alpha testing


alpha testing

The testing of a product with commercial potential by those knowledgeable about the product and closely associated with its design, but who are not part of the R&D staff of the developer.
In the alpha testing phase of product development, bugs, errors and glitches that might cause software or hardware “crashes” are identified and corrected; under alpha testing, the product is put through all its anticipated applications, and field product experts are brought in to provide a real-world dimension to the development process.