A side Hustle Anyone Can Do
A few months ago, I was looking into additional ways to make money, and specifically make money on the side and from home. I thought it might be a good venture to share on the blog from time to time since I do earn some money from several different ways “specifically crafty” ways or side hustles. And while it is nice to share craft business tips for other makers and crafty creatives, I thought that before I do, I would go into the easiest, fastest and rather a fun way to make pretty decent money from home.
Now, don’t get too excited, I’ve only tried or done this myself a handful of times, and that is manly because one, I do have my other side hustle of selling handmade goods, like embroidery or vinyl, or jewelry through my online shop, The Dashing Pearl, and my orders and customers take precedence. BUT, that all being said, if the orders are slow, and I have down time, and want to pull in some extra bucks, this is what I would do, and still do.
So do you want to know what it is?
It is User Testing. User Testing, ehh? You might be thinking – what the heck is that? Well, it is basically being paid, typically $10 for every 10-15 minute website test you complete. Now, dont misunderstand me, it is NOT, you actually completing a test of your skills or know. It is more a test of you “testing out” or experiencing someone else’s website within the requested time. It’s pretty neat, right?
How User Testing works:
First you have to make an account at usertesting.com. Once you do, you will be asked to go through a short survey of questions so that the site can match you to clients who have websites that need to be tested specifically from within your area, geo graphics or some other qualifying, like if you use android versus apple. Tests can be completed on laptops (my preference) however, some require a test being done via your cell phone or tablet.
Once you have your account and profile all set up, you will be asked to complete a sample test, or what I call the actual “interview” of being a tester. Yes, you must pass this part of it before you would begin getting user tests to do for money. This test is done on your laptop, using your laptop’s microphone.
Testing is done by you speaking out into the mic your thought process of going through the website, really explaining what you see and or possibly what you thought or expected to see. This lets the website owner know exactly what they need to do to change the site to be more user friendly, or what may be happening if there is a glitch. So during the test or “interview test” make sure you are absolutely in the quietest area of your home, and that you speak loud and clear into your microphone. My best tip is that you try not to stop talking the entire time, and that you do not ramble on about just anything either.
The Interview
This test is to test how you speak, do you speak good English, or do you mumble, speak slang or slur, do you comprehend what you are seeing on your screen and turn it back into feedback verbally for the website owner to use. That in itself is the way to be great a user tester.
Why I love it:
I love it because it doesn’t feel like it is work, and it takes only a few minutes to make a few quick bucks without leaving home, packaging anything, and basically I can do tests while sitting in my pjs, in bed with my laptop. I’m a talker by nature, so doing user tests is natural for me. Nobody is in the room when I do them, so I speak as if I am speaking to myself and as to what I’m really thinking about website. I love visiting different websites.
One test I completed required me to go through the checkout process of a hotel website, and they issued me a “fake credit card number” that would act as a real one when testing on the site. So I made a pretend reservation to Paris, France (the destination was my choice, so why not) for two nights for two people. Throughout the test, I had to give my thoughts, and then was also asked to provide feedback on the checkout process, and notate specifics that were confusing. Pretty cool, right??? It took all of 15 minutes of my time, and I was paid $10 approximately 3 days later into Paypal for my test. And the best part is, that this momma got to escape being a mom for those few moments pretending a mini vacay away!!! One can dream right?!?!!
So to do some simple numbers for you, if you were to complete just 5 tests per week, that is $50 bucks and over the month that could easily turn into $200 dollars of extra income. Over time I could buy that vacation. But hey, $200 extra bucks a month is not bad for practically doing nothing except for giving your best professional opinion of someone’s website. All you really need is good laptop that has a microphone to do this job. You can buy other equipment, like a microphone to ensure better quality sound, but it is not necessary.
The Downside of User Testing
Okay, so I wouldn’t be completely honest with you if I didn’t also explain the downside of this side hustle job. Every job has them right? And the one downfall of this one is that, tests are sometimes hard to get. You may only get 1 test per day. A lot of times they are emailed to you. If you happen to be in your email inbox at the time the tests pops in you can quickly log in and snag the test. Other times, you can automatically be logged in to see any first test that comes up, or look for other possible tests that you qualify for. I was able to find a few 5 minute tests, but note those 5 minute only tests pay $3. So you have to weigh that in when considering this for part time cash or work.
However, I do know that people log in for a few hours and pick up tests while doing other things on the computer, and so if you are one of those people who can do that – most likely during the day, then you could make some pretty good money with this side hustle. I just want to be honest with you from the beginning, it is not a get rich quick gimmick by any means, but it is a decent fun and interesting way to make a few extra couple bucks.
Do you have a side hustle, or part time gig that you do to make additional money? If so leave me a comment and let me know about it. I am always interested in finding new ways to pick up some extra cash without ever leaving home. I find it fascinating how even some make a full time salary from doing 1 or more side hustles from home. Hope you found this helpful, thanks for reading.
Layne
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