What’s Next for the QA Lab?

People have been asking this same question for years. Once upon a time, a robust QA lab was a must-have for all tech companies. It provided access to the devices, networks, and operating systems necessary to deliver a functional digital experience across a wide user base. Most importantly, it was an in-house capability that gave companies the competitive advantage they needed to succeed.

That was just a few short years ago – back when devices were fewer and the customer experience was more of a universal consideration. Fast forward to today and there are more than 45,000 unique mobile device profiles…and that’s just mobile devices. Fold in the variety of connected devices now available on the market and the time and resources needed to cover this in-house just aren’t there.

So again, is the QA lab dead? No, but the concept is changing.

There are many issues with the traditional QA lab concept, but the most glaring of them is the lack of available time in which to test. According to the 2018-2019 World Quality Report, this has been the case now for two consecutive years with 52% of respondents in agreement.

There are several reasons for this, and they all come back to the evolving customer landscape. Customers are constantly clamoring for new app features, but have no patience to wait. This has led to shortened sprint times, but with the same number of testers and available resources. While testing in a lab setting has its benefits, it is not sufficient on its own to meet the demands of today’s customer.

So, What’s Next for the QA Lab?

For the QA lab to work, it needs help in a variety of different areas – as demonstrated by the above visual. With no internal solution available, companies are turning to crowdtesting to provide the support and value they cannot find anywhere else. This solution has proven immensely valuable to organizations, both in the short- and long-term, across three key areas.

1. Keeping pace with testing
2. Minimizing device maintenance and upkeep
3. Improving channel quality

With crowdtesting services, companies are able to minimize or completely eliminate the most common issues associated with QA testing. All of their testing needs, be it increased device coverage, test capacity, or an unbiased eye on the app experience are all available on-demand. While the traditional QA lab is not going anywhere, it seems to have found a fast friend in crowdtesting.