
Make sure you consider the benefits and drawbacks of each. How far along you are in the development process The kind of questions you need answers to 10 product testing methods: benefits and limitationsĭeciding which type of product test to run depends on: Decide how to preserve that knowledge and incorporate it into your product workflow and future product research. When you test different options-as with A/B or multivariate testing-it’s important not just to pick the winning option and forget about the test data: every experiment you run is an opportunity to learn something about your product and users. Product managers are responsible for turning insights into action by using test results to guide development priorities, develop new solutions, and get buy-in from stakeholders.

Gathering test data is one thing using it is another. If you only test right before launch, you’ll find it’s often too late to make substantial changes to your product timeline, leaving you with a tough choice: go back to the drawing board and delay release, or push through with a product that may not resonate with your users. Whatever your preferred method, keep in mind that testing should be part of the full product lifecycle. Lean teams are engaged in a continuous feedback loop, testing everything they build and using the data to improve the next iteration.

The lean startup methodology promotes testing cycles built on 'build, measure, and learn' principles. Instead of waiting for a fully developed product, agile product management teams test every functional piece for quality within the development phase, checking new product iterations as they go. They test early ideas and markets, prototypes and MVPs, and keep testing after release in a process of continuous discovery.

Product teams using a waterfall approach typically run initial testing of the market and product concept, then don’t test again until product development is complete.Īgile product teams engage in continuous testing to gather information at every stage of the product development process. The best product managers create a culture of product testing that keeps the whole team connected with product functionality and user needs at every stage.īut there are different schools of thought: What to keep in mind for successful product testing When to test in the product development process
