Let’s make it easier to find beta testers!

[Rob Mkrtchian _CAIAT_US_]

I've recently started building apps for Atlassian marketplace, I find it challenging and time-consuming to find beta testers for new apps. I know I’m not alone—there are over 2,800 members in this group only, and thousands of admins and consultants who might potentially be interested testing new apps and giving a feedback. While some partners (maybe 5–10%) have an established user base and don’t struggle with finding enough customers for interviews and beta testing, I see many posts from others asking for beta testers that don’t get much engagement.

I think part of the problem is that there’s no centralized space or consensus among partners and community members on helping each other on beta opportunities.

If this post gets over 50 likes, we can approach community leaders to request a dedicated group for this purpose—where we can share beta opportunities and help each other out with testing and feedback.

In the meantime, let’s kick things off right here—if you’re looking for beta testers for your app, share it in the comments! Let’s see how many apps need testing, and let’s support each other more actively.

P.S. If there’s already a group or space for this purpose that you know about, please share it in the comments—I’d love to join!

[Kristian Klima]

Hi @Rob Mkrtchian _CAIAT_US_ 

A view from the other side. I'm a user, not an app vendor, and I was approach to beta test the apps on several occasions - mostly by large(ish) / well established marketplace partners who could spend time and resources to get in touch and organize followup calls etc.

But there's another perspective.

I'm kind of an app nerd with a clearly defined field and mission :D 

I also have a private Confluence instance that allows me to geek out the hell of the apps.

In a typical business environment, there are multiple factors to consider that narrow the pool and make it harder for people to participate.

• sandbox (or a test site/instance) to avoid installing a beta app on production, and sandbox is a Premium/Enterprise feature
• VAP - vendor approval process. Typically, an app needs to go thru legal, security, etc. review, even if it's destined for a sandbox. This can be a hassle and a deterrent. 

But it'd be nice to have the following - I'm sorry if these ideas are implemented... but I wasn't able to find them.

• a dedicated beta testing group / subgroup (for example, within Confluence) where people could post calls to beta messages.
• Atlassian sponsored checklist of what a beta needs to include - this would make it easier/faster to get the beta apps thru VAP
• or perhaps a full fledged beta testing section on the marketplace where people could scout  for new apps and volunteer (with the necessary legal provisions, vendors' right to veto volunteers, etc.)

I was actually really proud to see my suggestions / ideas implemented or on the roadmap and having the privilege to make an app better. So it's a two way street.

[Rob Mkrtchian _CAIAT_US_]

It is indeed a two-way street. Vendors need beta users to ask questions, understand their pain points, and refine their solutions. On the other side, users have the opportunity to shape products that can address their needs perfectly. Ultimately, Atlassian benefits the most—happy users and happy vendors mean a thriving ecosystem with tools that genuinely add value.

Regarding the sandbox issue, I’ve heard this concern from others as well. But I’m curious—could using a free cloud instance to install and test apps work as a workaround? Or is the challenge that if you configure the app in a separate instance, you’d have to redo everything to move it to production? Are there additional blockers for users/admins to this approach that I might not be aware of?

As for creating a dedicated community group for testing is one option. Even if Atlassian community leaders find it too complex to establish a dedicated section, we could explore creating a shared Confluence instance as you suggested and setup, maybe, an intranet app (vendors who specialize in this could even suggest solutions). It could function as a chat and beta test listing space, where users describe their personas, and vendors filter and reach out to them more effectively.

Maybe there is a better way to setup the Confluence than adding intranet app - but I think of getting out Confluence something like discord or Slack, if it is possible, and still to remain in Atlassian ecosystem.

Lastly, this post has been seen by 75 people so far, but to gain more traction, we need to drive engagement. Perhaps we could ask the community managers to pin the post temporarily—do you think that’s possible?

[Kristian Klima]

@Rob Mkrtchian _CAIAT_US_ 

I thought about a Free Confluence but there might be limits to some apps due to lack of permission controls and/or more advanced feature that require higher tiers.

For example, I have an app that's Admins only and even comes with it's own user group that allows group members to use the app too. This might be an issue.

Sandbox's purpose is to test and for me it was never an issue to replicate the setup on production.

[Rustem Shiriiazdanov]

@Rob Mkrtchian _CAIAT_US_ thanks for raising this topic! 

As a marketplace vendor representative, I can add that we often search for test users through freelance websites. We offer one-time jobs to people who match our target audience to test our apps. I find this method quite effective

[Rob Mkrtchian _CAIAT_US_]

@Rustem Shiriiazdanov that’s a worthy channel, it works for us sometimes too.