LEGIT WhatUsersDo Review: Earn by Doing Beta Testing for Websites - Legit or Scam?

[Amos]

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My next review is not a survey site – it’s for a beta testing website. WhatUsersDo is a UK-based company that lets people earn by testing websites. I think it’s an interesting way to earn, and deserves a review in the Earn That Buck community.

Wanna know if WhatUsersDo is legit or a scam? Read this WhatUsersDo review to find out!

WhatUsersDo: First Impression

First off, I find it strange that websites combine a bunch of words and call it a “brand name.” Mushing together words does not a great name make. But anyways, that was just a small rant. Moving on…

I like WhatUsersDo’s (gaah, that clunky name) website. It’s no-nonsense, but it looks clean and professional. The layout is also makes reading the content pretty easy. Speaking of content, the site has lots of info about how it works.

Also, the site has worked with over 3,000 clients, and case studies are available for you to check out.

My Hot Take: The site is well-made, professional, and is very encouraging to use. Overall, a very positive first impression.

How to Earn on WhatUsersDo

The site offers opportunities to do beta testing for websites. Beta testers go through a website and test or inspect it before the site becomes available to the public. Think of yourself as a building inspector, checking out various features of the structure before the building is opened to the public. Tasks take about 20 minutes to complete.

As a beta tester, your tasks may vary somewhat. You may have to check things like usability (can you actually use the website without getting confused?), esthetics (is the website easy on the eyes?), and technical problems (are there broken links or non-functioning features?). But overall, it’s your job to make sure that a website works as it was intended to.

Before you can start working, you will have to download and install a screen and voice recorder first. You will then earn cash for completing these tests.

My Hot Take: This is a great way to earn. Beta testing is stimulating, challenging, and it’s great to know I’m helping large websites before their opening. But this isn’t no-brainer work, either. You’ll have to give this type of job your full attention.

Earning Potential on WhatUsersDo

You get paid $5 for each task you complete. You can expect to get anywhere from 3 to 5 tasks a month. So at the top end, you can earn $25. On the bottom end, you can earn $15. Overall, not bad!

My Hot Take: You won’t get rich this way - and nobody claims that you will - but working through the site is a great way to supplement your income.

Payout Options on WhatUsersDo

The site offers only one payout option: PayPal. Funds are sent every 25th of the month. So think of this as a part-time job: you get paid in cash on a set payday.

My Hot Take: I don’t mind the lack of gift card options, because I always prefer cash. But if you’re the type who wants gift cards or other rewards, take note.

How to Join WhatUsersDo

If you’re keen on working as a beta tester, I’ll be giving you a link to their registration page below. Ka-chow:

Registration Page: http://panel.whatusersdo.com/become-a-tester

Do note that since this is a special kind of work, you will have to take a practice test before being accepted. The test was no big deal to me, and it shouldn’t be for anyone with an eye for detail.

The Verdict: Legit or Scam?

WhatUsersDo is totally legit! They offer an engaging work opportunity, and the pay is pretty good for the time and effort they require. WhatUsersDo is highly recommended!

WhatUsersDo Screenshots

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Your Turn

So that was my WhatUsersDo review. Now it’s your turn to share! Have you tried this site? Or have you done beta testing work elsewhere?

Let’s hear your stories!

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[Ben_the_Hobbit]

Great write-up, Amos. Beta testing jobs are pretty awesome.

I’ve done beta testing, and it was one of the more enjoyable online gigs I’ve done. But I need to emphasize that you need to enjoy this sort of thing. That means having an interest in things like user experience, information architecture, and interface design. Okay, those words sound fancy, but chances are you already have a good feel for those aspects of web design, you just don’t know what they’re called.

What is Beta Testing?

Beta Testing is just that… testing. You text an app or a website before it’s released to the public. Better spot flaws now than when it’s deployed, right?

Basically, you need to know how to properly spot flaws in a website or program. Spotting these flaws don’t have to be overly technical (although there are beta testing jobs for more technical aspects of a system), they include stuff like making sure links work, media loads properly… basically, just making sure things work as they were intended to.

What other skills are needed?

I think it would be helpful if you have a good eye for detail… no, scrap that. You need to be borderline obsessive compulsive. If you’re the type of person who can’t stand it when something is even just slightly off with a website your app you’re using, you’ll do good at this kind of job.

If you have a keen eye for all things digital, give this a try!

 

[Amy Es]

Thanks for the beta testing review. Beta testing sites should be fun for a very specific type of person only. That person needs to enjoy looking for things that are wrong in a website. I got a beta testing job before and it wasn’t the most enjoyable thing I did.

I first thought it would involve like gaming and other cool stuff (well, you might get lucky and get a gaming-related job - but I didn’t), but my beta testing job involved clicking through a website and “testing” it. I must have spent a few hours on a single website because my client was ultra-strict about quality, and wanted to make sure everything worked well before the website was launched.

My project involved an e-commerce site, so you can imagine how much stuff we had to test. I had to make sure the entire shopping experience - from adding stuff to my shopping cart to check-out and order confirmation - worked. Normally, I like shopping, and it was fun for a while, but it eventually got pretty tedious for me. We also had to like write down stuff in a report about things that weren’t right with the website.

But this isn’t me saying that beta testing jobs aren’t legit. Actually, beta testing jobs are legit. But you gotta want to do this sorta work. If you have the right skills and personality for this, give it a try!

 

[Amos]

Thanks for the comments on my beta testing review, my peeps. In addition to getting beta testing work on WhatUsersDo, you can also try sites like UpWork, PeoplePerHour, and even Amazon ’s Mechanical Turk to find beta testing jobs. Those are great resources, and I’ve found some pretty good work on those sites.

But do note that you’re kind of on your own there. You are basically in charge of selling your own services, and settling on agreements with potential clients. Because of that, I suggest the following tips if you do get beta-testing jobs outside of WhatUsersDo:

Get it in writing!

Okay, there might not be any paper on the interwebs, but make sure you document all terms of your agreement, whether it’s via email or messenger. Make sure you get it in writing, and send it to your client. And when you’ve sent it, tell you’re client that you’ve sent it. Then it would be a good idea to tell them again that you’ve sent it.

And that’s because clients sometimes “forget” the terms of your agreement, and that’s where scope creep comes up (I’ll be talking about that in the next item). Not all clients are malicious; some of them really do forget what your agreement was. In any case, it’s good to have a written agreement all parties can refer to when a dispute comes up.

Avoid scope creep!

If you were hired to test only a certain number of pages, or a certain number of features, your deliverables might sloooooowly increase over time. It’ll start as a small favor the client asks you for. Then another. And another. Before you know it, the work you’re doing is radically different from what you originally agreed on.

To avoid that, I suggest (like I mentioned above) getting everything in writing. That’s for everyone’s protection, not just your. Next, be careful doing favors, or things that are off the books. I’m not saying you should say no outright; sometimes doing those favors is a great way to build good client-customer relations. But know when to say no. If the favor is something you can do quickly, by all means to it. But if it radically alters your original scope of work, say hell no!

Be professional!

Just because you’re not dealing with your client face-to-face, that doesn’t mean you can neglect professionalism. In fact, I think professionalism is an even bigger requirement, because you need to show your client that you’re legit. So always be on time for conference calls or chats, never miss deadlines, and always communicate clearly and respecfully.

Good luck!

 

[NickBlaine]

I agree with what everyone is saying about WhatUsersDo - usability testing sites are awesome! They take the boredom of surveys and other online tasks away once in a while. Plus they pay via PayPal which is always a good clue of a legitimate site - at least as far as I am concerned.

Sure, there are some issues raised about having to use a webcam, but then again giving the site - any site, for that matter - any personal information about yourself in exchange for earnings is already a matter of giving up a semblance of your privacy. I figured, why should I let paranoia hinder me from upping my earnings.

I like that I earn an average of $8 per completed task here, which is way more than what I would usually make completing surveys or offers on other rewards sites. And there’s no minimum trigger payment which is just awesome. My bottom line is that this is a good addition to my roster of regular GPT and paid survey sites because it provides a refreshing change of pace.