UserTesting Review: Can You Really Make Money With UserTesting.com?

We present an In-Depth Review of UserTesting. How Testers Can Make Money With UserTesting.com

User testing is a technique employed in design to get a website, product/MVP (Minimum Viable Product) feature or a prototype assessed through the real users.

User testing is crucial as it lets the design team find any kind of discord in the user experience that they are designing so that any issues can be addressed and rectified before the final product goes live.

Identifying and fixing issues at the early stages indeed cuts down the long-term cost.

Can you make money with User Testing.com

In order to set up user testing, a test plan needs to be set up first and then the participants are recruited (they should be the representatives of the actual user base).

They are asked to perform certain tasks on the product or service, results are recorded and analyzed by the UX experts to produce findings and recommendations.

Ideally, user testing should be done for every project as it helps in reducing risk, improving the process and thereby saving business costs.

What is Usertesting.com

Some third-party vendors offer user testing services. Usertesting.com is one such platform.

It is a usable customer experience testing platform that gets on-demand feedback about a product or service from its target market through which the companies can protect their brand and eliminate bad user experiences.

Website: Usertesting.com

This service can be used by marketers, UX & Usability professionals, Executives, eCommerce managers, product managers, entrepreneurs, game developers, search engine experts, mobile app developers, designers, and developers to get their product tested from the real users, acquire feedback and remove issues from the product before its final launch.

How Does UserTesting Work

All over the world, they work with several companies that want to hear honest feedback from real users regarding what they think about their digital products.

Thus, you as a tester on usertesting.com will help companies in creating a better digital experience by telling them what you think would work best on their website or app, what could be better and why you feel that way. You also earn money while doing so.

For the Companies

As an organization, you can go to their website and request a trial of their testing services. You need to fill up a form including details about your business use case, name & contact information, work email, company name, number of employees, and country.

If you find their services useful, you can engage them for user testing on your website or web app.

Depending upon the business use case, they help the companies in targeting the right customers from whom useful feedback can be obtained and insights about the user experience can be discovered.

After getting feedback on the user experience and receiving answers to critical product development questions, you can share your learnings across the organization.

This website has been in existence since 2007. As a business organization, you can consider it as a good choice if you are looking for a user testing tool.

The user satisfaction for this tool is quite high and it has a good number of positive social mentions.

They offer two kinds of accounts i.e. Basic (aka individual plan) and the Pro (aka enterprise solution) version.

For the basic account, the test participants will be directly chosen by the user testing panel. For the pro account, you have the option to choose your own participants.

Your basic account will cost you $49 per video and you can run up to 15 video sessions per year. The individual plan offers basic testing capabilities and access to test templates.

Pro accounts will have custom pricing. It offers a free trial along with advanced testing capabilities, quantitative metrics, customer experience analytics, administrative controls, and an enhanced video player.

For enterprise clients, it also offers longitudinal studies where you show up with periodic reports regarding how the user experience of your product changes over time and how you measure up to the competition.

Creating and executing tests is quite simple as you will get audio videos with customizable post-test survey questions.

You can create tests for tab, mobile, & desktop and check your audience response. It will quickly share the test results with you. The test reports are well-designed.

You can switch to the instances in the recording where the user starts facing difficulty, measure the time taken in performing a task and calculate the NPS score.

Some of its close competing tools include Optmyzr, Moz Pro, Picreel, SE Ranking, and Segmentify.

For the Testers

When we say they target the “right or exact customers”, these customers are no one else but you i.e. someone from the testers panel who fits best to perform the test.

If you are engaged as a tester with usertesting.com, then you will be presented with tests based on your profile and demographics, and, the tests will also be having screening to check if you are the right person to give feedback.

For Example, if there is a test related to an online shopping website, you will have to first go through a screener that will ask you questions like how frequently you shop, what websites do you use for shopping, etc.

If your answers match the requirements for the kind of tester they are looking for, only then will you be allowed to take up the test, else the test will move out of your bucket.

For the tests that you take up, you should be really good at speaking English. During the test, you need to provide feedback regarding your user experience with the tasks that you are performing on the website.

Lastly, you need to answer some questions depending upon the website or app that you tested.

There are some other types of tests as well, where you need to undergo conversations with the client about the user experience and how you feel about the website.

Recommended reading => Top Sites to Get User Testing Jobs

Is UserTesting a Scam or Legit

User Testing is a legitimate website where you can really earn some money by completing the testing tasks. It is not at all a scam. It also does not ask you to pay anything to get enrolled as a tester.

It is a very honest app. They have a very straightforward and transparent process for enrollment and work.

In order to become a tester, you need to submit a sample test which is then reviewed by the User Testing team. If your test gets approved, then you become a tester on this platform.

All payments are made through a PayPal account. There is no other mode of payment.

Suggested Read =>> PayPal Alternatives

Can You Really Make Money with UserTesting

Yes, you can really make some money with UserTesting.com. Their website says that you can earn up to $60 per test.

However, this website is okay to make some extra money in your spare time, but it can’t be considered as a continuous and primary source of income.

Because the amount of work you will receive is quite limited and it depends upon a lot of factors like in which region you are situated, what is your quality rating, etc.

The good thing is that the website itself does not make any false promises. It’s clearly mentioned on their website that you can make some extra money through UserTesting but it’s not going to make you very rich.

They also clearly state that the opportunities you will receive will depend upon many factors including your demographics and quality rating.

How do You Make Money with UserTesting

To get enrolled as a tester, you need to take up a sample test and if it gets approved by the panel, you will be a tester on usertesting.com. You will receive tests based on your profile.

Almost every test has some screening questions which you need to answer to qualify for the test. There is no right or wrong answer to the screening questions.

If your responses match what they are looking for, then you will be allowed to proceed with the test. Otherwise, you will be disqualified from the test.

For each successful test that you perform, you will be paid some money depending upon the kind of test.

How Much Can You Earn and What are the Rates

The payment for each test varies depending upon the type and duration of the test. Generally, the pay for each test varies between $3 to $60. The average payment is $10 per test.

They pay $10 for every 20-minute video you complete. For this, you need to visit a website or an application, follow instructions and finish a set of tasks using a computer or mobile phone and then give loud feedback about the user experience.

Your English should be strong enough to share feedback clearly. These tasks generally take around 10-20 minutes to complete.

The payment is through a PayPal account. You should have a PayPal account and be situated in a country that accepts PayPal transfers. The payment will be done after 7 days of completing the test.

How can I become a Website Tester

It is mentioned on their website that Usetesting.com accepts testers from Africa, Middle East, India, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the United States, and Canada.

In order to become a website tester, you need to sign up at Usertesting.com by just giving your email address and completing a sample test.

Once the sample is approved, you will be going through the complete signup process where you will have to provide your profile details, PayPal account details, etc. After that, you can pick up the real tests and start making money.

Having a PayPal account is a pre-requisite as you will be required to mention your PayPal account details at the time of profile creation.

If you do not have a PayPal account, I would suggest you create one once your sample test is approved by usertesting.com.

Tips for Getting Selected on UserTesting.com

Enlisted below are some tips to quickly get selected for User Testing:

• When you submit a sample test, make sure that the audio quality is good.
• You should be good at English. It is not necessary that you have an extraordinary vocabulary, but what is more important is that you speak clearly and fluently. You should have the ability to freely express your thoughts.
• Sit in a calm, noise-free room and have good quality audio (preferably headsets).
• Close all unnecessary windows that you do not want to get recorded in the sample video.
• Speak loudly and clearly. Keep on speaking about the tasks that you are doing.
• Give exhaustive feedback and comments about your user experience.

How Many Tests Can You Do On UserTesting

The number of tests you receive largely depends upon your business needs. It usually varies. You can expect 1-2 tests to appear daily on your dashboard.

Another factor that impacts the number of tests that you receive is your rating (testers with 5-star ratings tend to receive more tests), profile, and devices you own.

On average, I used to receive 2 tests daily in my initial days after signing up. However, I could not clear the screening round for any of the tests.

Age Criteria, Pros & Cons of UserTesting

You must be a minimum of 18 years of age to enroll as a tester.

Pros

• A transparent, user-friendly and systematic process of work.
• Smooth Sign up process.
• Quick response regarding your selection status i.e. takes only up to 48 hours to determine if your sample test has been approved or disapproved of.
• Standardized mode of payment. They do process your payment only through your PayPal account.
• Clear and well-defined guidelines regarding performing tests. The tasks that you need to perform are very well explained.
• Helpful tutorials before beginning with real tests. You can go through these tutorials to know how to perform best in the test that you take and how to avail a 5-star rating.
• No money investment is required to become a tester on this platform. You will be selected based on your communication skills, profile, and demographics.
• It does not ask for any legal documents or certificates to sign up.
• Fair payment for each test you take up. The payment varies from $3 to $60 depending upon the type and duration of the test.
• More opportunities for those who live close to the US.

Cons

• You will not receive email notifications for new tests.
• You always need to be logged in to your account and have a constant watch on your dashboard for any new tests.
• Disqualifying the screener is disappointing: For tests that have a screener, it is uncertain if you are going to qualify for the test or not. I was presented with a lot of tests daily after my sign up, but each of these tests had a screener and unfortunately, I was not qualified for them. I got a bit disappointed with it.
• It is hard to qualify for the test.
• Requires good skills in English and technology. If you don’t have these, usertesting.com is not your cup of tea.
• Lesser opportunities if you don’t live close to the US.
• This is not suggested as a regular work and income option.
• Their mobile version is quite slow and takes a significant amount of time to load.

Getting Enrolled as a Tester with UserTesting

My Journey with usertesting.com – All that you need to know to get enrolled as a tester with this platform.

I am going to thoroughly explain to you my journey so far with the user-testing platform. This will definitely answer many of your questions and doubts regarding working with usertesting.com.

Let’s Go.

I visited their website and clicked on the “Get Paid to test” link:

[All images credit to UserTesting.com]

When I tried to sign up for the first time, it did not allow me to do so. The website showed a message that they do not have any vacancies. I tried 3-4 times more but saw the same message every time.

Below is a screenshot of the message I received:

Then I tried again the very next day and this time the website allowed me to sign up! I got the below screen where it asked me to enter my email id.

Once you click sign me up, you will receive a verification link in your email shown below.

After successful signup, they will take you through a 45-second video which will show a good sample regarding how to perform a test and give your feedback.

I went through the video and clicked on the Continue button. I then got the following screen to download the user-testing software.

Upon clicking on the download link, an exe will be installed on your computer.

Post downloading the software, they give you a video that includes the tips to do the tasks well.

After watching this video, I started the test.

Let me tell you how a test works. Once you start the test, the UserTesting software will be launched and recording will start. Your screen and voice get recorded.

You will be shown up with a task that you need to perform and keep on speaking about it, giving your feedback, etc.

In the end, you will be asked to enter some comments and feedback in written format as well and then the recording will end and the task will be finished.

The task is then submitted to the UserTesting website for review.

I was given a sample test where I was navigated on an air and space museum website and I had to perform two tasks i.e. find the museum map and find out on which holidays the museum will be closed.

While doing both the tasks, I had to continuously speak to give my feedback about the user experience.

I just shared my experience regarding how easy or difficult it is to navigate through the website and find out the required information.

When both the tasks were completed, a comments box was prompted where you could write feedback regarding the UX of the website. Then my test was submitted.

The message below was shown on the screen and I was informed that my test is under review and I need to wait for a few days.

After two days, I got a reply from them stating that my sample video is having audio issues and I need to submit the video again. I retook the sample test and sent it again for review. I was given the same test in the retake.

On the very next day, I got a response from them stating that I have been selected as a tester for usertesting.com

Once you get selected, you will be asked to create an account. You need to provide your PayPal account details, set up an email, and password.

Post that, you need to complete your profile by giving them information regarding what all devices you have (like a computer, smartphone, tablet, smart tv) and what social networks you are connected with. Once your profile is completed, you will start seeing the tests on your dashboard.

Once you complete your profile, this is what your dashboard will look like.

You will have to wait to get the tests. They will send you the tests based on your profile.

For tests that need to be performed on Android or any other mobile device, you will need to download the user testing app on your mobile.

Two days after signing up, I got a few tests but all of them had a screener and unfortunately, I did not qualify for the screening.

Screener questions generally ask you about the kind of work you do and the type of industry you operate in.

I was very fair and honest with my answers. I answered what was true with my case. However, I did not qualify for the test as my answers did not match the kind of profile they were looking for to take up the test.

On the very next day, I got a special tester panel survey:

This was an unpaid survey and if you get selected for this survey, then the chances of receiving the tests increase.

This survey had around 7-8 questions regarding my current job profile including my organization, designation, employment type, industry, etc.

Upon completion of the survey, I did not get the results right away. I was just shown a thank you message. I had to wait to see if I am qualified for the ongoing tester panel or not.

I did not get any response from the UserTesting website if I am selected in the tester panel or not, however, on the same day, I received three tests, 1 for android phone and 2 for Windows PC.

But again, I did not qualify for the screener. Just like this, I kept on receiving tests daily for both Windows PC and Android phone, however, each of these tests had a screener and unfortunately, I was not qualified for any of them.

It has been around 10 days since I have enrolled in usertesting.com. I receive 1-2 tests daily, but I did not qualify for any of them yet.

The country in which I live in India so might be staying far away from the US is one of the reasons why I did not qualify for the tests.

However, as I am still new to this website, I am waiting for more test opportunities to come!

Conclusion

Usertesting.com is a good tool to get user experience testing done for your website and apps.

As a company, you can benefit from its services as it gets you real user responses and feedback which will help you improve your product. They offer both individual and enterprise solutions.

As a tester, it’s a good platform for you to earn some extra bucks. You need to have fluent English-speaking skills and some technical background to be able to perform tests.

The website has a straightforward and transparent way of working, however, it is uncertain as to how many tests you will be able to take up.

Qualifying for the test depends upon a lot of factors including your demographics, industry, work experience, income, age, devices you own, web applications you use, your shopping pattern, etc.

Let us know your experience as a User Tester in the comments section below. We would love to hear from you.