Sounds like a lot to digest, but in reality its pretty straight forward! If you have a love for learning new things, engaging with brands you advocate for and want to earn a little pocket change, then user testing may be for you!
San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area have an abundance of tech companies that continuously test their latest apps and internet platforms to ensure streamlined usability. So what does that mean for you as a potential customer and/or brand advocate?
IT MEANS THREE THINGS:
1) You get to meet some senior figures within the company who will be very pleased you've given up some of your time to help them. (So never be shy to add them on LinkedIn as soon as the session is over and call on them should you need a favor in return)
2) You'll get to pick the brains of some incredibly talented people and see what system/user updates will be coming up before anyone else. (You'll be in the know and have a great conversation starter)
3) You'll be sent away with a little thank you gift that can range anywhere from a $25 Amazon voucher to a $150 Amex Card. (Rewards come in many shapes and sizes, but usually consist of either cash, gift card or app credit).
NEXT STEP: HOW TO FIND PRODUCT/USER TESTING
For Companies you don't know:
Craigslist: Seriously, there's an array of user testing opportunities at any one given time. Make sure to have a search within all sections (community, gigs, personals etc.) and search for terms such as 'user test', 'gift card', 'app test' and so on. (I'll stress again, look through ALL of the sections, some of the best jobs are hidden where you wouldn't expect to find them!)
Backpage: This site lists a variety of focus groups or studies that will pay you for your time.
FindFocusGroups: These focus groups have known to hit the $250 mark before, with a wide variety of topics.
Google Search: There's so many sites out there, a quick google search will allow you to find even more companies!
For Companies you know:
LinkedIn: Try connecting to someone who works at the company in product role. Let them know you'd be happy to come in and do some user testing if the opportunity ever arises!
Newsletters: Look out for newsletters asking current customers to come forward and do some testing. The hotel booking app HotelTonight is renowned for doing this!
Contact Us: Just get in touch through the 'Contact us' section and let the company know that you'd be interested in doing product testing should the opportunity arise. The customer service rep' will want to make themselves look good, so you can be sure the message will more than likely get passed on to someone higher up in the chain!
FOUR MINUTES, FOUR EXAMPLES
Here are four examples I was able to find in minutes just by doing a quick search on Google and the various examples listed above. Partaking in all of these would give you a nifty $385!!
THERE YOU HAVE IT!
So thats pretty much it. Keep your eyes peeled for opportunities, get involved, make the most out of it and earn a little extra cash to put towards something nice. Hey, $100 can get you pretty far... a nice meal, 100 lottery tickets, plane ticket to LA? The possibilities are endless... ;) Hope you enjoyed this weeks post - please comment with any thoughts and as always if you want to get in touch: adrian@britwit.co.
Until next time!
