Product Tester Jobs: What Are They and How Can I Get One?

Product testing verifies a product’s quality and provides information to consumers on a product’s reliability. Companies can advertise based on claims backed by evidence acquired through testing by checking a product's functionality and performing quality tests. 

Product testing can also safeguard against litigation regarding defective products or false advertising. The testing process will also provide the manufacturer with information to help make warranty decisions or add protection for the customer based on testing results. 

A product testing career involves all the operations ensuring products function as designed. If you’re interested in quality assurance, understanding how products work, and testing product functionality and durability, you may find product testing a good field.

What is a product tester?

Corporations often hire distributors or marketing firms that then hire product testers to evaluate products and determine their capabilities and what uses they can withstand. The company then uses the product tester’s feedback to make claims when selling the product. 

As a product tester, you’ll use a product or conduct specific tests based on a procedure and evaluate the product based on criteria that is valuable to the company. You’ll then give the company detailed feedback about your experience with the product and any other useful information you may have.

The more understanding you have of how the product should function, the experience it should provide, and the company’s expectations of the product, the better you can perform product testing.

Product testers get exclusive access to products before they come out and can often keep the product once the testing is over, which is another perk of the profession. Many product testers test the products in a natural environment. Rather than testing in a lab or facility, testers work in a home or work setting. This is an excellent way for a company to determine if its products will perform properly for the end user.

Read more: What Does a Chief Product Officer Do? A Career Guide

What do product testers test?

Product testers work in many industries, including beauty, food, kitchenware, education, books, toys, furniture, hygiene, and health. The information product testers gather is often a primary marketing talking point, so product testing in these industries is essential for their business operations. Examples of products companies have product testers evaluate include:

• Video games

• Software

• Cosmetics

• Athletic footwear and apparel

• Automobiles

• Foods and beverages

• Electronics

• Baby and toddler products

• Pet products

• Household cleaners

How much do product testers earn?

The average annual pay for all product testers in the US is $45,972 [1]. Of that, $43,175 is the base salary, and $2,797 is additional pay, such as bonuses or commissions. With 15 years of product testing experience, the national average salary is $62,915—$59,255 in base pay, plus $3,660 in additional compensation [1].

Types of product testing roles

You can choose from a range of testing roles, each with a specialty. Here are four common product testing roles: 

• Concept testing: This involves a team of testers exploring a product's idea and projecting how it will sell on the market. Concept testing often involves teams pitching different ideas of products to executives and carrying out customer surveys. 

• Quality assurance (QA) testing: QA occurs in a controlled setting. Testing teams will thoroughly test product efficacy and reliability before placing it on the market. Testing teams will evaluate various valuable criteria for the company.

• A/B testing: This type of testing involves comparing two versions of a product, and the test groups will determine which features are valuable to customers through surveys. The features they will test could be colors, names, features, and other minor changes to the product. The A/B testing will shape the final product based on critical customer feedback.

• Market testing: Market testing involves launching a product into the market to assess how customers receive it, how it performs in various demographics, and what changes may increase product quality and sales. This product testing helps the sales teams quantify a product’s popularity and if it’s worth pouring resources into, including advertising, person-hours, and distribution.

Work-from-home options

Working from home as a product tester is easier now than ever. Most companies want their products tested in the home because end users will interact with them the most.

Your employer will likely ship products to you, and you’ll use company software or another interface to evaluate products, give feedback, and quantify the criteria your company offers you.

Qualifications needed to become a product tester

becoming a product tester has no formal education requirements. However, most companies seek people with knowledge and familiarity with their products so they’ll receive an accurate evaluation. Someone who’s used a particular brand for a long time would be a top tester candidate because they know the ins and outs and what to expect from a given product.

Experience needed to become a product tester

The most valuable experience for an aspiring product tester would be someone familiar with a particular company or product. Someone who’s participated in focus groups, surveys, or polls used to test demographics and markets would also make a strong product tester candidate. For software testers, someone with knowledge of the software’s functions and services would be valuable. 

Getting started

If testing products at home and getting to experience products before they enter the market interests you, becoming a product tester may be a good career move. You can also make a career out of product testing. Explore the  Introduction to Software Testing course from the University of Minnesota on Coursera to learn more.

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Introduction to Software Testing

After completing this course, you will have an understanding of the fundamental principles and processes of software testing. You will have actively created ...

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Writing Test Plans, Writing Defect Reports, Understanding of Testing Theory, Writing Tests, Testing Vocabulary