User testing¶
Overview¶
PetFolio's testing approach has three phases: closed beta before launch, soft launch for early access, and continuous feedback after launch.
Phase 1: Closed beta (pre-launch)¶
Purpose¶
Validate the product with real users before public release. Catch usability problems, confirm the prompts work, and test the sharing flow end-to-end.
Participants¶
- Size: 10-30 people
- Mix: pet owners and pet professionals (sitters, vets, rehoming centre staff)
- Recruitment: survey respondents who opted into follow-up interviews (Q24 in the content strategy survey), plus personal network contacts
- Selection criteria: a range of species owners, multi-pet households, and at least 2-3 professional users
What to test¶
- Onboarding flow (account creation, guided prompts)
- Profile creation (completeness, ease of use, prompt relevance per species)
- Profile reading and reference (can a carer find what they need quickly?)
- Sharing flow (creating a share, recipient sign-up, viewing a shared profile)
- Safety brief visibility (do recipients encounter it first?)
- Offline access (can they view profiles without connectivity?)
- Combined daily routine (does the cross-animal view make sense?)
How to gather feedback¶
- Direct conversations (30-minute remote interviews, compensated)
- In-app feedback mechanism (see continuous feedback below)
- Task-based observation (ask them to create a profile for their pet, then share it with someone)
Duration¶
2-4 weeks before planned launch.
Success criteria¶
- Users can create a useful profile without external help
- Recipients can find critical information (safety brief, medication, routine) within 30 seconds
- The sharing flow works end-to-end without confusion
- No critical usability blockers
Phase 2: Soft launch (early access)¶
Purpose¶
Validate with a wider audience in real-world conditions. Watch actual usage patterns, not just directed feedback.
Approach¶
- Invite-only or waiting list - controlled growth
- Recruit through pet communities, social media, partnerships with pet organisations
- Monitor the success metrics in real time
What to watch¶
- Onboarding drop-off (where do people abandon the setup?)
- Profile completeness rates (are people filling in all four categories?)
- Time to first share (how long before someone shares a profile?)
- Share-to-signup conversion (are recipients becoming users?)
- Retention (do people come back after the first week?)
- Free to Premium conversion (is the value proposition strong enough to pay for?)
Duration¶
Ongoing - transitions into full public launch when metrics are healthy and no critical issues remain.
Phase 3: Continuous feedback¶
Purpose¶
Ongoing feedback loop after launch. Users should be able to tell you what's working and what isn't without going out of their way.
In-app feedback mechanism¶
Feedback button:
- Visible on every page by default
- Opens a simple form: short text field ("what's on your mind?") with optional screenshot attachment
- Can be hidden by the user in their account settings
- Always accessible from settings even if hidden from the main UI
Post-action prompts:
Triggered after key moments to capture sentiment when the experience is fresh:
| Trigger | Prompt |
|---|---|
| First profile completed | "How was setting up your first profile?" (1-5 rating + optional comment) |
| First share created | "How easy was it to share your profile?" (1-5 rating + optional comment) |
| 7 days after sign-up | "Is PetFolio helping you manage your pet's information?" (1-5 rating + optional comment) |
Post-action prompts are:
- Optional - can be dismissed without responding
- Permanently dismissible - "don't ask me again" option that turns them off for good
- Not intrusive - subtle, non-blocking, does not interrupt the current task
Future feedback enhancements¶
- Feature request board with voting (users suggest and prioritise)
- NPS (Net Promoter Score) surveys at regular intervals
- In-app changelog ("what's new") with feedback option per update