Today I’ll be reviewing one of the website testing sites I use to make extra money each month. The website is UserTesting and the company is one of the most well know website usability testing companies.
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- What Is UserTesting?
- Is UserTesting Legit? Or just another Scam?
- What the Heck is Usability Testing Anyway?
- How Does User Testing Work?
- What Equipment Do I need?
- How Much Does UserTesting Pay?
- How Much Can You Earn with UserTesting?
- UserTesting and Taxes
- Is UserTesting Worth Signing Up for?
- What Are UserTesting Website Tests Like?
- What if I run into problems with a website test?
- Is there a UserTesting App Available?
- How to be Better Website Tester and Get Better Ratings
- Who Can Sign Up with UserTesting?
- Pro’s
- Cons
What Is UserTesting?
UserTesting is a website testing platform that helps companies get fast feedback on websites and apps before they go live.
Is UserTesting Legit? Or just another Scam?
I can confirm that UserTesting.com is 100% legitimate. I’ve taken several website tests on the platform and can confirm that I’ve always been paid on time. I also found the process to be very smooth and fair.
What the Heck is Usability Testing Anyway?
Website Usability Testing is a process used by companies to test that their websites work correctly. Once a website has been built it needs to be tested before it’s launched. Part of this is getting real people to try the site out – usability testing.
Sites like UserTesting existing to farm this work out to Website Testers. And the best part is – anyone can sign up to become a website tester.
How Does User Testing Work?
You simply sign up with UserTesting, complete a trial website test and once approved you’re good to go. You’ll then start receiving website tests by email. When you received tests, you can log into your account and complete it. Once approved, you get paid – easy!
What Equipment Do I need?
You will need some equipment to be a website tester. You’ll need a laptop (obviously), a fast internet connection and either a speaker built into your laptop or a microphone if not.
You’ll also need to download and install the UserTesting screen recorder. Once you’ve done this, you’ll then need to complete a practice test that has to be approved.
The minimum equipment requirements are:
PC
- Operating system: Windows 7, 8, or 10.
- Memory: At least 1 GB of total RAM and 0.5 GB of available RAM.
- Free disk space: At least 7 GB of free disk space.
- Browser: Internet Explorer 11, Firefox 45, or Chrome 49.
Mac
- Operating system: OS X 10.7 or higher
- Memory: At least 1 GB of total RAM and 0.5 GB of available RAM.
- Free disk space: At least 5 GB of free disk space.
- Browser: Internet Explorer 11, Firefox 45, or Chrome 49.
How Much Does UserTesting Pay?
UserTesting usually pays $10 for a 20-minute website test (around £7.50 inf you’re in the UK like me). My experience though is that the tests often take slightly less than 20 minutes so this gives you a great hourly rate of around $30 per hour (£22.50).
However, if you manage to land a face to face skype session these pay much more generously. The one I did, paid me $60 (around £45) for an hours skype call.
Payment is via PayPal which you receive 7 days after completion of the website or app test. This allows UserTesting time to review the video upload for quality to confirm payment. To be honest these terms are pretty good as another site I use (WhatUsersDo) usually takes over a month to pay out. So, this is a big thumbs up for UserTesting in my humble opinion.
How Much Can You Earn with UserTesting?
You’re not going to get rich and retire early from UserTesting I’m afraid. But you will get a decent number of tests to complete each month. UserTesting states you should expect to get around 4 tests a month which would be $40 from this site alone.
Plus there’s the potential to earn more if you get invited to a Skype call. You’ll need to have a good tester rating to qualify for these though.
If website testing is a way you’d like to make money I’d suggest signing up with several sites to get as many tests as you can each month. You can have a look at my post that lists 14 website testing sites to sign up with.
UserTesting and Taxes
UserTesting quotes in their FAQ section that they don’t withhold any taxes from payments. That means you’re responsible for declaring your earnings and paying any owed taxes to HMRC if you’re in the UK (or the equivalent if you’re based outside the UK).
Is UserTesting Worth Signing Up for?
In short – yes! It’s well paid and fun. $10 which works out at around £7.50 for a 20-minute website test is worthwhile in my opinion. That gives you an hourly rate of $30 or £22.50 per hour which is pretty good going for something literally anyone can sign up for.
It beats the hell out of the rates you’ll get on survey sites by a significant margin – but it is a lot more involved as you’ll be speaking out loud. I guess not everyone will be comfortable with that.
What Are UserTesting Website Tests Like?
Tests are sent out via email and can be accessed anytime by logging onto your dashboard.
The tests themselves vary depending on the client and specific website. It can be anything from being asked to search for specific information on a topic, to trying to complete a transaction on an e-commerce store. There are also opportunities every now and again to complete Skype focus groups direct with a client. These are great as they tend to pay-out at around $60 per hour – awesome!
The video below gives you a nice overview of the website testing process.
What if I run into problems with a website test?
If you have a problem during a website test, UserTesting has a really good support set up. If you encounter a problem during the test though, you can simply click on the Help button below the task section of the test or the “?” symbol on the screen recorder – this will pause the test and allow you to report the problem.
The FAQ section of the website is very in-depth with a wide range of videos and guides to help you answer any questions you have or troubleshoot any issues. If you can’t find the answer you can email the UserTesting support team.
Is there a UserTesting App Available?
Yes, there is an app available too. So, you need to install the app to complete the mobile app tests that come through. You’ll still get told about these by email but will have to complete them using the app on your phone.
How to be Better Website Tester and Get Better Ratings
Getting good ratings is in your interest with UserTesting. The better your rating as a website tester, the more tests you’ll receive – simple. So, if you want to earn a decent amount return good tests! Luckily the website gives you plenty of helpful tips and videos to deliver good quality website tests. Check out the video below as an example – tips to become a good website tester.
My main pointers are:
- Make sure your audio is working by checking the bars are moving as you speak.
- Speak your thoughts out load clearly during the test. This will probably feel a bit weird at first, but you’ll get used to it pretty quickly.
- Make sure you’re somewhere quiet, where you won’t be interrupted. (My cat has a habit of trying to jump onto my laptop and meowing during a test…. ????)
Make sure you read the tasks carefully and understand them. Then stick to the set of tasks you’re instructed to do. This is something I’m a bit guilty of messing up. I have a natural tendency to go off script and start clicking areas I shouldn’t. I’m naturally impatient and like to explore websites so if you are too, you’ll have to resist the natural urge to just start clicking around and stick to what you’ve been asked to do!!
Who Can Sign Up with UserTesting? accepts participants from all over the world but pays out in US dollars via PayPal.
They’re currently accepting applicants from the following countries:
North America
USA and Canada
Europe
UK (where I’m based), Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
Latin America and the Caribbean
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru,
Africa, Middle East and India
India, Israel, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, United Arab Emirates
Asia Pacific
Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam
Pro’s
- At $10 for 20 minutes work UserTesting is very well paid, especially when you compare it to similar side hustles like Survey sites such as PopulusLive and Prolific Surveys, or apps like Streetbees.
- Fun and interesting. Clicking around on a website is usually pretty interesting and the time passes quickly. It’s also quite fun to get to see new sites before they launch and also see some of the glitches that crop up in the design process.
- Payment terms are good from UserTesting – you receive payment within a week so aren’t waiting for ages to get your money
- There is a scoring system, so if you give good feedback, you get a good rating. Obviously, this is only a positive if you provide good feedback, but if you want to earn more on UserTesting this is something you need to focus on. Better ratings, equals more tests and better-paid tests such as skype focus groups.
Cons
- The upload process after a test can sometimes be a bit slow which is frustrating, especially if you waiting to get on with something else.
- Screening out can be a bit of a pain. UserTesting does tend to screen you out a lot more than some other sites I’m signed up with which gets annoying pretty quickly. I also get the same test sent to me again after being screened out once, which makes no sense. So, this an area that could certainly be improved.
- Limited earning potential. Due to the small number of tests you’re likely to quality for you’re not going to make bucket loads of cash on UserTesting. But, this is the same for all website testing sites unfortunately.
