How do we select and test apps to feature on the ProofHub articles

As someone who has put your trust in us, we are here to help you find the best software. We are committed to providing you with information to make a well-informed decision.

On our part, we feel it is important that our readers know what process we follow to select and test apps. Before going into a detailed step-by-step process, let’s first discuss why you can trust us!

What makes us qualified?

1. We are developers of one of the most reliable project management and team collaboration software, ProofHub. We have 15+ years of experience in building a quality work management solution. Our industry experience and expertise help us in evaluating tools comprehensively.
2. We have tested more than 300 apps across various categories.
3. We have written over 500 comprehensive software reviews.
4. We have a dedicated team of expert researchers, analysts, and writers researching, testing, and writing software review articles.

Here is how we select and test apps

We follow a simple, streamlined, and comprehensive process to select and test apps: Research, Shortlist, Test, and Verdict. Here is a step-by-step breakdown of our software review methodology:

Step 1: Research and define the criteria

(A) Define the software category

First of all, for any software review and comparison article, we define “the category” of the software.

For example:

1. If we are reviewing the article about the ‘top 10 project management tools’, the category is “project management”.
2. If it is about ‘top 10 team communication software’, the category becomes “team communication”.

After defining the category, we try to develop an in-depth understanding of the common pain points of users, the solutions users need, and what an ideal software in this category should offer.

(B) List the most necessary features

Once we have developed an understanding of the software category, we research publicly available information to identify the most necessary features of the software in the defined category.

In our research, we take into account insights from:

• User reviews on websites like Gartner, G2, and Capterra.
• Discussions and forms on social communities like Reddit and LinkedIn.
• Top tech review websites like PCMag and Product Hunt.
• Official website of software service provider.
• Our understanding and expertise in the industry.

This helps us identify what features most people find necessary and create a list of the most important features of the software.

(C) Define the evaluation criteria

As software decision-making goes beyond features and functionalities, we define the factors that are important and matter to users. We take into account ease of use, support, pricing, and any other factor specific to that category.

Let’s understand what we mean by the other specific factor.

For every software category, some key decision points vary. For example, if we are writing a review article on ‘the 10 best team collaboration apps’,we know for this category, “minimal learning curve” is a key decision point.

Similarly, if we are writing a review article on ‘the 10 best project management software’, we know for this category, “effective data management” is vital.

For small businesses, we know that ‘value for money’ is the most important. Whereas, for enterprises, an ‘uptime service level agreement’ is more important than software being cheaper.

Thus, this selection of specific criteria helps us make our review of the software apps comprehensive.

Here is what our final criteria for reviewing and evaluating software looks like:

• Features and functionalities
• User experience and learning curve
• Customer support
• Pricing
• Any specific factor criteria eligible to selected category

Step 2: Shortlist the apps based on research

We know how critical it is to make the right decision when selecting project management software. Thus, we invest hours in deep research to help our readers make better software purchasing decisions.

We shortlist the best 10-20 software from hundreds of apps based on our research. We take into account real-user reviews, online discussions and forms, expert opinions, the company’s official website, and various AI tools to draw out insights.

This extensive research gives us insights into how each software performs and helps us shortlist a comprehensive list of apps to test in the defined software category.

We evaluate the practicality and efficiency of the software using hands-on testing.

Step 3: Hands-on testing

For the shortlisted apps, we follow a simple yet rigorous process for testing.

Our hands-on testing process includes:

• Going through training & support videos by the software service provider.
• Product demos and direct conversations with the representatives.
• Enrolling in a free trial for software testing. We set up an account from scratch, invite the team members, and use the app just as a regular user might.

This helps us gain an in-depth understanding of the software’s features, interface, onboarding experience, and user experience in an actual working environment.

We test the apps based on the criteria we set up at the beginning to ensure the most accurate, comprehensive, and relevant software reviews. Here is what we do in the testing phase:

1. Features and functionalities

• Check what features are included, what are not, and what are the standout features.
• Test and evaluate how each feature functions.
• Compare the features of similar tools and identify the areas of strength, weakness, and opportunities.

Our purpose is to find out how promising a feature performs in a real scenario. We log notes in the spreadsheets for every feature of each tool to provide an in-depth comparison of the real capabilities of the tools.

2. User experience and learning curve

We create a project and collaborate with the team. We evaluate the software’s ease of use, setup, & navigation and learning curve & training requirements.

Based on our team experience, we define:

• whether the software is easy to learn and use, or comes with a steep learning curve.
• whether the software’s interface is simple and intuitive, or complex and not intuitive.

3. Support

Customer support plays a huge role in the successful adoption of the tool at the organizational level. We evaluate how easy it is to get help and support from the support team.

• Test how quickly and effectively you can get assistance.
• Test different support options such as live chat, phone support, and ticketing systems.
• Evaluate the range of self-assistance resources the platform offers, such as wikis, forums, videos, help pages, and knowledge resources.

We make notes on the quality, effectiveness, and response speed of the support.

4. Pricing

Pricing is always a key point of discussion. We consider the following steps while evaluating and comparing pricing:

• Compare pricing and the features software is offering for a given price point.
• Compare features’ limitations and how features vary across different pricing tiers.
• Review the pricing plan structure. Some software service providers force you to upgrade to the top tier paid plans to access premium and unlimited features, while other comes with generous pricing structures to offer high value for money to users.
• Find out whether a tool is charging your per-user fee or a flat fee for unlimited users.

This analysis helps us find the tools that offer the best value for the money and scale cost-effectively.

Step 4: The final verdict

We compile all the information in the spreadsheet. Based on our first-hand experience and expertise, real-users' opinions, and expert analysis, we select the best apps and write about them.

We provide you with information in an easy-to-digestible way to help you make easy comparisons. We define what and for whom the selected app is “best for”. In our articles, we create ‘tables’ to help you make comparisons in an easy way. Our purpose is to empower you to make a well-informed decision.

I hope now you know how we try our best to deliver on the trust you put in us. We are proud of the fact that thousands of readers visit us daily to make software-related decisions for their organizations.

Next time, if you need any help, you know you can rely on us for a well-informed software review & comparison.

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