--How much fun is it to wear test for a company?
It's a double-edged sword. It's awesome to get a pair of free shoes sent your house about once a month but you can't keep them if you like them and you don't get to choose what you get. I would still say it's very fun though becuase who else gets to try shoes before they come out?
--Do they place a lot of demands on you as far as reporting and time frames go?
Not an unreasonable amount. They have a job to do so they expect that you get your reports to them in time but they understand you're volunteering so they won't really get on you much about it. It's really a "choose your level of involvement" type of thing. Testers who don't give much detail and don't stick to time frames are either cut or are sent unimportant tests, i.e. shoes in the final stages of testing. If you're more detailed and responsible with your reports then they'll start sending you the earlier prototypes which is pretty cool.
--Do they send you really terrible stuff?
You do get junk every now and then but nothing too terrible. The upper might rub you the wrong way or the heel might be too tight. That's the whole purpose of these tests though. Be absolutely honest about what you don't like about the shoes. Also, be honest if the shoe was so terrible that you didn't run in it at all. You're not going to get in trouble for not getting your miles in, just be honest.
--What do you do with the product after the test is done?
Send it back. They pay for the shipping and everything so it's really easy.
--Do you test a lot of products during a year or is it really random?
The time between my first two pairs was 4 months. Then I got my third pair a month later, and it pretty much stuck to a once a month schedule until I stopped doing it. I think it varies based on how many people they have who are your weight, gender, mpw, etc. Again, it also depends on how good your reports are and how well you can stick to the time frames they give you.
--Does the testing get in the way of your regular training?
I can pretty much run in anything without getting hurt so it never disrupted mine. If you're more of the fragile type then you might have trouble with some of the earlier prototypes. I've been sent everything from shoes that are ready for release to pieces of foam with barely any upper. You have to be ready for any kind of shoe and if you're not comfortable running in it then just tell them.
--How much do you feel your feedback is used?
I tested a shoe and told them the upper just forward of the laces was too tight. They sent me another pair with only that part changed and that's how they sell them now. For all I know a hundred other people may have told them the same thing, but that alone made me feel like what I was doing was valuable.
--Can you get pretty deep into the process or do they only use what you say in the survey?
The survey is pretty deep. You're actively telling the shoe designers what you like and don't like about one of their products. Short of being a sponsored athlete and going to meet them in person, this is as deep as you can get. At least with the company I did it for, the survey isn't just "on a scale of 1-10 how much did you like the shoe". I mean, that's a part of it, but I would sometimes spend hours writing details about how the shoe could be improved. And knowing that someone with control over the final product was going to read and consider what I wrote made the whole thing very rewarding.