I recently acquired the highest tier (Tier 3) of Crowd, a usability testing tool, to evaluate its effectiveness. As a seasoned UX researcher and designer familiar with industry-standard tools like Userzoom and Usertesting, I regularly conduct both moderated and unmoderated testing sessions for prototypes and live services.

Upon initiating the tool, I entered a URL to assess a SaaS product's clarity and sign-up process through a basic test. Initially, I overlooked the necessity of purchasing testers, assuming the 150 total tests included in the package covered this aspect. However, I later realised this allocation was for analysis purposes. Nevertheless, the pricing of $5 per unmoderated tester represents excellent value, although it remains uncertain whether this rate will remain consistent. Consequently, there is a potential for costs to escalate, up to $50+, without a means of securing a locked-in price.

Despite these considerations, I encountered challenges during test creation, particularly regarding functionality and logic. Despite paying $15 for three unmoderated users (not sure what happens to that money now), I faced difficulties getting the test to go live initially. Subsequent adjustments were necessary before it successfully launched. However, I encountered an issue where user choices failed to trigger progress, even when opting to skip.

Furthermore, even though there were problems, I have yet to witness any testers engaging with the test, leaving me uncertain about the user data pool's adequacy. Additionally, I provided minimal criteria for participant selection, only limiting it to individuals in the UK.

In addition to these drawbacks, I observed significant sluggishness and delays within the tool interface, despite having high-speed internet connectivity.

On a positive note, Crowd offers impressive test templates and visually appealing widgets, although I have yet to test their functionality. Similarly, the analysis features appear promising, although I have not had the opportunity to explore them due to incomplete tests.

In conclusion, while Crowd exhibits evident flaws, addressing these issues could position it as one of the premier testing tools. Clarification regarding user costs and the possibility of securing a locked-in price would greatly enhance confidence for lifetime deal purchasers.

Due to the problems mixed with the potential I will give this at the moment 3/5 with a warning that purchasers could be buying into something amazing, or it could just end up not working well at all. Such great potential.