i thought this would be just a general discussion about what pattern creators look for in potential testers.
i’m curious, do you choose randomly or look at someone’s karma, makes? do you take a chance on new people?
i’d like to hear a few peoples opinions on this as everyone has a different view.
not sure this is in the right space (pls correct me if it’s wrong, was tossing up between this and testing zone
)
The testing zone is a good place
I’m no expert; I’ve only done one tester call so far. But what I looked at when choosing testers were both their makes and their bios/profiles. Were they able to follow the previous patterns? How much previous experience do they have?
I chose some people with karma points, because that tells me they have some experience in both crocheting and following patterns, and have a higher chance of completing the test before the deadline. They might also have more experience pointing out flaws within a pattern.
I also thought it was important to choose some new people, so my testing group was 50/50–half with some amount of karma points, and half without.
I had two reasons behind choosing 50% to test without having karma points; new people might see things that more experienced testers don’t, and if someone was newer to crochet I wanted to make sure they understood my “beginner”-leveled pattern. (And to give them a shot at testing something, so that’s three, I guess!)
If it wasn’t a beginner-friendly pattern, I might have chosen differently–you want to be sure that your testers can make the pattern, after all! Both for your and their sake.
But I’m always willing to give some new people a go, especially if I get a good feeling from their bio/profile. Good pictures of previous makes are also a plus (would be better if one could also upload makes which weren’t created through Ribblr too, but that’s beside the point) 
I did one tester call. I did chose people who comment the post and seem motivated to test the pattern, or appreciate the pattern. I also take a look at their makes, if they have some, and if they completed it, made a journal for it. I chose people with or without karma, so people who are new to this place can do it too.
I choose anyeone, doesnt matter the karma points. But if they dont communicate the whole time, or send a picture of the finished product. I remove them as a tester and dont gift it to them. I also write down their username and look at my list when posting a tester call to see who not to choose. Its not right to apply for a pattern and not making it, thats the reason why youre testing 
what a very detailed reply ! thank you 
i think it’s lovely you give new people a try. it’ll give them a bit of a confidence boost imo, well that’s what happened to me it’s good having a variety of people, new and experienced !
thank you for your reply 
ooooh okay i see i see. i try to communicate as much as possible even tho i’m incredibly awkward and shy. i know communication is one of the conditions of testing so people really shouldn’t apply if they can’t do it properly.
can i ask you, when posting to your journal of a test pattern, can the creator see the journal of it? or is it better to post in the gc your completed work? i’ve posted to my journal the tested patterns but i’m not sure who can see it as the patterns aren’t released yet.
They can see the journal, I like seeing it on the gc tho
I prefer testers who provide the following
Finished photos meaning completed item
Journal
Prior Amigurumi experience
Catching typos and math error
Some low sew experience
Giving aprox amounts used for materials communication
Ive been a tester many times and have done one tester call I haven’t resumed yet but I’m working on some cute stuff. My largest concern is observing many who don’t complete journals or the test. So I’ll keep firm with my requirements. My patterns range from experienced beginner to low experienced this is due to low sew or no sew
and details.
I look at their makes, and look for people who take good photos of their work! People who comment and seem excited to make it get a better chance of being chosen. I dont care much about karma, as long as their makes look good!
I choose 50/50. So like 6 people with higher karma and 6 people with lower karma
I just choose the first people that apply
ah yes, i try to have enthusiasm if i really want to test i think taking good photos is very important too, i’ve noticed the way the light hits it can make it look different
Bunny trail - I want to thank every designer that chose me when I had no/ low karma. I’ve been on Ribblr for less than a month and I already have almost 10 karma! I couldn’t have done that if no one had trusted me to test their patterns. Now, back to regularly scheduled topic …
I haven’t posted a tester call just a tester, but from looking through tests and completing them I would say communication is an absolute must! Something like replying that you received the testing pattern when the group chat starts is pretty good and relaying anything to the group chat whether it’s mistakes/feedbacm/etc. For the most part designers will include a list of what they’re looking for in a tester for that tester call post, I often ask designers how important of a factor karma was and they always either mention they didn’t consider it or they made sure to get some with no karma to give them a chance
I always check their makes section, just to see what things they have tested in the past and it can sort of give me an idea of their skill level. I have always given people chances with 0 karma just to see if they are new and just need some testing under their belt. I definitely keep note of those who communicate well through testing and finish in a timely manner. I find that communication is a huge thing for me personally as a designer. As long as the tester keeps me in the loop, I don’t mind if they are unable to finish right on the due date.
amazing 
the people on ribblr are incredibly welcoming and nice i’m still surprised myself i’ve been chosen for a few tests
yes! communication!! acknowledging that you have received the gc and pattern test should be a must imo. it will get newer people learning how to communicate too if they are in a mixed group. i think some people are unsure of how to communicate properly so putting them in a group of experienced testers might help them out
In a tester i look at their makes to see their experience and quality, I look in the makes to see if they finished tests before and check karma, I make sure they can complete with in the time frame, and I look to see if they have tested for me before, and if they have I make sure they where a good tester. Once I except them, I know they are a good tester if they completed everything with the requirements and to see if they finished on time of early
I love testing, and before karma came out I got more tests than I do now. I’ve only got four karma right now and I apply to test after test and get denied over and over. I’ve never not finished a test and I take decent pictures but it’s the first job dillema, you need the job to get the experience and you need the experience to get the job.
Anyways because of that I always choose people with no or low karma almost exclusively. I’ve turned down people with insane amounts of karma because they can get almost whatever test they want, for them its just choosing what they want to do instead of hoping they can so its not harming them really. Sure half the people I give chances never respond, steal the pattern, pretend they’re going to make it later then ghost but its worth it for the ones who actually do it.
I look in their makes to see if they’ve crocheted before at least but seeing quality pictures and quality crocheting makes me way more likely to choose someone.
One thing that will make me throw away pretty much everything I just said is if the person likes the thing I’ve made a pattern of. Like if I make a pattern for a character and the person who applies has other patterns of that character in their makes or they comment and say a reference about it or how they really like that thing then I’ll absolutely choose them! I know how excited I get when there’s a pattern of something I really love and being able to test it makes me even happier so I just try to pass that along. People who comment also have a way better chance, they tend to be the people who finish tests and communicate although there are outliers of course.
