When I decided on the idea of guest bloggers there were a few people I particularly had in mind that I really wanted to do one and happily, Kasey was one of them who agreed.
First, she is the brains behind TheSkeiniac, and not only is her photography gorgeous (seriously, go stalk her on Instagram), but her blog is one I read quickest because I sat there nodding throughout. So many truths.
Secondly, she agreed on answering questions for sharing the testers’ points of view while I will be her guest blogger today, sharing the designers’ points of view, and she’s come up with hacks to making your testing pattern process much easier.
So that’s it! My beautiful guest blogger will be with you today.
I can’t thank you Kasey enough for taking part in this, and I hope you all enjoy what she has written too.
Why Become A Pattern Tester?
I became a pattern tester mostly out of curiosity! I stumbled upon the opportunity when I started my public, yarn-focused Instagram account, and intrigue got the best of me. Since then, more legitimate reasons have kept me pattern testing:
First, pattern testing is a really great way to force yourself to expand and improve upon your knitting/crocheting skills. If you have always wanted to make a garment, or try a cable stitch, but for some reason, you keep putting it offโฆ apply to test a pattern incorporating that technique! The deadline will force you to learn it, and youโll be so glad you did. I do not think I would have ever gotten around to making a garment if not for pattern tests, and now a significant portion of my wardrobe is handmade by me.
Second, pattern testing is a fantastic way to interact with and meet other makers in the community. This community is full of really great people who share common interests with you. Before pattern testing, I did not know any other women my age who spent (far too much of) their time with yarn. Now, I am so lucky to call several women close friends, and having this hobby and passion in common only makes our friendship stronger.
Third, pattern testing is a great way to hold yourself accountable and actually finish projects! I have always been deadline motivated and tend to get distracted by tasks and projects that have no deadline. If youโre the kind of person who has a whole pile of WIPs and few FOsโฆ sign up for a pattern test! You will have a date certain by which you need to finish, and before you know it, youโll have tons of FOs.
How Do You Decide Which Designers/Designs to Test?
When I started pattern testing, it was as simple as applying to any testing call that I saw and liked. At the beginning of your pattern testing journey, be willing to start with smaller designers and smaller projects. Once you have the testing experience, you will start to build your โresumeโ for bigger designers and projects. That being said, do not be afraid to apply to bigger designers either! Some of my first pattern tests were for big designers, like @LadyJayCrochet. Many designers are willing to take a chance on beginners, so do not be afraid to dive in.
As I have grown and my pattern testing availability has become slimmer, I have had to narrow my selections a bit. Unfortunately, there is just not enough time in the day to test all the lovely patterns out there that appeal to me! Now, I have to limit my pattern testing to the things that I really envision myself wearing and using and a few special projects here and there (and even then, I have to pass on a lot that I would love to test).
Lastly, my pattern testing experience also helps me decide who to test for and not test for. Sometimes you will have either a particularly positive experience with or a potentially negative experience with a particular designer. That can help you decide whether to return to or refrain from applying for future designs by the same person going forward.
Ways to Interact with Designers
I think itโs a good idea for testers to try to remember: (a) they are working from a rough draft; and (b) the pattern creating process can be personal and vulnerable dor designers.
As to the first point, be patient and do not expect the pattern to be perfect. You did not pay for a PDF in the final form. Your role as a tester is to help identify the nits and errors. So, getting frustrated or annoyed by errors defeats the purpose of pattern testing. You need to be willing to be patient with designers as they work through these kinks.
As to the second point, be sensitive in your correspondence with the designer. Releasing patterns can be vulnerable and scary. Try to envision how you would want someone to communicate errors and issues to you. Designers are human, so be compassionate in your correspondence with them.
General Responsibilities of a Tester
Testers need to provide constructive and productive feedback by or before the deadline. Errors that affect the construction of the project should be communicated upon discovery. If a designer provided a feedback form or a list of specific feedback requested, make sure you are providing all of the requested feedback. And make sure you get your feedback in by the deadline. Being even a day late with your feedback can significantly affect the designerโs timeline for releasing the pattern. It should go without saying, but also make sure you are providing feedback for the size you applied to test.
Testers should also take and provide the designer with quality photographs of the project, and ideally, should promote the pattern with those photographs on their own public social media account.
Testersโ Availability Boundaries
I personally believe that designers should not expect all testers to start right away or be working on the pattern throughout the entire testing period. Testers accept pattern tests knowing how much time is being provided to complete the project. Presumably, the tester understands best when, within that time frame, they will be able to work on and finish the project. For some testers, that will be a little bit every day from start to finish. For other testers, that maybe three or four intensive days over a weekend or during a vacation they know they have planned to work on it within that window. Sometimes when designers โcheck-inโ regularly and constantly ask how far along we are, it stresses me out and makes me think they do not think I will finish. Trust that I signed up knowing the deadline and will get it done on time. If I do not meet the deadline, you can decide to not let me test for you again.
That being said, testers should also be paying attention to any correspondence from the designer throughout the testing window. If you are not starting for a week or two, that is not an excuse to make the designer repeat themselves once you get around to it. If the designer sends out edits or updates via email or the group chat, make sure you make note of those so that you can incorporate them when you do start.
Testers should generally be available to answer questions from the designer during the testing window and for a reasonable amount of time after the testing window finishes, while the designer is incorporating the feedback provided. Often, this is just a few days between the testing period ending and the pattern is released. However, if you do not end up releasing the pattern for a while after testing completes, designers should not expect testers to be around to answers questions months later.
Testersโ Suggestions to Designers
Appreciation goes a long way. Acknowledge the work your testers have done for you. Share their posts in your stories (at least). Thank them. Compliment the photos they share.
Be patient with your testers. Frustration comes across in tone, even via text. And while you may genuinely be frustrated with one tester, other testers are reading the correspondence. If you seem impatient or angry with the tester, other testers may be put off. This can keep good testers from coming back to you for future designs, so try to keep your cool. That being said, we are all human, so if you do get frustrated, simply apologize and reiterate that you are appreciative of your testersโ hard work.
Keep in mind that what makes sense to you as the designer of the pattern may not make sense to your testers. You may need to explain things in other ways before they get there, so it may take a little bit of time and patience to get it right for everyone.
Take a chance on new testers! Sometimes new testers are the most eager to pattern test, and they will be more attentive to the details and the feedback requested. I would not be here if a few designers did not take a chance on me in the very beginning. I am so grateful for those designers and hope others like me are getting those chances.
Be sure to check out Kasey’s Instagram and her website, the skeiniac!