies by informing them what you think will work best for their app, website, or product and earn money while you do so.
Here’s how UserTesting works for companies and testers.
For Companies
Consider this: You’ve launched a digital product, and your target users are dissatisfied with one or more features. Now, you’d need to work on those features again, which means you’ll be spending more money eventually.
But how about if you test that digital product/service on your target users before you actually introduce it to the market?
You’ll get to know the pros and cons of your service, and as a result, you’ll save money and your company’s reputation.
This is exactly what UserTesting does for you. It helps you identify the issues with your digital product.
As a company, you can visit their website and request a trial for their testing services. You’d need to fill up a form that includes the following details:
- Your organization’s name and contact information
- Business use case
- Work email
- Employees
- Country
Considering the business use case, the website will help you target the right customers and obtain valuable feedback. If you have a large organization, you can utilize this service as an initial design process (before you introduce your digital product).
However, if you have a small company – with less money involved – you can conduct this test after launching the product.
Either way, it identifies the needs and demands of your target audience.
Types of Business Organization Accounts
UserTesting provides two types of accounts to business companies:
- Individual Plan (aka Basic)
- Enterprise solution (the Pro) version
If you opt for the basic plan, the UserTesting panel will choose the test participants for you. On the other hand, the Pro version allows you to choose the participants as per your preferences.
The basic plan gives you access to test templates and basic testing capabilities and costs around $49 per video. It allows you to hold up to 15 video sessions.
The Pro version, on the other hand, has custom pricing. It gives a free trial along with an enhanced video player, advanced testing capabilities, quantitative metrics, administrative controls, and customer experience analytics.
It offers long studies where you can check the periodic reports about how user experience fluctuates over time and how to keep up with the competitors.
-What else is good? The creation and execution of tests are pretty straightforward. You’ll receive video along with questions for a post-test survey that you may customize.
You can design tests for mobile users, laptop users, and tab users. Once the testers perform a survey, you’ll receive the test results immediately.
You can jump to a place in the recording where users are facing any issue, calculate the time taken to perform a particular task, and measure the Net Promoter Score (NPS).
Once you explore the UserTesting website, you’ll come to know that several major ecommerce companies are utilizing this platform.
Some of these famous business organizations include:
- Home Depot
- Walmart
- Apple
- Airbnb
This implies that the UserTesting service helps businesses grow in one way or the other.
For Testers
When we mention UserTesting or organizations targeting the “right” customers, we’re referring to you.
If you sign up as a tester on the website, you’ll come across several tests based on your demographics and profile. Nonetheless, you’ll go through a process of screening for the website to determine whether or not you’re the right person to give the feedback.
That means not anyone signing up as a tester can give feedback or earn. Here’s how it works.
- You’ll have to go through a series of steps before the panel considers you the right person for the feedback. For instance, if a test is about online shopping, and you haven’t done one before, you might likely fail the test.
- The screener will ask you several questions about online shopping websites, like which websites you use for shopping and how frequently you shop.
- If you’ve never done online shopping, but you’re smart enough to ditch the screener, you might be able to do so. But in most cases, it won’t work.
- When your answers won’t align with the requirements for the kind of tester the company is seeking, you’ll likely get eliminated and won’t be allowed to continue with the test.
- In addition, you need to be fluent in English to take the test. While during the test, you’ll typically provide feedback about the website, in the end, you’ll need to answer some questions. For that purpose, being eloquent in English is a must.
- You might also be required to take up some other tests. For instance, you may undergo a conversation directly with the client and what you think about their website. So, if you won’t be skillful at speaking English, it will be a major turn-off.
Is UserTesting Legit?
When we talk about online money-making methods, this question likely pops up in our mind, and for the right reasons.
In 2019, around $134 million online scams were reported, which peaked at $117 million in the first six months of 2020.
As a result, more people are concerned about whether online money-making methods are legit or not.
With as high as 1.1 billion people earning remotely, more people are intrigued to learn about online money-making, and the concern of legitimacy comes along.
As such, many people wonder if UserTesting really works or is just another fad.
Fortunately, UserTesting is an honest app where you get paid for completing the testing tasks. Also, it doesn’t ask for any payments when you enroll as a tester (unlike most scam websites).
The procedure is pretty simple and transparent. To become a tester, you need to sign up to the website and submit a sample test that the UserTesting team reviews.
Once you pass the test, you can continue as a tester on the website and earn.
The payments are made through PayPal. So, make sure you have an account on PayPal as no other mode of payment will work.
How Much Money Can You Earn With UserTesting?
It won’t be wrong to say that UserTesting comes in handy if you want to make some passive income. That is, you cannot consider this as a primary source of earning money because the payment is not too high.
Also, the amount of work you get varies depending on several factors like the quality of your rating and the region where you live.
The good thing is, UserTesting is honest in their claims, and they don’t make any fake promises. For instance, the website clearly states that it’s good to make some additional money, but it won’t make you wealthy.
Furthermore, they also clearly mention how the opportunities vary depending on factors like region and rating quality.
So, how much can you make with UserTesting?
Remember, the payment of each test differs depending on the type and time duration of the test. In other words, some tests might pay more than others, and a longer duration of tests is also worth more.
Typically, the pay for each test varies somewhere between $3 to $60. On average, the value of a single test is $10.
The website pays you $10 for every test that you finish. All you need to do is visit the website or app, follow the instructions, and complete a set of tasks.
You can perform these tasks with your laptop, tablet, or mobile phone and then give feedback about the user experience.
Note that these tasks won’t consume too much time. Generally, a task takes around 10-20 minutes to complete.
Once you’re done, you’ll be paid through PayPal. However, you may need to wait up to 7 days to receive this payment.
UserTesting Pros
- Easy to Sign-up: UserTesting offers a straightforward sign-up process and user-friendly process of work.
- Standardized Mode of Payment: They use a standard mode of payment, i.e. PayPal
- Quick Response: UserTesting gives an instant response about your selection status (You’ll be informed within 48 hours whether or not you qualified as a tester after you give a sample test).
- No Money Investment: You are not required to invest any money when signing up as a tester. The website typically chooses you based on your demographics, way of communication, and profile.
- No Special Sign-up Requirements: You are not required to upload any certifications or legal documents when signing up.
- Fair Payment: The payment is fair, ranging from $3 to $60 per test (may vary depending on the duration and type of test you take).
- Helpful Tutorials: Several tutorials are available on the website. So, before you begin the actual test, you can go through these tutorials. If you do well on them, you can obtain a 5-star rating.
UserTesting Cons
- No Notifications About New Tests: You’ll need to stay logged in to your account to keep an eye on the tests as you do not receive any notification about the new tests.
- Uncertainty In Selection: Qualification is sometimes a matter of luck. If there is a strict screener on the other side, there’s a lot of uncertainty about whether or not you’ll pass the test.
- Sound Technical and Language Skills: The applicant should be proficient in English language and have basic technical skills.
- Slow Mobile App: The Mobile version is a bit slow. So, you may feel difficulty while navigating the app.
- Low Income: The payments are typically around $3 to $60, which is fair but not too good. Therefore, we do not recommend UserTesting as a primary source of earning.
Who Is UserTesting For?
UserTesting is for every organization that is willing to get honest feedback about their digital product. The recommendations and suggestions help them improve their website, app, product, or service.
So, whether you own a big ecommerce business or a small one, UserTesting can help you know about your customer needs and demands.
Furthermore, if you’re a college student willing to make some extra pocket money, you can sign up as a tester. If you already have a primary source of income, you can utilize this platform for passive income.
Who Is UserTesting Not For?
If you live in countries other than Australia, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, India, and the United States, this platform is not for you.
Also, even if you live in any of the countries mentioned above but do not have a PayPal account, you cannot utilize the services of this platform.
Other than that, UserTesting is not for you if you’re willing to make heaps of money online.
Final Verdict
If you plan to acquire feedback and remove the issues from your digital product before launching it, then UserTesting is a platform to try. It will eliminate bad user experience and protect the reputation of your brand.
What’s more, if you plan to earn a small amount of passive income and you can’t find a reliable source, you can sign up for this website. It will help you earn some money through tests.