I, just as many people, am always looking for easy ways to make money quickly. From surveys to freelancing there are a variety of ways to make money online, some of course being more efficient methods than others. Recently the website UserTesting has come to my attention, so with this series I will be experimenting with the site.

WHAT IS USERTESTING.COM?

UserTesting.com is a website that is apparently supposed to help companies create more navigable websites. They connect their “testers” who will attempt to complete tasks on the companies websites they are given and the companies who will receive the feedback. “Testers” are supposed to closely follow the instructions accorded while speaking out-loud to track their progress trying to complete the tasks.

“If you’re accepted to our panel, you’ll be eligible to be paid for tests you complete. A test participant can typically earn around $10 per 20-minute video by sharing their thoughts out loud.” (UserTesting.com)

Sign up Process

Signing up to become a “tester” requires in of itself some testing. The first step of this process after filling out extremely basic information was to complete an application “test-round” of the “testing” process. For this I had to download UserTesting.com’s screen/voice recording application.

After downloading the app, the process included trying to find information on a museum’s website. While following the instructions in the corner of the page I recorded my voice while trying to find the assigned information. This whole process did not take more than 10 minutes at all.

After completing the test-round I was informed that UserTesting.com would review my application.

“You should expect to hear from us again within the next few days, so keep an eye on your inbox.” (UserTesting.com)

Next Step

I heard back from Usertesting.com 2 days after my application.

From that second email I had to follow a link to finish setting up my profile. This included creating a username/password and filling in information that would help specify my tests so that I would be more likely to qualify for them.

After filling in information I was redirected to the Help Center which had information, tips and quizzes to complete that would make me more likely to receive 5-star rating and therefore qualify for more tests.

Honestly, I found the information pretty useful, though the quizzes might have been an overkill. That being said I finished the quizzes pretty quickly and found they are definitely worth your time.

After completing those quizzes, I figured I could get started on my “testing” process and make money. So I went to the “available tests” tab on the page.

Unfortunately, there were no tests available at the time but I waited until the first test appeared in my folder. Three actually showed up at once. One was meant for mobile phones and two were meant for computers. I tried to apply for the first one available which I didn’t end up qualifying for after answering questions for the screening process involving my career. (Apparently freelance writer isn’t an option for this test.) The second computer test I qualified for immediately without screening question necessary.

This test had two questions and took only 5-10 minutes to answer. Unlike my application test, this one did not ask me to look for information on a website. Instead this test asked me to simply answer the two survey questions and speak out loud about my answers.

After completion I was informed that again, I would have to wait to complete my next test. That being said when I refreshed the page my “Payment Pending” info on the website updated.

Conclusion

It’s still hard to tell how well this website works and how efficiently and legitly you can make money using it. I suppose it all depends on whether or not they approve my first test, but only time will reveal that. If I do receive payment for that short process I will be impressed by this site. No matter what, I will continue to experiment and post my feedback!