Short answer: give real people on real devices a specific task in your app or website, collect reports with screenshots or recordings and clear reproduction steps, fix what they find, then re-test the fixes. You do not need a QA department to do this — you need real devices, real users and a specific task list.
I'm Ajmal, founder of TestLancer, a marketplace where real people test Android and iOS apps and websites on their own devices. This is the process I recommend to small teams.
Why is testing on my own phone not enough?
You built the product, so you know where every control is. You are also on one device, one OS version, one browser and one network. Your users are on many combinations, and they have no context for your design. Layout breaks, permission prompts that behave differently on another manufacturer's Android skin, and forms that fail in one browser live in that gap.
What should a real-device round include?
- Mobile app testing on Android and iOS, including iOS builds through TestFlight
- Website testing across browsers and devices, covering forms and checkout
- QA testing: functional (does each feature work?), regression (did an update break something?) and exploratory (what happens off the happy path?)
- Real user testing: real people completing real tasks
How do I write tasks testers can actually follow?
Be specific. “Try to buy a product with a coupon” beats “test the app”. For each task, say:
- Where to start
- What to try to complete
- What to report, with screenshots or a recording when something breaks
What makes a bug report useful?
A bug report you cannot reproduce is almost useless. Ask for the device and OS, the exact steps, what was expected, what actually happened, and a screenshot or screen recording.
How does TestLancer fit in?
On TestLancer you can order mobile app testing, website testing, QA testing, real user testing, UX research, surveys and market research, and Google Play closed testing campaigns. Testers and freelancers join free and are paid per test.
FAQ
Do testers use real devices?
Yes. Real people test on their own devices.
Is this a replacement for automated tests?
No. Automated tests catch what you already thought of; human testers catch what you did not. Use both where you can.
Where do I start?
https://testlancer.com/
Disclosure: I'm the founder of TestLancer.
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