I have tried many different side hustles to make money from home over the years. Some of them worked a bit and most of them didn't really work at all. But there is 1 particular side hustle which helped me make over $2500 from the comfort of my bedroom. Today I wanted to talk about that

What is Usability Testing?

Usability testing or user experience (UX) testing is a type of testing performed on applications in order to find out the consumers opinions of the software. These opinions can be used to help guide the business with improving their software.

Usability testing is something that generally used to be carried out by business' themselves. Over the last 15 years platforms have began popping up that act as a "middle man" for this process. These platforms allow business' to submit their software or website for testing. The platform will then distribute the tests to the platform's testers.

Different platforms have different ways of testing whichever product they are testing. But in general, the tester will be given a series of tasks to carry out on the software as determined by the software owner. Once the tester has carried out their tasks and the test is complete, the platform will pay the tester a cut of whatever the business was charged to test their site.

The Platform I Use To Test Products (UserTesting.com)

So the platform which I personally used and found the most success with was UserTesting.com. This platform allows you to sign up as a tester and begin testing websites they have available. 

If your on PC, UserTesting will work through a chrome extension. The extension will record your screen and voice during testing sessions. It will also display the tasks in the corner you have to attempt.

And don't worry about struggling with getting stuff wrong. They don't care if you complete all tasks perfectly.

What they are truly trying to find out is how YOU find their product.

So while you are reviewing sites you are encouraged to speak your mind and say what you like/dislike or maybe are struggling with.

e.g. If you have been asked to "Navigate to page X" but you can't seem to find out how to do this, then you should say that out loud and maybe even suggest where you think would make sense to have the link to the page. Doing stuff like this will provide the business' with information they can use to improve their product. 

UserTesting also has a mobile app available which allows you to test apps or websites on your phone. This is a great addition to get some more tests.

Now the important bit... how much do they pay?

The standard UserTesting test pays the tester $10 for what should take around 10-15 minutes. There are some cases where the prices may very for more unique tests. For example, I regularly see tests paying $60 but these are usually live tests where you have the option to join a call with a client and they can ask you questions directly.

UserTesting pays out pretty much exactly a week after your test is complete. They pay to a PayPal account which means if your not in the United States like me, then you can easily convert it to your local currency. Mine being GBP.

My UserTesting History

So I thought it's worth me sharing my proof. 

Below is a screenshot from my 'Test History' page in UserTesting showing how much I made. 

$2568 / 268 tests ~ $9.58 per test

I imagine this slightly lower average comes from lower paying tests that used to exist. I am not sure if UserTesting still provides them, but when I started UserTesting years ago they had the option to perform $3 tests I believe which would be only a 5 minute test asking you what you like and what you don't like about the site.

I have not seen these tests in a long time but as UserTesting has changed there testing before, I would be open to the idea they may introduce more testing types in the future.

How Can I Get Paid To Test?

If you want to get started UserTesting to make yourself a little extra side money then checkout their below. I am by no way affiliated with UserTesting and I am not being paid to make this post. The only money I have ever received from UserTesting is then money from the tests.

https://www.usertesting.com/get-paid-to-test

If you have ever used UserTesting or want to share other opinions on Usability Testing then let me know in the comment section.

Summary

UserTesting is an amazing side hustle and I would suggest it as a great side hustle option for people at a PC a lot of the time. In most cases you can leave UserTesting running in the background when you perform other tasks and when a test comes through you will hear a ding to let you know.

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