About This Episode

Passionate, engaged communities are at the heart of every successful beta program. It's been a theme that we've had in a lot of our episodes, and today's episode is absolutely exemplary of that. Jake Francis has built beta programs with the help of these engaged communities. In his current role as GPU Software Dev Engineer and Game On Driver PM at Intel, he connects with passionate, engaged communities to help lead their beta program when it comes to graphics cards.

In this episode, Jake breaks down how he built his programs at AMD and Intel, starting with Discord as a basis before leveling up through the use of Centercode. We talked about how Centercode’s integrations allowed him to scale quickly, why it’s important to build strong communities through trust and transparency, and how Intel sees deep value in a continuous beta program.

About Our Guest

Jake Francis is a SW GPU Dev Engineer and Game On Driver PM at Intel. He has been in the discrete graphics industry for 14 years, primarily focused on gaming graphics software engineering in roles such as software product management, gaming social media, digital marketing, software quality strategy & execution, and program management.

This breadth of unique experiences enables him to effectively communicate end user needs through to internal teams to drive meaningful change from critical feedback.

Jake has launched two successful delta/beta programs with Centercode as the foundation for each, taking advantage of Centercode’s API integrations for true input/output workflows.

Timestamps

(0:00) - Intro

(2:02) - How did Jake get started in beta testing?

(5:41) - Intel, testing with varied audiences, and communicating effectively

(12:45) - Recruiting from passionate communities, scaling programs, and dogfooding

(19:08) - Wearing multiple hats and resolving issues in a timely manner

(25:22) - Advice for new beta program managers

(27:40) - Leveling up a beta program from Discord to Centercode

(34:55) - Building strong communities via trust and transparency

(40:41) - How Jake leverages Centercode’s integrations to easily scale his program

(48:35) - Why AMD and Intel see incredible value in beta programs

(56:32) - How Jake tackles a new beta project

(59:36) - Transparency at Intel

(1:04:59) - How has beta positively impacted AMD and Intel, and how Centercode helped

Zero Cost Resources and Guides

Beta Test Planning Kit: https://bit.ly/sw_plan_kit

Beta Recruitment Kit: https://bit.ly/recruit_kit

Centercode Visual Theming Guide: https://bit.ly/visual_themes

Beta Agreement Kit: https://bit.ly/agreement_kit

The Beta Shipping Manual: https://bit.ly/ship_manual

The Tester Engagement Pocket Guide: https://bit.ly/tester_map

Beta Test Incentive Kit: https://bit.ly/incentives_kit

Beta Test ROI Kit: https://bit.ly/beta_roi_kit

The Definitive Guide to Delta Testing: https://bit.ly/guide_to_delta

About This Episode

When it comes to writing the book on beta testing, there are few people more qualified than Mike Fine. Literally. He actually has a book on beta testing. As Senior Test Manager and co-founder here at Centercode, Mike has been in the industry for over 30 years, testing thousands of products ranging from network equipment and wellness apps to audio equipment and financial services.

Mike is a fountain of knowledge, and during our conversation we covered his time at Centercode, how the platform has evolved, his top tips for recruiting testers, and what you can do to get the maximum out of your project. Mike's enthusiasm and passion for testing really shows in this episode, and we were delighted to have him on the podcast.

I hope you enjoy our conversation.

About Our Guest

Mike Fine is an expert in quality testing, having been involved in test programs for over 30 years. Throughout his career, he's conducted and managed more than 1000 projects, written three books—including Beta Testing for Better Software—and cultivated expertise in product development, quality, testing, customer validation, service, and customer experience.

He also helped found Centercode, where he's contributed to improving and refining the software and services. In his current role at the company, he supervises the management of dozens of tests a year. He's passionate about the value of customer validation and customer input into product design.

Timestamps

(0:00) - Intro

(1:15) - Mike’s start in beta testing

(5:11) - Running the gamut and how Centercode works with a multitude of product types

(8:10) - What drew Mike to beta testing?

(11:30) - What makes a great tester, and how to get testers energized

(16:34) - Strategies for finding high quality testers, and determining how many testers you need

(24:00) - Mike’s advice for teams struggling with tester recruitment

(30:15) - Understanding the product is key for running a successful test

(33:33) - How to overcome resilience to change and other concerns with beta tests

(39:42) - The biggest hurdles to overcome when starting a new beta test

(43:55) - What can make or break a beta test?

(47:54) - Reflecting on 30 years of testing and constantly learning from new projects

(53:21) - How has Centercode evolved over the years?

Zero-Cost Resources and Guides

Beta Test Planning Kit: https://bit.ly/sw_plan_kit

Beta Recruitment Kit: https://bit.ly/recruit_kit

Centercode Visual Theming Guide: https://bit.ly/visual_themes

Beta Agreement Kit: https://bit.ly/agreement_kit

The Beta Shipping Manual: https://bit.ly/ship_manual

The Tester Engagement Pocket Guide: https://bit.ly/tester_map

Beta Test Incentive Kit: https://bit.ly/incentives_kit

Beta Test ROI Kit: https://bit.ly/beta_roi_kit

The Definitive Guide to Delta Testing: https://bit.ly/guide_to_delta

About This Episode In the world of fintech, Square is a global leader. Their point of sale technology and services have enabled businesses across the world to succeed. And a global leader in fintech requires a global beta team, ready to test out new innovations and understand how to integrate with a multitude of financial systems and rules. And at the center of that team is Lindsay Brown. As global head of beta testing, she leads a team that tests from the US to Europe and Asia, working alongside their customers to ensure that Square powers their business effectively.

Over five years, she’s grown her program’s adoption by 150%, scaled her team by four times, and helped modernize Square’s online beta testing community. And her passion for building incredible products, and leading a team effectively, really shone through during our conversation. Lindsay shared her wisdom on being curious, how she earned the title of “Queen of Feature Requests”, and why embracing healthy tension was vital for Square’s beta program.

If you’re someone looking for another playbook on how to run an amazing beta program, it’s all right here.

About Our Guest

Lindsay Brown is the Global Head of Beta Testing at Square. Over the past 5 years, she's grown her beta program's adoption by 150%, scaled her team by 4x, launched Square in new markets in Europe, and modernized her online beta testing community. She is passionate about building valuable products for business owners, and creating a culture of collaborative conflict to ship superior solutions.

Timestamps

(0:00) - Intro

(2:07) - Lindsay’s start at Square

(7:00) - Global Testing, Localization, and QA

(12:27) - Preconceptions and User Research

(15:04) - How Square’s approach has changed over the years

(20:44) - Leveraging “Healthy Tension” to enable success

(22:26) - What launching with confidence means to Square

(29:06) - Testing during COVID-19

(34:52) - How can AI affect the beta testing industry?

(41:17) - How to break down silos within an organization

(50:50) - Proper planning, tester engagement, and working with different financial regulations

(1:02:24) - What does the future of beta testing look like?

(1:05:41) - How has beta testing changed Square?

Zero-Cost Resources and Guides

Beta Test Planning Kit: https://bit.ly/sw_plan_kit

Beta Recruitment Kit: https://bit.ly/recruit_kit

Centercode Visual Theming Guide: https://bit.ly/visual_themes

Beta Agreement Kit: https://bit.ly/agreement_kit

The Beta Shipping Manual: https://bit.ly/ship_manual

The Tester Engagement Pocket Guide: https://bit.ly/tester_map

Beta Test Incentive Kit: https://bit.ly/incentives_kit

Beta Test ROI Kit: https://bit.ly/beta_roi_kit

The Definitive Guide to Delta Testing: https://bit.ly/guide_to_delta