What is a Beta Release?
The beta release is a product’s testing phase, where the product has already all of its core elements and a real-life user can use it to validate the functionality, usability, logic of the product flow, and reliability. Some bugs and minor usability issues usually still occur, which can then be reported by the user.
Not just a product can have a beta release but also separate elements of a product. If a new feature is introduced, this element can also go through beta testing to see how the market evaluates this addition.
As a result, the startup takes into consideration the market feedback and implements it to the product, to create the best version possible. Design changes might also occur as design colors and elements can be reported as misunderstood for some users.
Example of Beta Release
For example, an event website with a booking functionality for the top startup events in Austria can have all of its basic functionalities. It should be no problem to read an introduction about a specific event, then look up the dates, book it and synchronize it with your Google calendar. A bug that can occur in the beta release is when the calendar synchronization doesn’t work properly – it books the event for another day or doesn’t book it at all.
Difference between alpha and beta release
Beta release comes usually right after the alpha release. In the alpha release the product doesn’t have all of its basic functionality – to keep the upper example, you can review an event but cannot book it. In the beta release, however, you can also book the event, just some problems might occur in the process.
