Digital products are becoming more complex. Release cycles are getting shorter, new technologies and AI are transforming development processes, and at the same time, user expectations regarding quality, performance, security, and an intuitive user experience are rising.
For companies, this means that quality assurance cannot begin just before the go-live.
It must be considered throughout the entire software development life cycle (SDLC)—from the initial requirements through development and integration to release and beyond.
This is precisely where msg.passbrains’ particular strength lies: We combine testing with real users and end devices with the msg Group’s comprehensive testing and industry expertise.
Part of the msg Group since 2020
msg.passbrains has been part of the msg Group since 2020. For our customers, this partnership opens up opportunities that go far beyond traditional crowdtesting. While msg.passbrains enables us to incorporate real-world usage scenarios, a wide variety of devices, operating systems, target audiences, and markets into our quality assurance processes, we can simultaneously draw on additional specialized expertise within the msg Group. This allows us to ensure quality where it is created—and to test it where it ultimately needs to convince: with the users.
An SDLC—Different Perspectives on Quality
Software quality is not limited to a single testing phase. Different phases of a digital product require different methods and expertise. Requirements, usage scenarios, and quality criteria can be examined and scrutinized as early as the requirements and design phases. UX research and early user studies, for example, help to understand needs and expectations before significant development efforts are invested. During the development and integration phase, the focus shifts to technical quality and detecting errors as early as possible. Depending on the project, this phase may involve test management, test automation, API and integration testing, and other technical testing methods. As the product matures, another perspective gains importance: reality.
Crowdtesting Brings Real-World Use into the Development Process
A product can function perfectly from a technical standpoint and still fail to meet users’ expectations. That is exactly why crowdtesting complements traditional quality assurance. Through msg.passbrains, digital products can be tested under real-world conditions with real users, real devices, and a wide variety of usage contexts. This includes, for example, functional testing, exploratory testing, end-to-end testing, usability testing, as well as qualitative and quantitative user testing. Participants don’t test in an idealized lab environment, but rather on their own smartphones, tablets, computers, smart TVs, or other devices—with different operating systems, networks, settings, and individual behaviors. This brings a perspective to quality assurance that is difficult to simulate. After all, people don’t always behave the way a test case anticipates.
From Test Automation to Security—Taking a Holistic Approach to Quality
Crowdtesting is not a substitute for established testing methods. Quality assurance is particularly effective when different approaches are combined in a meaningful way.
Through the msg Group, we can therefore supplement msg.passbrains projects with additional expertise as needed—for example, in the following areas:
- Test Management and Test Strategy
- Test Automation
- Functional and Technical Testing
- Performance and Load Tests
- Security Tests
- Accessibility Testing
- UX Research and Usability Testing
- AI-powered Testing Approaches
- Consulting Services for Quality Assurance and Software Development
This allows for the development of a comprehensive testing strategy for a product: Automated tests ensure that recurring processes run smoothly, technical tests examine systems and interfaces, security and performance tests address specific quality risks—and real users ultimately verify how well the product actually works under real-world conditions.
Industry Expertise Meets Testing Expertise
Another advantage of partnering with msg lies in the group’s extensive industry expertise. Quality assurance doesn’t happen in a vacuum. A banking application has different requirements than a mobility platform, an insurance portal, an e-commerce store, or a TV and entertainment application. Technical requirements, regulatory frameworks, processes, and user expectations can differ significantly in some cases. By combining testing expertise, Crowd Insights, and the industry knowledge available within msg, we can take these interdependencies into account from the very beginning.
This allows us not only to answer the question:
“Does the software work?”
But also:
“Does it work for the people it was designed for—in the context in which they actually use it?”
Shift Left Meets the Real World
Modern quality assurance is increasingly following the “shift left” principle: quality should be addressed as early as possible in the development process.
We believe there is a second perspective to consider here:
Real World Testing.
The sooner real users are involved, the sooner misunderstandings, barriers to use, and false assumptions can be identified. This can begin with prototypes and qualitative user tests, continue with beta and crowd testing during development, and be supplemented after release by regular regression testing or continuous quality assurance. This avoids a single “testing moment” right before release and instead creates a continuous quality process.
The Best of Both Worlds
For us, it is precisely this combination that makes msg.passbrains so exciting within the msg Group. For many years, we have been involving real users in the quality assurance of digital products. At the same time, we can now draw on a significantly broader range of testing, technology, and industry expertise. Our clients don’t have to choose between crowdtesting, test automation, security, performance, accessibility, UX, or traditional quality assurance.
The crucial question is, rather:
Which combination of methods provides the greatest value for the specific product, the current development phase, and the existing risk?
This is precisely what can give rise to a customized quality journey throughout the entire software development life cycle.
From the initial idea to full-scale operation.
From automated testing to real people.
From technical quality to user experience.
One SDLC. Different testing perspectives. One common goal: digital products that not only work but also impress.
