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Public Hardware Beta Tests
orangerobot writes "Commercial software companies have performed public beta tests of their products for quite some time but more recently Philips Electronics has started holding public betas of new consumer hardware gadgets. A few months ago it was the Streamium MC-i250, and now it's their iPod clone the HDD-100. Public hardware betas seem like a great way to do a bit of marketing and user testing at the same time maybe more companies will pick up the same idea." This seems like a great idea for a company wanting to collect usability data on their interfaces, so that the release version can be tweaked.
Having just filled out the form, this is a win win for Philips. Only 50 people will get the hardware, which costs them next to nothing.
But when they get out of the deal is thousdands of people filling out pretty detailed information that they normally wouldn't fill out in the hopes of getting something for free.
Good idea.
Gee thanks! I had signed up for the beta test and
now I've got the entire slashdot crowd applying --
there go my odds of getting one...
I've been developing computers (laptops and now tablets) for a while, and I love the idea of beta testing.
For the most part, I find that beta testing allows us to get extended product use cycles in a short amount of time, allows people to find problems that we wouldn't otherwise find right away, etc etc...
By allowing people to beta test, it is like hiring a X number of person QA department for free. And usually, those beta testers are more energetic in finding problems cause it makes them feel important and they approach the product unlike my engineers do who have been looking at it for months. Personally, I get (sometimes get) sick of staring at my product after I leave work since I've been staring at it, and its problems all day long. But beta testers find beta testing a challenge to themselves to try all possible combinations and procedures in hopes of finding a bug.
So, as far as I am concerned, from a eningeering manager stand point, the beta testers for the most part are extremely helpful, so long as they return useable data.
Top things that you DONT want to beta test.
1. Parachutes.
2. Invasive surgical procedures.
3. Seat Belts.
4. Condoms. (Whoops, it broke. Now was that a Yes or a No to my "Do you have herpes" question?)
5. Pot Holders (So, on a scale of 1 to 5, how badly would you say you were scalded?)
I'd rather be a conservative nutjob than a liberal with no nuts and no job.