I'm working on a plan for a possible beta release of a site, and I'd like to hear from others who have done the same. If you've worked on a site that had a beta phase prior to a redesign or other major change, how long did the beta last? Was there a predetermined rationale for keeping the beta going for that length of time, or was it more a matter of keeping the beta up until the new site was ready to go?
My feeling is that there is no optimum length for a beta, and that it's too context-dependent to come up with even a rule of thumb. Obviously, it's possible to have a beta be too short-lived to tell you anything valuable. But I'm wondering if others think it's possible for betas to go on for too long--if the law of diminishing returns kicks in at some point. (And then there's the case of Gmail, with its apparently permanent beta--but I'm sure there's some perfectly good reason for leaving it that way.) All anecdotes, experiences, opinions, etc., greatly appreciated. Thanks. --Amy ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [email protected] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
