Rainforest QA FAQs

1. What is the tester score?

Rainforest continuously evaluates testers’ performance and maintains a score for each tester. The tester score affects the following:

The probability of receiving a job - higher score means higher probability of receiving an available job.

Note - the total number of jobs you receive would depend on multiple factors such as your score, the number of available testers and their scores, and the schedule in which the jobs are being initiated by our customers.

The type of jobs tester receives - testers with higher score may be assigned with unique jobs that are paid more.

Payment provider fee - Rainforest will waive your Paypal fee if your score level is 'A' during cashout. Note - the only score that matters for the decision whether to waive your Paypal fee or not is the score during cashout. Your score while performing the job/s doesn't influence the waiving decision.

2. What is the tester score level?

The tester score is clustered into a score level as follows:

Score level A: tester score from 90 to 100

Score level B: tester score from 80 to 89

Score level C: tester score from 70 to 79

Score level D: tester score from 60 to 69

Score level E: tester score from 0 to 59

Your score level can be found in your portal profile and in the Reviews page.

3. How does Rainforest calculate the tester score?

The tester score consists of multiple factors. One of the main factors is the manual job reviews which are now shared with you in the tester portal (under “Reviews”). In general - the more approved reviews you get, the higher your score level would be, and the more rejected reviews you get, the lower your score level would be. You might also see changes in your tester score without any new reviews - this is perfectly normal since we also use training jobs as a factor to measure your performance.

4. What is the “Reviews” page?

We manually review your jobs to determine whether the jobs were performed correctly. In the Reviews page you can see your reviewed jobs since 1.1.2018. The Reviews page includes a table in which each row represents a single manually reviewed job. For each reviewed job you can see the decision that was made by the reviewer (approved or rejected), a comment from the reviewer (when applicable), a link to the reviewed job and the option to take action (explained below).

5. What is the “remaining disputes” in the Reviews page?

How it works:

You start out with 3 disputes at the beginning of each calendar month

A review is “disputable” if the review wasrejectedAND it was created within the past 7 days AND if you have disputes left you can use.

Once you dispute a job review, you have 2 remaining disputes to use and 1 pending.

If the pending dispute is approved (i.e. you are right), you get one dispute back, and will see 3 remaining disputes.

If the dispute is rejected (i.e. your 2nd reviewer disagrees with your provided reason), you lose 1 dispute, and are left with 2 remaining disputes to use.

Note:Only disputes from the current calendar month count towards your remaining disputes for that month (e.g. if you disputed a job in June, but a decision wasn’t made until July, your July dispute count won’t be affected). However, your tester score will still be positively impacted if your dispute is approved, even if it’s from a previous month.

6. How to view the details of a reviewed job?

If you want to view in detail a specific job that was reviewed by us, you can click on a job ID link from the reviewed jobs table. Once you click on one of the links, you’ll be sent to the tester jobs page which includes information about the job such as the step instructions, screenshots, video, and comments that were posted by you, and the reviewer (when applicable).

This will allow you to better understand how the reviewer reached the decision to approve or reject your job.

7. What are the different Action options in the job reviews table?

The Action column from the job reviews table can contain one of the following:

“Not disputable” - if the job was approved or if the job was rejected more than 7 days ago

“Dispute” - the option to dispute if the job was rejected within the last 7 days.

“Rejected” - your dispute was rejected

“Accepted” - your dispute was accepted

8. Can I dispute a reviewed job?

You can only dispute a job that was rejected and it has to be within 7 days of receiving the rejection. After 7 days, rejected jobs cannot be disputed anymore. You should submit a dispute only if you are convinced that you received an unjustified rejection. If your job was rejected for multiple reasons (multiple mistakes), and you agree with at least one of them (but disagree with the rest) you should NOT submit a dispute for this job (your dispute will be rejected if the job includes even a single mistake).

9. How can I dispute a job from the job reviews table?

Click on the “Dispute” button.

You’ll be prompted to add a comment - please explain in detail why you believe your dispute should be accepted.

Submit your dispute.

10. Why can’t I dispute some of my rejected jobs?

Rejected jobs that were reviewed more than 7 days ago cannot be disputed anymore (they change from “Dispute” to “Not disputable” after 7 days from being reviewed). The date column in the job reviews table indicates when the job was reviewed.

11. My dispute was rejected. Is there a way to dispute it again as I’m sure I did everything correctly?

No. The dispute decision is final and you cannot dispute a review more than once.

12. What is the “Rejected training jobs” page?

Training job rejections do not affect your tester score. The “Rejected training jobs” page is replacing the legacy “Rejections” page and it includes only rejections from your training jobs. The other types of rejections that Rainforest used to share with you (such as the simple calculation questions, and others) will no longer be available in an effort to reduce confusion and since these types of rejections will not affect your score.

13. Is there a limit to the number of jobs I can receive based on my score level?

No. Rainforest doesn’t limit the number of jobs you can receive based on your score level. Your score level will determine the probability of receiving a job, taking into consideration other factors such as other testers’ availability and their score, and the available jobs at a given time.

14. Will I get blocked if I receive many rejections?

If you receive 10 consecutive training job rejections (i.e. 10 in a row), you will be automatically blocked from using your Rainforest account.

You may also be blocked at any time at an admin's discretion, usually due to poor performance or behavior that goes against our Code of Conduct. For more information, see our Block Policy.

15. How to increase my score effectively so I can get more jobs?

Rainforest recommends that you read carefully the tester rules, the supporting examples, and review all your rejected jobs. As you perform jobs make sure to follow the rules, follow the test author instructions, and provide polite suggested improvements and failure reports. As long as you follow these guidelines, you’ll receive more approvals and your score will increase overtime.

16. When will my dispute be processed?

Please expect up to two weeks.

17. Why do other testers with lower score level receive more jobs than I do?

The number of jobs you receive would depend on multiple factors such as your score, the number of available testers and their scores, and the schedule in which the jobs are being initiated by our customers. Given 2 testers that are available at the same time of the day - one of them has an A-score while the other has a C-score - the tester with an A-score will most likely receive more jobs than the tester with the C-score.

18. Will I receive any notification when I receive a new rejection?

No. Please monitor your “Reviews” page at least once a week to make sure you notice new rejections within 7 days of receiving them.

19. How do the dispute decisions affect my score?

If your dispute was accepted - we will consider this job as any other approved review (even though it was originally rejected). If your dispute was rejected - we will consider this job as any other rejected review.

20. How do I dispute training job rejections?

Training job rejections can still be disputed by submitting a support ticket via the "Help" tab in your portal profile. Training job rejections do not affect your tester score.

Reminder: Regular job rejectionsmustbe disputed via the "Reviews" tab. If you dispute a regular job rejection via the "Help" tab or Rainforest forum, your ticket will be immediately closed without further review.

21. Will I receive any additional feedback after submitting a dispute?

Yes! You’ll now receive comments from the 2nd reviewer to explain why your dispute was accepted or rejected. You’ll find that listed in the “Comment” column to the right of the “2nd reviewer’s decision” column. The decision made by the 2nd reviewer is considered final and you will not be able to dispute their decision through the portal or help desk ticket, should they reject your dispute.

22. Am I allowed to click on links Reviewers provide in their comments?

Yes. Reviewers may leave links to helpful resources in their review comments from time to time. It is okay for you to open these links with caution - reviewers are required to ensure the website they are linking to is safe before sharing it. However, you should always take the appropriate measures to make sure the website you are visiting is safe.

If you ever encounter a suspicious website when clicking on a link provided in a review comment (e.g. you are brought to a page that asks for personal information or login credentials), please exit the website immediately and report the comment to Rainforest Support via the “Help” tab. Please use the category “Other” and let us know that you encountered a suspicious website when opening a link provided in your review comment. For some general tips on website safety, you can check out this website https://www.avg.com/en/signal/website-safety

23. When will I hear back about my dispute?

We attempt to respond to disputes within 14 days. There are occasionally slight delays depending on our schedules (e.g. during the holidays).

This article is to advise you on how to complete a few basic actions within an Android device that you may come across while working with Rainforest jobs.

Please keep in mind that these are virtual devices, so they have a few things you need to know:

There is no call functionality to them.

If you're asked to test out sending a text message, DO NOT use your real phone number.

If instructed to do so you can download apps within the app store for specific jobs.

How to interact with dropdown options

Within Android VMs the dropdown menus will look similar to the picture below depending on how the drop-down was designed. For this example, you should click inside the radio button next to the option you’d like to choose. You may also find that you’ll need to click on the option itself and a checkmark will appear.

Navigation Bar

There is a navigation bar located at the bottom of the screen that includes a back button. Clicking anywhere on within the screen will bring up the navigation bar if it has gone away whether you’re within a browser or not.

Icons:

The triangle on the left shape is the back button

The circle in the middle will take you to the home screen

The square on the right will show all apps that you have open. This is also called the overview button or multi-tasking button.

Opening a new tab

Click the 3 stacked dots in the right hand corner

Select the option to open a new tab from the list

Downloading and saving an image

Click and hold the image you’d like to download. This will bring up a menu with the option to download the image.

In order to save an image, click and hold. Within the messages app, you would click the floppy disk icon (4th from the right) to save. You may also see a menu similar to the one pictured above with different options to save, share or search Google.

Android Camera

To open the Android Camera app, you'll select the camera icon.

In the VM the camera will only take pictures of a black screen. You may also see a moving box that changes colors when the camera app is open.

How to take a photo

Launch the Camera app from the Home screen. The icon looks like a camera icon.

Frame and focus the scene you want to take, just like normal.

Click the large, greyish-white circle in the bottom of the screen to take the photo.

(Optional) see the photo you just took by tapping the thumbnail in the bottom corner.

Changing the Wallpaper

1. Navigate to the Settings app

2. Locate the Display option in the Settings menu

3. Select Wallpaper within the Display menu

4. Choose your new Wallpaper image - you can choose from the photo library or the Android stock images

5. When you've chosen an image, you'll enter preview mode. Select Set Wallpaper

6. You'll see three options:

Home Screen

Lock Screen

Both

If the instructions as to set a downloaded image as your new wallpaper you'll use the photo library as your source.

Zooming in and out

In order to zoom in within the Android VM, you’ll need to double click any area of the phone screen

To reset, double click again.

On Android you can also use the multi touch functionality to zoom in and out.

To activate it:

Press CTRL while your mouse is within the phone screen (not the grey area) and 2 circles will appear, as if they were 2 fingers

Use these circles to manipulate the zoom in or out

To get rid of the tool, press the CTRL button while your mouse is within the phone screen

System settings

You’ll find system settings under the main settings app.

Please keep in mind that System Settings may be at the bottom of the options in the Settings menu so you may need to scroll in order to find it.

Within the system settings, you'll be able to find the option to change the time and date if needed.

Multi-Touch Tool

The multi-touch tool is the Android version of iOS's hardware menu - so this is where you would go to perform "physical" actions (such as turning the phone on its side to rotate the screen).

To activate the multi-touch tool select control (CTRL) on your keyboard while your mouse is within the phone screen

To deactivate the tool, click control (CTRL) on your keyboard

The buttons from top to bottom are:

Power on/off device

Volume up

Volume down

Change orientation left

Change orientation right

Camera

Zoom

Back

Home

Shows all open apps

More

Opening an internet browser

Most Android phones include an internet browser shortcut on the home screen. In order to open the internet browser all you need to do is click the correct option.

You may either see the default Chrome shortcut or specifically in a Samsung device you'll see the purple colored square with a planet inside as the internet shortcut.

Mobile Browser URL

If you need to view the browser on a mobile device, you can click on the URL bar and the pencil icon to expand it if needed. You'll be able to click through the URL using the right and left arrow keys on your keyboard. To close out of the URL bar, click the downward-facing arrow at the bottom of the device to get rid of the keyboard. Then if you're not brought back to the customer's site, click the left-facing arrow to go back to the page.

Quotes are used to indicate specific text or values to look out for, and Placeholders stand in for variable text that will populate in the app you’re testing. This is a very important rule, especially when it comes to exact matches. Some functionality may simply not work if certain criteria aren’t met.

What clients want:With minor exceptions, it means the test author wants you to check that the text or values within quotes appear exactly as such in the app or that a certain value may be present in the app that they can’t specify exactly, so they will use a placeholder.

What this means for you:You must understand that words in quotes need to be matched exactly to the client’s specification, with minor exceptions (e.g. capitalization differences and where automatic number formatting comes in, as described later), and that placeholders can be placed both inside and outside quotes. You should also know that this is one of the hardest rules to enforce, and that human error may be present through typos, unfinished quotes, or other types of placeholders used. For that, we added several examples below.

Important notes

What clients see in Rainforest (that you should know about)

Rainforest does not currently have a way for clients to highlight text only in order to draw a tester’s attention to it (e.g. without having to match it exactly). You may see some test authors use all caps or asterisks to draw attention to certain buttons or elements.Asterisks and all caps are acceptable usage, fall outside of the quotes rule, and should not be considered quotes.See our explanation for what constitutes a quote below.

Rainforest formatting turns multiple spaces and line breaks into a single space. If the client asks you to match something with special formatting (e.g. text on multiple lines must match), they are advised to provide a screenshot for guidance as this is not possible from our step instructions.

How we advise clients to write tests:

To stay consistent in their use of double quotation marks or underscores as placeholders, but a few exceptions may still come through due to the unpredictable nature of test writing. If the rest of the step instructions give you enough context to understand that the client means a placeholder even though they’re not using the given examples, you should not fail their test.

To only use quotes if it’s absolutely necessary for their step, and avoid using them if they’re not critical to the outcome of the test.

To not confuse testers if what they really want is to draw attention to a word or element on the page, rather than get an exact match for it.

To be careful about the language they use (e.g. “a couple” means two - not several items, even though in informal speech this is often ignored)

To provide screenshots and call out the need for an exact screenshot match if there’s specific formatting on the page they want testers to verify (that our step instructions can’t render).

How you may see quotes and placeholders formatted:

The quotes may be formatted with single or double quotation marks (“like this” or ‘like this’) or the character for grave accent (`like this`) - the same rule will apply.Mixed quotes (‘like this”) may be typos, but you should assume the intent was to quote the text and match it.In that particular scenario, you could also use the optional Suggest Improvement under “I see an additional problem that is not asked as part of the question” to ask the test author to clarify their intent.

Customers can use _ in the instructions as a placeholder for a variable you will see in the app being tested. The _ placeholder can be used inside or outside of quotes, as well as for an unlimited amount of letters, words, numbers, special characters, etc. In addition, the customer may use a single underscore (like _ ) or multiple underscores strung together (like _____ ) to represent one single placeholder, to ensure this is visible.

We also recommend that customers don't use placeholders other than _ but few other varieties do occasionally escape and are impossible to monitor. If it is clearly mentioned in the instructions that they will be using another symbol (e.g. “X where X is a number”, [], etc.) as a placeholder instead of, or in addition to _ this should still be considered acceptable both inside and outside of quotes, andis not a reason to fail the test as the instructions are clear.

How to apply this rule - General Principles

Inside quotes= text or values must be matched exactly, even if you think there’s a typo inside. You must check that all relevant aspects (spelling, words, or punctuation) of the quoted text match what you see on the page.

Outside quotes= don’t worry about exact matches. Do your best to execute the instructions and answer the question. Use SI (optional) to leave a note explaining discrepancies or leave other helpful suggestions. If what is on screen very closely resembles what is in the instructions, answer the question as best you can, and leave a SI to let the author know about the difference if, for example:

Instructions ask you to check for the name Eric, and you see Erica on the page

Instructions ask you to check for something in singular, and the page shows it as plural

Instructions ask you to look for Mr. Mountbatten and you see Mrs. Mountbatten

Instructions ask you to select All 14 features but you see 15 (“all” suggests some later got added and the test wasn’t updated)

Instructions say the login button is on the right but the same login button is on the left

Instructions say to click on the yellow login button, but the login button is green

If the color is mentioned in the ACTION portion of the steps, then pass with SI. If the color is mentioned in the QUESTION portion and the color is clearly wrong, then you should report the step. Otherwise, if it’s similar (such as yellow/orange) then leave SI to give the customer feedback.

Unfinished quotes (see next section), answer as best you can, and leave a SI.

Typos (see next section):

Inside quotes: assume that’s what the test author wants, as mentioned.

Outside quotes: the SI category “I see an additional problem that is not asked as part of the question is best” - and remember that SI is optional.

Special cases

As mentioned, this is one of the rules that are very easy to get wrong, despite the guidelines we offer. These are some situations that require special attention.

Text in quotes with instructions that verify that the text is NOT present. There may be times when a TA uses quotes to verify that the text is not present. You should verify the quoted text does NOT match any text on the platform and proceed with the step normally. Here’s an example:

The instructions ask Has the “Save Password?” pop-up disappeared? Remember that the instructions are asking to verify that the text is no longer present so you should answer the question accordingly.

The instructions ask Do you NOT see “Sign Up”? Answer the question accordingly to verify that the text is not present.

Text in quotes to describe Images, Icons or other Graphics:it may be best to use the SI categoryI see an additional problem that is not asked as part of the question.Explain that in this particular circumstance, it would be best not to use quotes since the quoted object isn’t textual, and therefore can’t be matched exactly, and then move on with your test. Here are some examples of situations where you’d want to apply this logic:

The instructions tell you toLook for the "pencil" icon, but you see an icon that looks like a pencil instead of the word “pencil” orClick on the "save" buttonbut the button is a floppy disk icon with no text. Our glossary of testing terms includes common icons used in interfaces. Answer YES and leave a SI to let the author know it’s better to describe the icon and where to find it, since it’s not a word that appears on the page.

The instructions sayLook for the "Rainforest" logo, but you see a single logo and there’s no “Rainforest” text on it. Answer YES, assuming and leave a SI to let the author know that you assume it’s what they want but it’s better to describe the icon and where to find it, since it’s not a word that appears on the page.

The instructions sayDo you see the text "Welcome" in "ITALICS" on the page?You do see the word “Welcome” in italics but are confused about the second part. Assuming the word is exactly as described in quotes, Answer YES and leave a SI to let the author know the formatting doesn’t have to be in quotes, if what they really care about is “Welcome”. They may want to consider removing quotes from less important things that won’t be an actual textual match, like ITALICS.

Incomplete quotation marks (i.e. started a quote but didn’t close it):ignore matching since the quotes are incomplete, and it’s hard or impossible to know where something ends or begins. Answer the question asked to the best of your ability, and leave a comment using the SI categoryThese instructions are hard to understand.Explain that the incomplete quote made it hard to understand if you were meant to adhere to the quote rule or not. Here are some examples of situations where you’d want to apply this logic:

The instructions sayLook for the column header "Draft Due Date in the spreadsheet.

The instructions askDo you see a blue Save’ button?

Typos

In the quoted portion:assume the typo is intended, and do not use Suggest Improvement. Instead, answer Yes or No depending on if there’s an exact match between the quoted typo and what you see within the app.

In unquoted text:If the meaning of the step is accurate,you should use the SI category I see an additional problem that is not asked as part of the question. Alert the customer to the typo in the unquoted portion of the instruction or app, and move on with your test. Here are some examples of situations where you’d want to apply this logic:

The instructions sayClick the red "Delete" btton.- remember that the question is asking you to click on a “Delete” button so you should answer the question first and foremost, and leave SI for the typo in ‘btton’

The instructions ask you to test a drop-down menu in the navigation bar, but you notice a typo in a separate portion of the app (e.g. the welcome banner).

Unique scenarios where quotes are used but an exact match is not needed. Sometimes TAs use quotes to emphasize or highlight text, you must read each instruction carefully and never proceed without fully understanding the instruction and the question.

If the text is used as an example or a reference to further clarify the instructions, it should be considered similar to screenshots rule and an exact match is not required. If quotes are used and it’s made specific by using the phrase for this example or for our example, an exact match would be required.

Consider some of these scenarios:

The instructions state, Please enter a valid email address, for example, “[email protected]” but please create your own. Do not enter [email protected] because you were asked to create your own random email address. You can create one using [email protected]

The instructions ask Are you taken to a page with the header “You still have _ days left of reading” OR “You still have _ free days of reading”?Both of these phrases are in quotes, but you should confirm an exact match of at least one. Remember that the underscore is a placeholder for a variable.

The instructions say, Click any of the dropdown headers at the top. Ex) “Tester Community”. Did a list of subcategories appear? Ex. “Forum”, “Support Docs”, etc. Instead of the example, “Tester Community” you can also select “Jobs” or your profile icon.

The instruction state, For our example, use “5” This can be read as For our example use 5 and you should use 5 as instructed.

Instructions state, Press “Enter” on your keyboard You are not being asked to match the text “Enter” on the client’s platform, you should press the Enter/Return key on your keyboard.

Minor exceptions

Do not report jobs for differences in capitalization.This rule has been around since 2016 and your work will be rejected if you do so. If everything is working properly, answer YES and move on with the test.

Do not report jobs for using the placeholder _ within quoted text.It’s understood that _ won’t exactly match what you see within the app. If everything is working properly, answer Yes and move on with the test.

Do not report jobs when automatic formatting takes place.There are automatic formatting practices often applied in online applications when entering data such as security numbers, telephone numbers, dates, credit card details, etc (eg. you enter “123456789” and the number formats to “123-456-789”). Some Customers may not take this into account when using quotes in their instructions. If everything is working properly, answer Yes and move on with the test.

A note on Suggest Improvement for Quotes and Placeholders

While we recommend the use of SI (and clients welcome it if it’s helpful), it is not required. If you choose not to use SI, follow the instruction to the best of your ability and answer Yes or No accordingly.

This article will explain how to approach common human-computer interactions when testing (e.g. adjusting browser size, searching for results, etc). Remember, this article is a supplement to our rules, not a replacement. If you need a refresher on our official testing rules, check them out here:

Rule 1: Pay Close Attention to the Whole Step

Rule 2: Pay Close Attention to Quotes & Placeholders

Rule 3: Rules for Pop-Ups

Suggest Improvements & SI Examples

Education, terms and more

We have a glossary of testing terms, the vocabulary used by clients and Rainforest to describe interfaces, and more. You can check it out here.

Common Computer Interactions & RF Testing

There are many common computer interactions that we may not specifically cover in our testing rules but are still important for you to understand within the context of Rainforest testing. Below we’ve compiled a few of these interactions that you’ll likely come across when completing jobs.

Keyboard layout

The Rainforest VMs require that you use a US English QWERTY keyboard layout when testing. Failure to use the proper keyboard layout may result in difficulty typing certain characters or following step instructions, which may result in your work being rejected. You should use aUS English QWERTY keyboard layout to avoid issues when typing special characters. Instructions for how to change your keyboard layout on various operating systems can be found below.

For reference, a US English QWERTY keyboard layout looks like the following:

Rainforest Test Language FAQ

MacOS

https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/type-language-mac-input-sources-mchlp1406/mac

Make sure to select English > U.S.

Windows

Windows 7 and older: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/258824/how-to-change-your-keyboard-layout

Windows 7/8/8.1: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17424/windows-change-keyboard-layout

Windows 10: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4496404/windows-10-manage-the-input-and-display-language

Make sure to select English > US

Linux

Ubuntu: https://help.ubuntu.com/stable/ubuntu-help/keyboard-layouts.html.en

Zooming & Adjusting Browser Size

Sometimes you might need to zoom in/out or adjust your browser size within the VM in order to see the information on your screen. That’s completely okay! Please zoom in/out or adjust the size of your browser as needed, even if it’s not specifically mentioned in the test instructions.

Resizing the VM

You can now shrink your browser window, and see the VM resize along with it. This is there to help you if the computer you’re working from has a smaller resolution than the browser you’re supposed to test.

What we used to have

It used to be that the terminal would stretch too far out, causing you to lose sight of what was happening around the outer edges. That wasn’t great for anyone.

What we’ve improved

You can now shrink your browser window to see the VM adjust, and if your browser window is bigger than the size of the VM, it will simply center the screen. This applies to desktop and mobile VMs, but not real devices.

We hope you find this update helpful! Should you experience any issues, please let us know via the “Get Help” page of your portal profile using the category “Other”

Sort & Filter Operations

While these two operations may seem the same at first glance, they are very different. Sorting search results simply re-ranks the listed items according to the attribute you’ve selected (e.g. lowest to highest price or customer rating). Same search results, different order. Filtering results, however, reduces the number of results displayed, narrowed down by the attribute(s) you’ve selected.

Using Various Search Functions

There are a few different ways to search through a page for information. Please keep in mind that if a client has specified one of the ways below, you must use that specific method to search.

Search Bars

There are a few different ways you could interact with a search bar, depending on how it has been designed. Since it’s not possible to know how every search bar was designed, if the instructions do not say, please do whatever you feel reasonable in order to successfully interact with the search bar. A few different ways you may see:

There is a “search” button next to the field where you type what you’re looking for, and you must hit this in order to search for the results.

Hitting “enter” on your keyboard will enable the search.

Once you’ve finished typing, the applicable results appear, even if you didn’t have to hit “enter” of there was no button to press.

Clicking your mouse after you’re done typing will enable the search.

ctrl+f

If the client has asked you to locate something on the page, you are able to search using the ctrl+f option, unless the instructions specifically ask you to use another method such as scrolling through the page or using the search bar.

Windows:

Hold the ctrl button on your keyboard

Type “f” on your keyboard

Type the words you’re looking for within the search bar

mac OS:

Hold the command button on your keyboard

Type “f” on your keyboard

Type the words you’re looking for within the search bar

Scrolling to find info you need

You can also manually scroll through the page to find what it is you’re looking for. This is not the most efficient way, so if the client hasn’t specified how to search it may be best to ctrl+f if you can.

Manually Type vs. Copy Paste

When the test author specifically instructs testers to "type” something (or “start typing” something)testers should manually enter this information as instructed, because the test author may not want the tester to use copy+paste in this instance.You should NOT use the copy paste function if you are told to type. But if a client has used special click-to-copy function in a step you can use click-to-copy even with the word "type".Testers may use copy+paste if the instructions do not specify how details are to be entered.

Example

Action: "Start typing address 1243 Menlo Park Drive and select the right entry from the dropdown" Question: Did the address appear correctly? - For this, you'll need to actually type (not copy) several numbers from the address for the field to show you a dropdown of options. You will not see anything if you only enter '1'.

This is how click-to-copy looks. Here you can click on "Rainforest" which put the text into VM clipboard and press Control-V inside terminal to paste the text.

Note: This does not apply when the QUESTION specifically asks you if you were able to type. An example would be if you see something like, “Were you able to type the password into the field?” then you should type.

Checkboxes

The default state of online forms varies and is sometimes unpredictable. If instructions say to check/select/click on a box, but the box is already selected, continue with the test without changing the state of the box (i.e. assume that the test author wants the box to be checked before moving on with the test flow). Leave a note to the test author via "suggest improvement", choose "The action you want me to do is not fully described", and add a comment like the following: "The box was already checked so I didn't uncheck it. It will be very helpful if you could clarify if this should be on or off”

However, if the instructions specifically mention something like "select or check a checkbox (whether it's already checked or not)", then follow the instructions and change the state of the box. Apply the same rule if the instructions tell you to uncheck/unselect a box, but it is already unchecked/unselected.

Screenshots in Instructions

Sometimes customers will include a screenshot in their instructions, and they might ask you to compare the screenshot to what you see in the application itself. If the author asks "does the page look like the screenshot" or along those words (similar to screenshot, screenshot as guide, etc.), the page does not have to match exactly unless specified. Customers should be specific when they want exact items to match, otherwise we can only consider it more of a guide.

Please keep in mind that Rainforest Test Language tests will show screenshots at almost every step. There will be no instructions on to only use the screenshot as reference. If you notice this, continue to use the screenshots only for reference. Check out the to learn more.

Note: Unrelated to the screenshots that may be included in the instructions, you are often prompted to take a screenshot of the VM by using the "Take Screenshot" button before proceeding to the next step. Please be sure to click "Take Screenshot" after you are certain the page you are capturing an image of has fully loaded. If you see the app.rainforestqa.com URL and the page hasn't loaded at all for 4 minutes, you should abandon the job.

If the URL bar has the client’s URL showing and doesn’t load at all for 4 minutes, then you should click "Take Screenshot" and answer NO. Ifafter 4 minutes and the page has mostly loaded (even with the wheel spinning), the tester is permitted to "Take Screenshot" and move forward. If the partially loaded page hinders you from proceeding, then you should answer NO and explain the issue. Thank you!

Click here before you press take screenshot

There are some cases where you may navigate to a page and see a link stating to "Click here before you press take screenshot." Please follow the instruction and click the link in the browser before taking the screenshot.

Password forms

You can copy and paste the details for username and password into the fields as long as the instructions don’t specify to type.

Whether you type or do copy + paste, always do your best to ensure that the details are entered in correctly to the appropriate field. You must use the feature that allows you to check that the password was entered correctly before moving forward (such as an eye icon) if it's available or your work will be rejected.

Please keep in mind that if there is an error during login (incorrect details, account not found etc) you are not able to retry logging in.

Captchas

Captcha is a program or system intended to distinguish human from machine input, typically as a way of thwarting spam and automated extraction of data from websites. Captchas, especially those you will find via Google properties, are not something that the client can control. You must follow the instructions outlined in the Captcha in order to proceed with testing. The test author cannot tell you how to fill it out, you must do it yourself.

Here are some examples of captcha you may encounter:

Email, social and sharing links

A list of icons similar to this is typically used for sharing content onto your social media page. Simply click the icon for the appropriate social media platform and click the “share” button. Please remember that you should not enter any personal data when completing jobs for Rainforest! If the instructions ask to test sharing they should provide details.

The picture above describes some of the most popular social sharing networks in the USA that you should know:

Google Plus

Twitter

Pinterest

Facebook

LinkedIn

WhatsApp

StumbleUpon

tumblr

Reddit

Yplan

Pocket

Buffer

(Email)

Mobile Apps

If a mobile VM launches and the customer's app is not open at the first step, you should take the necessary steps to open the app even if the instructions don't specify to do so. You should do this if the first step clearly expects you to have the mobile app open.

Here's a collection of our edge cases that describe how to handle some unique scenarios! We share these on the forum for you to learn from other testers' experiences.

Edge Case Overview #1

Edge Case Overview #2

Edge Case Overview #3

Edge Case Overview #4

Edge Case Overview #5

"Another worker accepted the job before you...."

This is by design and expected. The extension polls for work available to assign to you. Once it finds a job, it will pass along the assignment link to your browser in a new tab and open it, and only then, work is reserved to you. At any time during the process of checking, assigning, passing URL and opening, another person may have gotten the job before you, as everyone is competing for work from a common pool. If there is another job available to assign, you will receive it, otherwise you will get this message, which simply means that there is no work AVAILABLE to assign to you at the moment.

Black, unresponsive terminal

If you receive a job and the terminal appears to load but remains black, try each of the following:

Wait a few moments and click a few times in the terminal to make sure it's not just loading slowly due to connection, or inactive due to a screensaver.

Refresh the page to get a new VM.

If you can't get a working VM, please report it to us with a screenshot. Open the javascript developer console for any errors that might help us debug.

If you can't get a working terminal for any job, try the following, one at a time:

Remove any extensions (including adblock) that might interfere with the terminal loading.

Make sure Google Chrome is updated to the latest version.

You have requested this job too often. Please return the work.

This message will appear if you have refreshed too many times - currently you can refresh a maximum of 4 times. If you request the job after that, you will see this message and have to close the tab and wait for a new job.

"You reached maximum of unsubmitted applications"

You are only allowed to do one job at a time, and this will appear if one of the following happens:

You try cheat the system to do more than one job at a time.

You shared computers with another tester.

You receive a job too soon after an abandoned job (before it has timed-out)

Our backend is slow processing your completed job and you receive another job

To resolve, make sure you are only using one account, doing one job at a time and you aren't sharing computers with another tester. Otherwise, the problem should resolve itself in a matter of minutes.

"Your job could not be completed" popup

This is a rare error that can happen at the beginning of a job if there is a problem connecting with our Punchclock service. Please check your network connection, and reload the page. If it continues to happen, send us a screenshot with the javascript console open.

Job abandoned

This happens if you are idle for too long after receiving a job. You will have to wait for a new job. Please see our idle policy for up to date rules.

A security error occurred - popup inside terminal

If you see this message inside the terminal, try refreshing the page to get a new one - this usually resolves the problem.

Below is an overview of important information related to Rainforest QA training jobs.

Before you do real work for us, you'll be asked to complete a few training tasks.

The purpose of these is to help you understand the interface and different testing scenarios.

We sometimes add new training tasks when we add a new features or when we feel they are necessary. It's possible that you will be asked to complete a training task even if you have been working for us for a long time.

Training tasks are not paid.

Training tasks have an expected answer. If you answer something differently than we expect, we will tell you what the expected answer was.

After you have made a mistake in a training task, you have to restart the task by refreshing the page to complete the task correctly.

If you receive 10 consecutive training job rejections (i.e. 10 in a row), you will be automatically blocked from using your Rainforest account.

1. Why do I sometimes get VM errors likeCould not get a chrome_1440_900 machine?

The machines we have available depend on how many customers are requesting or using specific machines at certain times, and it’s currently impossible for us to predict these trends accurately from day to day. So if you think about it that way, distributing machines is kind of like playing Tetris sometimes we have all the pieces necessary for things to advance smoothly, but sometimes we don’t get the piece (or machine) we need at that specific moment. This means machine distribution will always be a challenge, but we hope to improve the situation to the best of our ability. We apologize for the inconvenience this causes.

2. How many Rainforest profiles can I actively work from?

You are only allowed to worked from one Rainforest profile. If you are working from two profiles at once for any reason (e.g. to make more money), you are breaking the rules and are at risk of being blocked.

3. Why have I been blocked? How long am I blocked for?

We block testers for failing to follow instructions during jobs or violating our policies in this Wiki or the rule guide (seen during tests). Blocks are permanent for everyone and mean you cannot do tasks with Rainforest in the future on the blocked account or any other account you create. You can read our Blocking Policy for more information.

4. How many rejections can I receive before I'm blocked?

A tester will be blocked after receiving 10 training job rejections in a row. Rejections aren't the only thing that can result in a block, however. You can read our Blocking Policy for more information.

5. How do I start testing for Rainforest?

As of July 2016, we've stopped accepting new testers until the need comes up again in the future. We hope this will allow us to focus on providing better quality results to our customers, along with a better quality testing environment for all of you.

6. I don’t see jobs on CrowdFlower.

We are no longer affiliated with CrowdFlower as of early 2018. If you are a tester who has previously been paid for Rainforest tasks via CrowdFlower, you must update to a valid payment option (i.e. PayPal, Skrill) in order to receive jobs from Rainforest QA. Please see our PayPal & Skrill FAQs for more information:

PayPal FAQ

Skrill FAQ

7. I haven’t received a job in X months.

Your account could be inactive, or jobs might not be available when you're online due to your timezone or the number of testers available at that time. Please file a support ticket through your portal profile Help Desk tab if you are concerned about an issue with your account.

8. I receive less jobs than I used to. Can you fix this?

The amount of jobs available to our testers depends on the amount of jobs our customers release, and your performance as based on the tester score.Keep up with tester rules and education provided, incorporate feedback from job reviews and work on your score to ensure you get jobs.

9. Why am I getting training jobs if I’ve been a tester for a long time?

If we create new training jobs, we release them to all testers, included testers who have been with us a while. This gives older testers a chance to refresh their memories, and gives us a chance to retrain testers on any updated testing rules we might have.

10. I can’t sign into the correct portal profile.

Each account on CrowdFlower is tied to one Rainforest Portal account. You may have the same email address tied to multiple accounts (this behavior has been fixed), so you’ll have to log in to one of the accounts and change the email address associated with it. If you’re not sure what your email address is on the account, you can see it while doing a job on the respective CrowdFlower account.

11. Can I change my payment channel or the ID used for payment?

Rainforest offers two payment methods -- PayPal and Skrill. You are free to switch between payment methods if both are available to you in your country. For specific information on each, please visit our FAQs linked below:

PayPal FAQ

Skrill FAQ

Note: If you already get paid for Rainforest QA tasks via Amazon MTurk, you are allowed to continue using MTurk. However, we do not offer MTurk as an option to testers not already getting paid via MTurk.

12. When will you create an extension for Firefox?

At this time we don't have plans for a Firefox version of the extension, as we already have a high volume of Chrome extension users who want more work from us.

13. Why am I getting paid less than what is shown under 'bonus paid' in my history?

The payment you are receiving is correct. Since this is an externally managed task, it does not automatically deduct the commission to the channel you are working from. So for instance, if you have earned $1.00 (100c) from a job and the channel you get paid to takes 30\%, you will receive $0.70. Other tasks on CrowdFlower interface directly with their API, therefore the value you see there is automatically adjusted to the channel's commission.

14. What are the testing rules?

You can find our testing rules here !

15. Do you have any examples of test scenarios I might find myself in?

Yes, you can see visit this page to see various examples for reach rule:

Rule 1 Supporting Examples

Rule 2 Supporting Examples

Rule 3 Supporting Examples

Suggest Improvements Examples

16. How do I change my portal password?

There are two ways to change your password. You can change it by logging into your Portal and selecting to Edit Profile. There you’ll see the option to update your password. Make sure you click Save to update!

The second way is to select “Forgot your Password?”. You’ll be sent an email that includes a link to update your password.

17. How can I change my forum username?

You should be able to change your username through the forum directly. Once logged in to the forum homepage, you'll see your avatar in the right hand corner. Click the avatar and a drop down menu appears with a setting gear.

Select the setting gear, and the first option that should show up will be your username. In order to change your username, please click the pencil next to your current username and enter what you'd like that to be updated to.

18. Am I able to work from another location or computer while on vacation?

Yes! We don’t mind if you work from another location or computer, even if you’re not on vacation. Just be sure that you’re only using your account, and that you log out when you’re done if the computer is not your own. And in general, If you are using a computer in a public space, make sure to never leave it unattended.

19. What if my question isn’t listed here?

If you’re an active tester with Rainforest you can search through our forum, chances are someone has had your question before! You’ll see a magnifying glass in the top right of the forum that will allow you to enter a phrase or keywords. It’s always best to search for a topic first before starting a new thread :)

Below you will find a general overview of your role as aRainforest tester, when your work will be rejected, and what behaviors could result in a ban from Rainforest.

Your Role as a Rainforest Tester

When doing jobs, your role is to follow the rules laid out by Rainforest(etc.)and report anything that seems suspicious, e.g. clients asking you to do things that go against the rules or violate security principles

Do not worry whether failing a test will make a customer unhappy. The only thing you should worry about is whether your answer is correct or not, and that you keep up-to-date with the knowledge we provide in order to improve testing for customers.

Do not worry about whether the answer is useful to the customer. If the answer is correct,it is useful to the customer.

Do not worry about providing the same result many times to one customer. It is the customer’s job to decide whether the issues you uncover are worth fixing or not. Your job is to understand and answer their question with 100\% accuracy.

Do not make a judgement call to pass a test you are uncertain of. It is better to fail a test you are uncertain of than to pass a test you should fail. If you pass a test that you should fail, your work will be rejected.

When your work will be rejected

If you answered a question with YES that should have been answered with NO

If you answered a question with NO that should have been answered with YES

If you fail a step because you’re worried about how other testers will interpret it, even though you have all the information you need to complete it.

If you venture into other sections of the app or site not mentioned by the test author OR related to the test case you’re working on, when the instructions are clear.

If you don’t hover over previous steps to look for information previously offered by the test author. You can always write down the information for future reference, or hover over past steps to get the information

If you don’t follow test instructions, e.g. you are asked to click on a disabled icon, but you only hover over it

If you claim to not have been offered this information by Rainforest

If you have the ability to verify sensitive information before continuing, but don’t take the opportunity to do so(e.g.If there is an eye icon that lets you reveal a password you just entered, but you don’t use it to verify the password was entered correctly)

Your job will be aborted in the following cases:

If you do not start the job within 3 minutes after accepting it (i.e pasting the redirect URL into your VM browser and pressing enter).

If you do not show progress on the job for 15 consecutive minutes after starting.

If you do not complete the job within 90 minutes of accepting the job.

If you disconnect (close the page or internet down) for 5 minutes

Below you'll find important information about Rainforest QA's Blocking Policy. Please read and ensure you understand each bullet point carefully.

If you receive 10 consecutive training job rejections (i.e. 10 in a row), you will be automatically blocked from using your Rainforest account.

You may be blocked at any time at an admin's discretion, usually due to poor performance or behavior that goes against our Code of Conduct.

If you lie or cheat during tests, you will be permanently blocked from doing Rainforest tasks.

You will not be blocked for reporting a bug. If you are not confident the answer is "Yes," it is safer to report.

You can be blocked by a Rainforest admin for being rude to a customer or admin.

You are only allowed to work from one Rainforest profile. If you are working from two profiles at once for any reason (e.g. to make more money), you are breaking the rules and are at risk of being blocked.

Once blocked, you are prohibited from doing work on any other account you may have or create.

Examples of bad behavior that will result in a block:

Clicking "Yes" when the answer is clearly "No," or when you run into errors or are unable to complete the test.

Clicking "Yes" for every step without performing the steps.

Accepting a job with a working terminal and failing to start in a timely manner.

The purpose of our Tester Code of Conduct is to ensure that all testers in the tester community, Rainforest Admin and Rainforest customers have the best possible experience.

As a worldwide tester community, diversity is one of our huge strengths, but it can also lead to communication issues and unhappiness. To that end, we have a few ground rules that we ask people to adhere to, to ensure that the tester community continues to be an excellent space in which to communicate, collaborate, and contribute.

This isn't an exhaustive list of things that you can and can't do. Rather, take it in the spirit in which it's intended a guide to make it easier to be excellent to each other and our customers. We expect it to be followed in spirit as much as in the letter.

General Tester Code of Conduct

Overall behavior expected of you

You’re expected to read all rules and documentation and keep up to date with them; we are responsible for letting you know whenever there are updates to the training materials or other guidelines available so you can familiarize yourself with them in due time.

You’re expected to show polite and courteous behavior towards other testers, Rainforest staff and customers throughout all the properties owned by Rainforest: the forum, the VM terminals you work on, the support tickets that you file, etc. Rude, intimidating or aggressive behavior may result in your account being blocked and other consequences, including the termination of your engagement.

You are expected to be respectful toward other testers, Rainforest staff and customers. Not all of us will agree all the time, but disagreement is no excuse for poor behavior and poor manners. We might all experience some frustration now and then, but we cannot allow that frustration to turn into a personal attack. It's important to remember that a community where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is not a productive one. We expect members of the tester community to be respectful when communicating with other community members, as well as Rainforest staff and customers.

You will not disparage Rainforest, Rainforest clients, or other testers in the forum or any other property owned by Rainforest. While we understand your frustration with certain situations, we encourage you to make contact and resolve the issue through official means (e.g., support tickets), so that an Rainforest Admin can look into it and take appropriate action.

You will not incite or encourage other testers to engage in behavior that would undermine Rainforest or its clients; this includes (but is not limited to) encouraging other testers to:

Abandon jobs based on the client;

Act rudely or otherwise unacceptably toward another tester, Rainforest Admin, or a customer of Rainforest; and

Answer “Yes” without completing any actions

You’re expected to do your job and follow Rainforest testing rules as described in your Tester Agreement; if you’re caught cheating, trying to game the system, or encouraging others to do so - you will be banned.

You’re expected to communicate effectively. We don't all speak the same language at the same skill level. Clear communication can help to avoid misunderstandings, as can remembering that our interpretations of words can be different depending on our backgrounds. Having context is important. It's better to ask for clarification than to make assumptions. Disagreements, social and technical, are normal, but we expect participants in the community to resolve disagreements constructively so please avoid flamewars, trolling, personal attacks, and repetitive arguments.

You’re expected to ask for help when unsure. Nobody is expected to be perfect in this community. Asking questions early avoids many problems later, so questions are encouraged, though they may be directed to the appropriate forum. Those who are asked should be responsive and helpful.

As a reminder of the Tester Agreement you signed at the beginning of your engagement:

You are not allowed to share your account with anyone else.

You are not to share any proprietary or confidential information accessed or obtained while performing work with Rainforest. All confidential or proprietary information disclosed by Rainforest or a Rainforest customer is to be treated and protected as confidential in strict accordance with the terms of the Tester Agreement. Essentially, about everything you see or do on behalf of Rainforest is deemed confidential information.

We don’t want this to sound harsh, but anyone found in violation of the above may be subject to legal action under international, United States and/or California law.

Forum behavior

This Code of Conduct lays out what behavior is expected of you, other testers participating in the forum, and Rainforest Admin moderating the forum.

Rainforest Admins may but do not have an obligation to monitor this forum. Their word is final regarding any content posted in the Rainforest forum, including flagged posts, or content that can result in a ban. We reserve the right to close threads that stray too far from their original purpose, or if activity has died down after a certain period.

Be polite and respectful to each other and Rainforest Admin.

Do not send Rainforest Admin private messages in the forum re: support issues these messages are practically impossible to keep up with in an organized way. Instead, submit a ticket via the “Help” tab if it’s something that needs attention quickly or shouldn’t be addressed publicly in the forum.

Be polite when posting about issues you are facing with a customer, even if you are frustrated. Rude or inappropriate forum posts about customers will result in a forum ban, and possibly a ban from Rainforest. When facing consistent or severe issues with a customer, please submit a ticket via the “Help” tab in your portal profile so Rainforest Admin can address it more quickly. Use the “Other” category, and include the customer’s name along with a description of the problem.

Only post questions or topics related to Rainforest.

Keep threads dedicated to one topic at a time.

Do not post questions related to NDA customers - submit your questions about NDA customers directly to Rainforest Admin via the portal “Help” tab using the “Other” category.

If you knowingly suggest or encourage others to purposefully break Rainforest’s testing rules, you will be banned from the forum and Rainforest. If you have suggestions for how the platform can be better, please reach out to us by submitting a ticket via the “Help” tab in your portal profile.

Offensive language or discussions involving race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, illegal activities, or inciting violence will result in a ban from the forum and Rainforest.

Use of curse words, vulgar language, vulgar images, and sexual harassment of any nature will result in a ban from the forum and from Rainforest regardless of intent or context in the post.

Should you have a question, utilize the forum’s search feature first to find an answer. It’s likely the question has been asked before, but if you don’t find an answer then a new thread can be created.

Be safe! Do not provide your full name, email, home address, phone number, or other personally identifying information unless you want people to know this information.

Each section below outlines basic steps to take when downloading certain file types. Additionally we show how to open and verify these files, as well as how to move forward if the VM does not have a default app for the specific file you’ve downloaded.

Basic Download Process

For images, you’ll typically right click and a new menu will appear.

Within that menu will be a Save or Download Image option.

You may also see a specific “Download” button depending on how the web page or app was designed.

For documents, there will typically be a specific download option such as a button you’ll need to click.

How to open a file

Windows

Open your Files Explorer (icon shown below)

Locate the file you’d like to open

Double-click the file you’d like to open, it should open in the default app

XBM

mac OS

There are two options to locate files:

For all files:

Open the “Finder” app (it’s icon is shown below)

Locate the file you’d like to open

Double-click the file you’d like to open, it should open in the default app

For recently downloaded files:

In the dock at the bottom of the page, to the right side and immediate left of the Trash icon, you can find Downloads folder. Click the Downloads icon to see a list of all of the items you've recently downloaded. The list may fan out or appear as a grid.

PNG

Windows:

Windows Photo Viewer is best for looking at a picture or printing a copy.

To edit an image or save it in another image format, use Paint.

mac OS:

iOS includes a program called Preview. When you double click the file it should open using the Preview app by default. In case it does not right click on the image, select Open With > Preview.

CSV

Windows:

CSV files can be viewed in Microsoft Excel, or LibreOffice Calc programs

mac OS:

CSV files can be viewed in the Numbers app.

JPEG

Windows:

Windows Photo Viewer is best for looking at a picture or printing a copy.

To edit an image or save it in another image format, use Paint.

mac OS:

mac OS includes a program called Preview. When you double click the file it should open using the Preview app.

PDF

Windows:

PDF files can be opened using Adobe (if available) or the internet browser.

mac OS

PDF files can be opened using the preview app on Mac/Apple VMs

Excel/Spreadsheet

Windows:

can be viewed in Microsoft Excel (if available in the specific VM) or LibreOffice Calc

iOS:

can be viewed in the Numbers app

Word/regular documents

Windows:

Docs can be viewed in Microsoft Word (if available in the specific VM), or LibreOffice

iOS:

The Pages app can be used to view regular “word” type documents.

What to do in case there’s no default app on the VM to allow you to open a file

If there is no default app set to open a file:

Right click on the file you’d like to open

Find “Open With” in the menu and move your mouse to highlight that option

An additional menu should pop out with the different program choices

Windows:

Mac iOS:

File types and extensions

Media files

.aif - AIF audio file

.cda - CD audio track file

.mid or .midi - MIDI audio file.

.mp3 - MP3 audio file

.mpa - MPEG-2 audio file

.ogg - Ogg Vorbis audio file

.wav - WAV file

.wma - WMA audio file

.wpl - Windows Media Player playlist

Photo and image editing:

AI Adobe Illustrator Artwork files

BMP Windows Bitmap files

CR2 RAW Image file used by Canon Cameras

DAE Collada 3D files

DNG Digital Negative files

EPS Encapsulated PostScript files (after an automatic conversion to PDF)

FAX faxes

FPX FlashPix files

GIF Graphics Interchange Format files

HDR High Dynamic Range Image files

ICNS Apple Icon Image files

ICO Windows icon files

JPEG Joint Photographic Experts Group files

JPEG 2000 JPEG 2000 files

OBJ Wavefront file

OpenEXR OpenEXR files

PDF Portable Document Format

PICT QuickDraw image files

PNG Portable Network Graphics files

PNTG MacPaint Bitmap Graphic files

PPT PowerPoint files

PS Adobe PostScript files (after an automatic conversion to PDF)

PSD Adobe Photoshop files

QTIF QuickTime image files

RAD Radiance Scene Description files

RAW Raw image files

SGI Silicon Graphics Image files

STL STereoLithography 3D format

TGA TARGA image files

TIF (TIFF) Tagged Image File Format files

X BitMap files

Time, dates, and units of measurement are calculated or displayed differently depending on geographical location. This article aims to help shed light on some of these differences should any tests require an understanding of this knowledge.

Formatting Dates

There are a few different ways the shorthand for dates can be written depending on where the writer (i.e. the customer and/or their target audience or users) is located geographically.

Unites States

In the United States, shorthand for the date is written in the order of month first, day of the month second, and year third. While it will follow that order, formatting may vary slightly depending on writer preference. For example, here a few of the ways the shorthand for August 2, 2018 can be written if the author is located within the United States:

08/02/2018

8/2/2018

8/2/18

08-02-2018

8-2-2018

8-2-18

08.02.2018

8.2.2018

8.2.18

Please keep in mind that most of our clients are U.S. based. If you are asked to select a week day or business day that means Monday - Friday. Weekends in the U.S. are Saturday and Sunday.

Non-U.S. Countries

In most non-U.S. countries, shorthand for the date is written in the order of day of the month first, month second, and year third. While it will follow that order, formatting may vary slightly depending on writer preference. For example, here a few ways the shorthand for August 2, 2018 can be written if the author is located outside of the United States:

02/08/2018

2/8/2018

2/8/18

02-08-2018

2-8-2018

2-8-18

02.08.2018

2.8.2018

2.8.18

Important Note

As per the “Minor Exceptions” section of Rule 2, do not report jobs when automatic formatting takes place. There are automatic formatting practices often applied in online applications when entering data such as security numbers, dates, telephone numbers, credit card details, etc (e.g. you enter “123456789” and the number formats to “123-456-789”). Some Customers may not take this into account when using quotes in their instructions. If everything is working properly, answer Yes and move on with the test, even if quotes were used.

Systems of Time

There are two main systems for telling time: the 12-hour clock and the 24-hour clock. Different customers may use different systems in their applications or when writing their test instructions depending on their geographical location.

The 12-hour clock divides the day into two sections: the 12 hours from midnight to noon (ante meridiem a.m.), and the 12 hours from noon to midnight (post meridiem p.m.). The highest number representing the hour is 12 (i.e. 12:00am for midnight and 12:00pm for noon).

The 24-hour clock is the convention of time keeping in which the day runs from midnight to midnight and is divided into 24 hours, indicated by the hours passed since midnight, from 0 to 23*. This system is the most commonly used time notation in the world today. In the United States, the 24h clock is referred to as “military time” since civilians use the 12h clock, but military personnel use the 24h clock.

Here are a few examples of how you could see times written out depending on the system being used by the author (e.g. customer). We’ve provided the 12h clock examples first since it’s the format used by most of our customers:

Midnight: 12:00am 00:00

12:15am 00:15

2:00am 02:00

8:00am 08:00

11:05am 11:05

Noon: 12:00pm 12:00

12:15pm 12:15

2:00pm 14:00

8:00pm 20:00

11:15pm 23:15

*Note: Sometimes you may see 00:00 written as 24:00. Both are acceptable. For a more thorough explanation of the 12h clock compared to the 24h clock (aka military time), check out the chart provided here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/24-hour_clock

Systems of Measurement

There are two systems of measurement used depending on geographical location - the metric system and the imperial system.

Most countries use the metric system, which uses units of measure such as meters and grams and adds prefixes like kilo, milli and centi to count orders of magnitude.

The imperial system is mainly used in the United States and United Kingdom, and uses units of measure such as feet, inches, and pounds.

Most tests won’t require you to have knowledge of units of measure, and they definitely should not require you to do any sort of calculation involving units of measure. However, here are a couple charts of full spellings of common units of measure + their abbreviations should customer instructions require knowledge of any common terms or their abbreviations.

Common Metric Units + Abbreviations

https://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/checklist.html

Common Imperial Units + Abbreviations

Metric Abbreviations

Abbreviation

Unit of Measurement

b

bit

B

byte

C

Celsius, Centigrade

cc or cm

cubic centimeter (cm is standard)

cm

centimeter

G,GB

gigabyte (GB is standard)

g, gr

gram (g is standard)

ha

hectare

K

Kelvin

K, KB

kilobyte (KB is standard)

kg

kilogram

kl

kiloliter

km

kilometer

l

liter

m

meter

M, MB

megabyte (MB is standard)

mcg or g

microgram ( g is standard)

mg

milligram

ml

milliliter

mm

millimeter

MT

metric ton

t, T

metric ton

w, W

watt (W is standard)

kw, kW

kilowatt (kW is standard)

kwh, kWh

kilowatt-hour (kWh is standard)

English Unit Abbreviations

Abbreviation

Unit of Measurement

bbl.

barrel

cu.

cubic

doz.

dozen

F., F

Fahrenheit

fl. oz.

fluid ounce

ft.

foot

gal.

gallon

gr.

grain

gr., gro.

gross

in.

inch

k., kt.

karat

k., kt.

knot

lb.

pound

LT, L.T.

long ton

mi.

mile

mph

miles per hour

n.m.

nautical miles

oz.

ounce

pt.

pint

qt.

quart

sq.

square

rpm

revolutions per minute

T., T

ton

T.

tablespoon in some cookbooks

t.

teaspoon in some cookbooks

tbsp.

tablespoon

tsp.

teaspoon

yd.

yard

Other resources

We’ve compiled a list of each state and it’s abbreviation in case this is needed in a job. You’ll also find some information on zip codes and their formatting as well.

List of states and their abbreviations

State

Abbreviation

ALABAMA

AL

ALASKA

AK

ARIZONA

AZ

ARKANSAS

AR

CALIFORNIA

CA

COLORADO

CO

CONNECTICUT

CT

DELAWARE

DE

FLORIDA

FL

GEORGIA

GA

HAWAII

HI

IDAHO

ID

ILLINOIS

IL

INDIANA

IN

IOWA

IA

KANSAS

KS

KENTUCKY

KY

LOUISIANA

LA

MAINE

ME

MARYLAND

MD

MASSACHUSETTS

MA

MICHIGAN

MI

MINNESOTA

MN

MISSISSIPPI

MS

MISSOURI

MO

MONTANA

MT

NEBRASKA

NE

NEVADA

NV

NEW HAMPSHIRE

NH

NEW JERSEY

NJ

NEW MEXICO

NM

NEW YORK

NY

NORTH CAROLINA

NC

NORTH DAKOTA

ND

OHIO

OH

OKLAHOMA

OK

OREGON

OR

PENNSYLVANIA

PA

RHODE ISLAND

RI

SOUTH CAROLINA

SC

SOUTH DAKOTA

SD

TENNESSEE

TN

TEXAS

TX

UTAH

UT

VERMONT

VT

VIRGINIA

VA

WASHINGTON

WA

WEST VIRGINIA

WV

WISCONSIN

WI

WYOMING

WY

Address info for the U.S.

U.S. Address format:

Mr. John Smith

3256 Epiphenomenal Avenue

Minneapolis, MN 55416

Addresses in the U.S. include what is called a zip code. There are two different formats for a zip code.

The most common zip code is 5 digit ie 99577. This is the format you’ll most likely use if you’re filling out an address within a job.

There is a longer format for zip codes in the U.S. ex. 99577-0727 which references a more specific location than the 5 digit format.

Address info for the U.K.

Mr. John Smith

2 Wollstonecraft St.

N1 4BC, London

United Kingdom

Addresses in the U.K. include a post code (rather than calling it a zip code). The format is usually in letters and numbers, with the first part of the postcode (the prefix) is indicative of the area or city the location finds itself in (e.g. M2 will be in Manchester, L12 in Liverpool, IP12 in Ipswich, etc.). You are not expected to know all these areas, but you are expected to know the difference between a U.S. zip code and a U.K. post code.

This article is to advise you on how to complete some basic actions within an iOS mobile device that you may come across while working with Rainforest jobs.

Please keep in mind that these are virtual devices, so they have a few things you need to know:

There is no call functionality to them.

If you're asked to test out sending a text message, DO NOT use your real phone number.

If instructed to do so you can download apps within the app store for specific jobs.

iOS VM Buttons

We’ve added the following new buttons to our iOS mobile VMs:

Home

Keyboard

Rotate Right

Rotate Left

The purpose of these new buttons is two-fold:

To make your lives easier, so you don’t have to access the Hardware menu for common actions like rotating the device or going to the home screen

To make clients’ lives easier by removing the need for them to specify how to access the Hardware menu in instructions for such common tasks

Important note: In order for the button to work (to send the key commands to the simulator), the simulator needs to be the "active" application i.e. the last click you made before using one of these buttons needs to be made inside the simulator. For example, when you load the VM you can see in the top left of the navigation bar that "Simulator" is the active application. If you click outside of the iPhone (but still in the VM) you'll notice it changes to "Finder". If "Finder" is active and you hit one of these buttons, the command won’t execute correctly (it will go to Finder instead of the Simulator, and we don’t want that).

Please note that this update applies to iOS VMs only because the Android emulators come with an action menu bar included. We will consider adding more buttons for iOS simulators in the future if they’re needed (and have keyboard shortcuts).

How to the use dropdown menu

The dropdown menu will appear at the bottom of the screen. The choice you want to select should be between the bars you see below. Once you’ve made your selection click “done” in order to move on.

How to go back in mobile internet browser

If you drag up or down on the screen with your mouse, the back button bar should appear when you’re in an internet browser on the iPhone.

Once the menu appears you’ll see the following icons:

Left facing arrow: use this to go back

Right facing arrow: use this to go forward (this is only activated if you’ve used the back button)

Square with arrow up: share this link

Book: Bookmarks

Stacked Squares: shows all open internet tabs

Opening a new tab

Tap and hold on any link.

On an iPhone, select "Open in Background" or “Open in new tab”.

How to download and save images to your Photos app

Navigate to the page that contains the image that you want to save.

Click and hold on the image until the pop-up selection menu appears, then click either “Download Image” OR “Save Image” (Save Image will typically be when you’re within a web browser)

Find the saved image within Photos app.

How to take a photo

Launch the Camera app from the Home screen. The icon looks like a camera icon.

Frame and focus the scene you want to take, just like normal.

Click the large, greyish-white circle in the bottom of the screen to take the photo.

(Optional) see the photo you just took by tapping the thumbnail in the bottom corner.

In the VM the camera will only take pictures of a black screen. You may also see a moving box that changes colors when the camera app is open.

Changing the Wallpaper

Launch theSettingsapp from your iPhone or iPad Home screen.

Tap onWallpaper.

Tap onChoose a New Wallpaper. You can choose from Apple's stock images, or the photo library.

Select your newwallpaperto enter Preview mode.

TapSet.

Tap theoptionof your choice:

Set Lock Screen

Set Home Screen

Both

If the instructions ask you to use a downloaded image, you'll select the Photo Library option to access the downloaded image.

If you do not see a wallpaper option within settings follow these steps to set a new wallpaper image:

Navigate to the photo library

Select the photo you'd like as the new wallpaper

In the bottom menu you'll see the share option - it is a square shape with an arrow coming from the top

Use your mouse to "swipe" through the menu and find the Use as wallpaper option. Click this option.

You'll see the test screen with the image, select the option to "set".

Tap theoptionof your choice:

Set Lock Screen

Set Home Screen

Both

Zooming in and out

In order to zoom in within the iPhone VM, you’ll need to double click any area of the phone screen

To reset, double click again.

You can also use the screen tool.

To activate:

Hold alt/option key on your keyboard

Click in the phone screen with your mouse

Move the circles to zoom in, just as you would pinch a phone screen

Within a map, you may be able to move the map with just your mouse and clicking. However if this does not work you'll need to activate the touch tool. This can be done following the instructions above or by clicking the control (CTRL) button on your keyboard. Instead of two grey circles you'll see one appear. This will allow you to move the map as needed.

To zoom out, hold the alt/option key on your keyboard, and with your mouse click and drag outwards.

Swipe gestures

Click your mouse, and drag it in the direction you wish to swipe.

Various iOS notifications

If you see the allow location pop up and aren’t specifically instructed on what to do, you may select either option.

VM Menu

You can navigate home by selecting “Hardware” then the “Home” option.

The hardware menu can also be used to rotate the device and change it's orientation. This is where you can check if you need to perform an action that you'd do physically (like turn the phone to rotate). It is the iOS version of the side toolbar that you see in Android VM's.

You'll also find the option to slow animations in the top menu. In case you're asked by clients to do this it is located in the "Debug" menu

System settings

You'll first need to click the Hardware menu (pictured above) and then the "Home" option.

Note that the Settings menu has a search bar, which you can see if you drag the screen down slightly.

Within the system settings, you'll be able to find the option to change the time and date if needed.

Force Closing an App

On an iPhone X or later or an iPad with iOS 12, from the Home screen, swipe up from the bottomof the screen and pause slightly in the middle of the screen. On an iPhone 8 or earlier, double-click the Home button to show your most recently used apps

Swipe right or left to find the app that you want to close.

Swipe up on the app's preview to close the app.

Touch-Assist

You may be asked to turn on assistive touch within an iOS test. You'll find the option to turn this setting on under the Accessibility section of the settings app. Keep in mind, to get to the settings menu, you can Click the "Hardware" option in the top most menu, and then click "Home". There you should see the Settings app on the home screen.

Mobile Browser URL

If you need to view the browser on a mobile device, you can click on the URL bar to expand it if needed. You'll be able to click through the URL using the right and left arrow keys on your keyboard. To close out of the URL bar, click 'Cancel'.

While we do recommend using the Suggest Improvement feature in certain cases, it is not required and your work will not be rejected if you do not use it. If you choose not to use Suggest Improvement, follow the instruction to the best of your ability and answer Yes or No accordingly. Whenever you answer “No”, always be sure to leave a clear and concise comment about the issue you experienced.

Read on for some general guidelines on how to use Suggest Improvement. See Rules 2 & 3 to learn how this feature should be applied to quotes, placeholders, and pop-ups!

Suggest Improvement Basics

Suggest Improvement should not be used to move forward with a step that should be failed for any reason

Please remember that SI comments should be left inEnglish only

Rude or unhelpful comments will not be tolerated, and can lead to your account being blocked.You can find examples of helpful and unhelpful comments in the “Examples of when to apply each category” section below.

Any VM issues should be reported to Rainforest staff through a help ticket, not in SI comment

You can never be too polite when leaving a comment :)

Suggest Improvement Categories

This step can be broken into multiple steps

These instructions are hard to understand

The action you want me to do is not fully described

I see an additional problem that is not asked as part of the question

There was an unexpected pop-up in this step

Note:While we recommend the use of Suggest Improvement in certain situations, it is not required. If you choose not to use SI, follow the instruction to the best of your ability and answer Yes or No accordingly.

Examples of when to apply each category

This step can be broken into multiple steps

Instructions:Navigate to the “Crafts” page. Once loaded, hover over the menu on the left hand side and click “Crochet and Knitting Crafts” option. Once the page is loaded, click on the first product you see (“Squishy” brand yarn). Does a new page load? After the page has loaded, add 3 of the yarn into your cart. Proceed to checkout. Does your cart load and show all 3 balls of yarn?

Helpful:Having multiple questions in one step can be problematic, since it’s possible that the answer to one question could be “yes” while the answer to the other could be “no”, and we don’t have the ability to provide more than one answer per step. You may receive more accurate results if you break this up into two separate steps with one question each.

Not helpful:This job is unfair to testers! This user always asks many questions in a step, it is very annoying and difficult to follow.

These instructions are hard to understand

Instructions:Please fully read the instruction set before you begin the execution of the step, paying particular attention to the provided note and GIFs *** In the title, enter "Hello Tester867910". In the message section, type the message with special characters "Hi, Let's take a survey to decide the location for our next trip!!". Click on "insert placeholder" and add in "Add first name" by clicking on it. Please also click "Attach Document" and upload a file from the sample_media folder, and then click "Attach Photo" and upload an image from the sample_media folder. Note: After clicking Attach Document or Attach Photo buttons, click the Upload File button and in the file chooser window that appears navigate to the sample_media folder and pick a file or image from there. See gifs for reference : screenshot | screenshot. Does the text and photo display and were you able to attach the file?

Helpful:These instructions are difficult to follow. I needed to read them a few times in order to retain & understand everything before beginning the execution of the step. It may help to simplify these instructions by breaking up some of the longer sentences and removing quotes & other symbols (e.g. ****) where they aren’t completely necessary.

Not Helpful:these steps are too complicated! clients test are always poorly written and its impossible to know what you want us to do.

The action you want me to do is not fully described

Instructions:Navigate to the “Dinner” menu. Were you able to download the “Dinner” menu?

Helpful:There is an additional “Download file” button to click that is not mentioned in the steps here. For clear and explicit instructions you may want to include this information.

Not Helpful:instructions aren’t clear, we testers are not mind readers and don’t have access to crystal balls to guess what steps we need to take in between

I see an additional problem that is not asked as part of the question

Instructions:“Scroll down the page and look for the social sharing buttons? Do you see the buttons in a single line at the bottom?”

Helpful:When reading through the page, I noticed that “working” is misspelled in the second paragraph.

Not Helpful:there is a misspelled word on the page

There was an unexpected pop-up in this step

Instructions:Click 'Learning'. Has another page loaded?

Helpful:I was asked to confirm to leave the page after clicking ‘Learning’ as instructed. I confirmed in order to move forward.

Not Helpful:I closed a pop up

The following articles were written to help assist you with various topics that are not directly addressed by our rules but are still important to understand within the context of Rainforest testing. You can find links to each of our new education articles below:

Tester Basics

Basic Browser Actions

Basic iOS Device Functions

Basic Android Device Functions

Downloading and Opening Files in Desktop VMs

Time, Date, and Units of Measurement

U.S. Address Information

Important Security Measures

Glossary of Testing Terms

Remember, these articles are supplemental to our rules, and it’s your responsibility to review their content. When reviews are done, it will be taken into account that you should know the information we’ve shared here. Always be sure to stay up to date on our official testing rules and turn to them for answers first before deferring to supplemental material. You can check out our testing rules here !

Examples for Group 1: Pop-ups which indicate there is a bug

Report pop-ups like these, unless the customer specifically instructs you not to. Here are some examples of these types of pop-ups:

500 errors

An error message that appears for few seconds and then disappears

404 errors

Crashed browser

Microsoft Excel external error

“Uh oh. Something went wrong on our end. It’s not you, it’s us. Sorry about that”

Examples for Group 2: Pop-ups which don’t indicate a bug

Do not report pop-ups like these. Here are some examples of these types of pop-ups:

Side chat box

Connecting

Prompt to save password

Prompt to save credit card or similar info

Warning popups that don’t indicate a bug:

Forms that say valid info is required

Note:Sometimes forms show you a warning like this before you enter required information, like the one above. This is not a bug, and should not be reported. However, if you have entered the valid information required, and you still receive this message, you should report it as a bug with “No” and explain the issue.

Hostname conflicts:

A pop up asking you to subscribe to email updates, discounts, limited time offers, etc

Captcha message

Do you want to allow notifications from [this app]? (usually on mobile real devices)

Examples for Group 3: Pop-ups which may indicate a bug, but you aren't sure if this is the case

You should not report pop-ups like these. Alert the customer using “Suggest Improvements” category “There was an unexpected popup in this step”, or ignore completely if instructed to do so by the customer.

Note:While we recommend the use of Suggest Improvement in some cases like the following, it is not required. If you choose not to use SI, follow the instruction to the best of your ability and answer Yes or No accordingly.

Request to install add-on that wasn’t mentioned in the instructions

Confirmation to leave a page

Warning message due to low virtual memory

Page unresponsive or slowing down your browser

Temporary server issue

Browser running slowly

Pop-ups come in different shapes and sizes! Pop-up definition: anything that suddenly appears (text and/or window) and you don’t need to hover over it in order to see it.

What this rule means for you:The rule exists to help clients and testers discern between pop-ups that could represent a bug or a defect, and something that is a harmless browser or system notification, or sign of things working as intended in their app. It’s important to differentiate between the types of pop-ups that are out there, as described below.

What clients want:

Clients are looking for bugs that need fixing: things that prevent their application from working properly. Bugs usually cause the app to crash or give errors.

Some may be testing explicit pop-up behavior, case in which they will usually let you know or it will be obvious from the instructions and you should follow their guidance.

In many cases, they may have more harmless, unrelated pop-ups than they remember to mention in instructions (usually marketing pop-ups). In these cases we do advise them to issue a blanket ‘ignore all pop-ups’ message just to be sure; if you see that, you should only focus on those that may indicate a bug or crash.

In rare cases, they may ask you to ignore aspecifickind of error or crash pop-up, e.g. due to a testing environment not behaving exactly in the same way as a real, production environment would. As described below, you should follow the test author’s instructions and ignore specific pop-ups called out but let them know about any others that may indicate their app is not working.

In exceptionally rare cases, they may ask you to ignoreallpop-ups, including those that may indicate errors or crashes, and keep answering the questions. If you can still answer the question asked with a YES based on the instructions, keep going. As mentioned in Rule 1, you should be concerned if the clientforcesyou to answer yes when the answer should be no.

How to Apply This Rule:

You should classify each pop-up you see into one of the 3 groups below and follow the instructions based on the relevant group that the pop-up belongs to:

Pop-ups which indicate there is a bug

Pop-ups which don’t indicate a bug

Pop-ups which may indicate a bug, but you aren't sure if this is the case

Here is what you should do in each situation:

1. Pop-up which indicates a Bug- This is a pop-up that includes an ERROR/CRASH notification. Basically, it indicates that something went wrong.

Always fail a test by reporting No when you encounter an ERROR/CRASH notification that you weren’t specifically instructed to ignore.

If the test author instructed you to ignorea specific typeof ERROR/CRASH pop-up, then you should follow the test author’s instructions and ignore only this specific pop-up. That being said, make sure to report all other ERROR/CRASH pop-ups that weren’t mentioned by the test author.

If a test author tells you to ignoreall pop-ups, you should ignore all pop-ups, except ERROR/CRASH notifications. You must always answer No to report ERROR/CRASH notifications not specifically mentioned in the instructions.

If a test author tells you to ignoreall pop-ups including error pop-ups, then you should follow the test author’s instructions and ignore all pop-ups, including ERROR/CRASH notifications. In other words, continue with the test and questions until you can’t answer yes anymore. If you do encounter an ERROR/CRASH notification you think the customer really should know about, you should alert them using the “Suggest Improvement” category “There was an unexpected popup in this step”, and then continue with the testif possible.

2. Pop-up which doesn't indicate a bug- this pop-up indicates an expected system/browser/application behavior. for example - a side chat-box, marketing ad, standard browser question such as “do you want to save this password?”, “do you want to run this file?”, etc.

Ignore these pop-ups. If they don't disappear and don’t interfere with the flow of the test - take the necessary action to close them so you can move on with your test. Note: This could mean clicking ‘accept’ on something, more often than not, unless specified otherwise by the client (e.g. “Do you want to allow the application to use your location?” - both yes and no would make it go away, unless the author is testing something else and advises you differently. See our educational articles if you are confused).

3. Pop-ups which may indicate a bug, but you aren't sure if this is the case-

If the pop-up doesn’t fall into one of the two other categories (i.e. it’s not an ERROR/CRASH pop-up, and it’s not an expected behavior by the system/browser/application), and you think that there is a slight chance that this pop-up may indicate a bug - then take the most reasonable action to close it, notify the user that you closed it via the “Suggest Improvement” option (click "Suggest Improvement" and choose “There was an unexpected popup in this step" category) and move on with your test.

If the test author instructed you to ignore/close a specific type of pop-up, then you should follow the instructions and ignore/close it without mentioning it in the "Suggest Improvement”.

Using Suggest Improvement

While we recommend the use of Suggest Improvement in some of the above cases, it is not required. If you choose not to use SI, follow the instruction to the best of your ability and answer Yes or No accordingly.

Quotes and Placeholders are important pieces of the test writer toolbox, so chances are you will encounter them at some point. Here are some guidelines on how to apply the quote rule to various situations. Keep in mind this list doesn’t include every situation possible, but should provide enough context for you to apply this logic to most situations you find yourself in.

Examples of when to say YES:

Answer yes if all relevant aspects of the quoted text match what you see on the page, and placeholders are used correctly. For example:

The instructions sayLook for the "log in" buttonand the button says LOG IN remember that capitalization differences should not be reported or mentioned with Suggest Improvement.

The instructions askDo you see a message that says "_ Users Online"?and you see the message "37 Users Online" answer YES and remember that it’s okay for customers to use _ placeholders within quotes

The instructions tell you toEnter "123456789" into the online formand the number automatically formats to 123-456-789 after you enter it remember that common, automatic formatting doesn’t need to be reported

The instructions tell you toEnter "08/15/2018" into the online formand the field is already formatted as / / (i.e. dashes are already included) remember that common, automatic formatting doesn’t need to be reportedand you just need to enter the numbers in each section. This may also apply to separation using spaces.

The instructions askClick the "Create" buttonbut you see a button that has Create with a symbol next to it (e.g. +Create) even though there is other content around “Create”, in this case a + symbol, the quoted text is a match.

The instructions sayAre you brought to a new test page with the title "Unnamed Test"?but the page says #47211 Unnamed Test even though there is other content around “Unnamed Test”, in this case both numbers and symbols, the quoted text is a match.

The instructions specifically say they will use a symbol other than _ as a placeholder, eg.We will be using [ ] as a placeholder during this test.

Answer yes if the client uses a different kind of placeholder other than _ but it’s clear from their instructions which is supposed to be the placeholder. For example:

The instructions ask you toLook for X, where X is number of students It is obvious that X is a placeholder for a number, as it is clearly spelled out by the test author.

The instructions say,Do you see a green alert box which appears with the message You have successfully inactivated “<#> items”?, where <#> is the number of assets selected?

Examples of when to say NO:

Say no if you see any difference in spelling, words, or punctuation of the text or values contained within the quotes.

Say no if the instructions use a symbol other than _ as a placeholder and they don’t explain and/or it’s not obvious from instructions that some other symbol or character is supposed to act as placeholder.

Say no if you see any difference in spelling, words, or punctuation within the quotes.For example

The instructions sayClick the "Run tests!" button, but the button says Run test without the second s or !

The instructions askDo you see a "Log In" button?, but the button says login as one word

You enter a value into a field, but the value is transformed to a different value after you enter it (e.g. you are asked to enter or match“$327” (dollar value) but it turns into “327” (pound sterling).

The instructions sayDo you see a message that says something like "Welcome to this page!" when you click the URL?but the message in the app saysWelcome to our page!The message in the app saysourinstead ofthis, so you must report this with No - even though the customer used a term like something like, they still used quotes and an exact match must be made.

The instructions sayLook for " [email protected] " on the screen, but on the screen you see the truncated text “email@rainf”ANDthere is no full email or text in a tooltip if you hover.Note:If you hover above the email and you do see a tooltip with the full email address, you shouldn’t fail the step.

The instructions don’t warn you that they will use a symbol other than _ as a placeholder (e.g. [x]), or explain it, but do anyway. For example,Do you see [x] students online? If the rest of the instructions don’t clearly explain [x] is going to be the placeholder, you should fail the step.

The instructions askDo you see the words "Green: Apple" on the page?but the words are located in completely different parts of a page, table, spreadsheet, etc the test author shouldn’t be using quotes for words that are so far away or in separate defined spaces (e.g. two different columns or cells in spreadsheet).

Examples of when to say YES:

Please keep in mind that the examples and instructions included here are guidelines. It is impossible for us to include every single case that you’ll come across while working. You should answer Yes in cases like the following:

Answer yes if the expected outcome(s) of the question are met, and you see no other issue.

Answer yes if the instructions ask you to perform an action and you can confirm an outcome, after taking small, reasonable steps to move forward even if the action isn't fully described.Sometimes test authors may not fully describe the steps needed, if the steps are obvious in the context of the test case. If some small actions leading up to the desired outcome are not fully spelled out but it’s clear what you need to do in order to proceed based on the situation you’re in, then go ahead and take small, reasonable steps to move forward and answer YES if expected outcomes are met. Some cases you may encounter:

Go to new tab, open image URL and save the image.The next step does not ask you to return to the original tab, but gives you instructions that you have to perform in original tab. It is clear that you should continue in the original tab and you must know how to open windows in a new tab in any browser.

Navigate to the “Dinner” menu. Were you able to download the “Dinner” menu? It is clear that you are supposed to find and click a link or button to download the menu.

Enter the provided email and password. Are you taken to your dashboard showing recently viewed articles? It is clear that the next step is to log in using that email and password in order to see the dashboard and articles.

Instructions say to enter provided email and password, and the question asks if you’re able to log in. The instructions don’t specifically tell you to click the log in button though. It is clear that you should log in using the email and password.

Instructions tell you to search for a name (e.g. a patient record) in a table, and the table spans a few pages.It is clear that it’s your responsibility to browse and search the entire table, meaning all the pages it spans. In this case, you may also want to leave an optional SI under the category “The action you want me to do is not fully described” and ask the author to provide a clarification that there are several pages testers shouldn’t miss. Please reference the educational ‘Tester Basics’ article if you’re still unclear.

Answer yes if you personally understand the instructions, even if you may be worried other testers will be confused.You must click YES if expected outcomes are met (i.e. you can answer the question), but you may click “Suggest Improvement”, select“These instructions are hard to understand”and leave a thoughtful comment explaining that some testers may not understand the instruction, and explain why (or even suggest an alternative). Be sure to be polite and courteous.

Examples of when to say NO:

If you need to answer NO, be sure to leave a helpful, concise and grammatically correct comment explaining why the step failed. Here are some examples of when you’d need to answer NO:

Say no if the outcome of following instruction(s) doesn’t match what’s asked in the question.For example:

The instructions ask if you see a page with 5 images but there are 4 images. If the test author expects 5 images but only 4 appear, then clearly one is missing and you should fail.

You’re instructed to click the continue option, in order to complete a purchase, but nothing happens after clicking the continue button.

The page simply does not load.

Say no if there are multiple questions asked and ANY of them is false, answer NO and explain the issue.We are actively working to remove and discourage use of multiple questions in instructions, but you may still see them from time to time. For example:

Navigate to the “Crafts” page. Once loaded, hover over the menu on the left hand side and click “Crochet and Knitting Crafts” option. Once the page is loaded, click on the first product you see (“Squishy” brand yarn). Does a new page load? After the page has loaded, add 3 of the yarn into your cart. Proceed to checkout. Does your cart load and show all 3 balls of yarn?

You may also add an optional Suggest Improvement under “This step can be broken into multiple steps” and ask the test author to only include one question for clarity.

Say no if you must complete one or several extra action(s) that are not common or immediately obvious for the test case you’re in.These are specific examples where the test author requires you to make too big of a leap from where you are to where you need to be. You should explain that you cannot complete complex actions unless guided to do so. For example:

You are instructed to navigate to the “Hats” section of the menu. You cannot find the hats menu because it is actually a submenu under “Clothes” that you’ve not been instructed to click or hover over. It is not obvious where this menu can be located, so you should click NO.

Say no if you don’t understand the instructions provided, but make sure to explain what is causing the confusion.Remember that all testing happens in English, and you are expected to have a good command of the language. If the instructions are in English, but have unexplained jargon or are written in a very confusing or unnecessarily complicated way, youmustbe very clear in explaining what’s causing the confusion. Otherwise the test author won’t be able to update the instructions for you and others in the future. If you mistakenly pass or fail the test because of poor English comprehension and a Peer Reviewer decides that the original instructions were clear enough, there is a score penalty. For example:

The test author used some (internal business) jargon that can’t be found anywhere in the app or page you’re testing, such as“Do you see the DKIM string on the page?” If DKIM is not mentioned anywhere on the page, you must explain “I don’t know what DKIM means, it’s not explained anywhere”. Please make sure you double check the application before reporting the term definitely isn’t there.

Say no if the test author asks you to do something that is not possible for you as a tester.For example:

You are asked to reference a different tests of theirs. You should report NO and explain that you can’t see other tests, only the one you have in front of you.

You are asked to wait for something to happen for very long periods of time (e.g. over 10 minutes). For example, with emails, wait 3-4 minutes at most. But if the expectations is clearly to wait more (e.g. run a report and wait 15 minutes for it to generate) then report NO right away and explain that you may lose the terminal you are working on if you follow the provided instructions.

You are asked to log into any platform using your personal email or login credentials (e.g. email account, social media accounts, sign up pages for any customer app, etc). Report NO and explain this is not allowed as per Rainforest’s security guidelines.

Say no if the test author asks you to answer YES even though the answer to the step question should be NO based on what you saw and/or did in the app.Answer No, politely explain this is against Rainforest testing rules, and also send a support ticket via ‘Get Help’ using the category ‘Other’.

Say no if you are unable to complete non-conditional actions.Answer No, and politely explain the issues with the instructions.

You are given variables and asked to fill in the fields for the name on card, credit card number, expiration date, and CVV number but the expiration date field doesn't appear at all. Report NO and politely explain that a field is missing.

In a scenario, where the test authors state that a field is conditional and it's missing, then answer YES. For example, you are asked to fill in the name on card field (if applicable) and the field is missing then you can still proceed.

Except for unique jobs clearly marked as ‘Continue Past Failure’ jobs -- say no if the test author asks you to continue even if you experience an error or failure, AND the error you encounter is not in pop-up format.You must ignore the instruction and report NO if you see a non-pop up error or can’t proceed with the job. Leave a comment that explains why you are failing the job. Be sure to be polite and courteous. However, if a TA specifically states or shows a screenshot of an error that you should ignore, then please follow those instructions.

Example of instructions you should report:

“During the test please pass any issues or failures and just note them in Suggest Improvement” TAs shouldn't ask testers to use SI to provide annotations. The feature must stay true to its original purpose and both testers and TAs should avoid misusing it.

Note:Our definition of pop-up is “anything that suddenly appears (text and/or window) AND you don’t need to hover over it in order to see it.” For specific advice on what to do if the author tells you to ignore errors and failures, and you encounter an error in the form of a pop-up, please see Rule 3.

Think back to when you were in school - teachers probably advised you not to rush to an answer halfway through reading the instructions and questions. This rule is very similar to that. Never assume that you know what the instructions say, even if you’ve encountered a job from the same client before - the client may have updated the instructions, their testing environment, and more.

Note:We refer to the a step as containing anactionandquestion, and both form thestep instructions.

What the rule means for you:You must carefully read both the instruction and question before you start. Don’t rush to execute, because it’s not always possible or advisable to go back in a test environment; you might bump into errors or influence the test environment the wrong way, thus distorting results.

What clients want:

Generally, they don’t want you to rush through instructions and steps or do something other than what you were told because it disrupts the entire point of the testing process.

Sometimes actions may differ slightly from what you see in the testing environment because companies update their software all the time, and subtle changes aren’t instantly reflected across all of the client’s test cases. Anecdotally, we know clients want testers to focus on the question asked and whether you can confirm it. i.e. Continue and leave SI letting the clients know if a visual element (buttons, field, dropdown, checkbox, etc.) has subtly changed compared to what the instructions say.

How to Apply This Rule

Make sureyouunderstand what you should do, and the question you are asked to confirm. Think about the instructions and the question you need to answer every step of the way.

Only click YES ifyoufully understand the instructions and the question, if you followed them exactly, and if the answer to the question is YES. Otherwise, click NO.Testers are NOT allowed to skip actions where non-conditional elements mentioned/expected in the instructions are completely missing even if the expected outcomes are met. Example: You’re asked to click on the Continue button on the pop-up, but the pop-up is missing.

If the test author asks you to remember some information for a future step, make sure to do so.You can always hover over previous step numbers and see the instructions again, and must make use of this functionality. If you weren't explicitly told to remember, and all the information needed being offered upfront in a previous step instruction that can be hovered over, you shouldn’t fail the step.

Conditional steps:if the test author forces you to answer Yes and agree toskip more than 1 stepwithout executing them in order to reach a later one, e.g. “Answer YES to questions 5-9 and start working from 10” (see example) you should fail these immediately. Answer No, politely explain this is against Rainforest testing rules. Note: it is fine to go from one step to the next butnot for more, and certainly not for many. E.g. “You may or may not see a certain message display on this step. Click yes to continue to the next step if you do.” is fine. Note 2: It's okay to skip one step after another if both steps ask to skip.

If the TA doesn't force you to answer YES, then you can proceed with the test. E.g. "If you don't see this message then you can skip two steps" but you see the message so you don't need to skip steps.

When to use Suggest Improvement

You may use Suggest Improvement if you have something to add that you think will help the test author write a better test or change something about their app. While we recommend the use of Suggest Improvement in certain situations, it is not required. If you choose not to use SI, follow the instruction to the best of your ability and answer Yes or No accordingly.

See our documentation on general guidelines on when to use Suggest Improvement (SI) and how to leave helpful comments. Please see Rules 2 & 3 for information on how to apply SI to situations involving quotes and pop-ups.

Hello, testers! Below you can find the transcript that accompanies this video recording. Hopefully this helps those who prefer to read along :)

Recording Intro

Slide 1

As you know, we recently announced a new test writing language for our platform. We asked you all to give us your thoughts, and we’ve gotten a lot of great comments and questions. We know a lot of you are excited about what this means for you, but we also want to address any concerns you might have.

Slide 2 - Agenda

Today we’ll give a quick overview of the original announcement, and answer some of your questions submitted via the survey.

Slide 3 - What You Can Expect

Test instructions will be more consistent. The format of instructions you see will be the same format, but the language will be more consistent and easier to understand. This change will allow you to execute tests more quickly, with less ambiguity.

We’ve included a sample test case in the new format on this slide to demonstrate this:

here

The image on the left is how the new test language looks when it’s being written by a customer or test writer.

The image on the right is how the test instructions are displayed to you, the tester. As you can see, the instruction is still displayed at the top in plain English, but the language is simple and clear!

Another thing you can expect is there will be more test writing work in the immediate future. We’re expecting an increase in the overall testing activity in the next few months, especially in the area of test case creation and maintenance.

Many of you have already expressed interest in being test writers. If you haven’t already, go ahead and let us know via the survey we shared earlier. If you’re a qualified candidate we’ll reach out to you with more information.

Slide 4 - Why We're Making This Change

We’re making this change because Rainforest clients want and need to be able to test their products quickly while keeping their costs down, so we need to find ways to help them get results faster without increasing the cost of testing.

Rainforest’s new testing language will allow for some tests to be executed automatically, and for others to have both automated execution mixed with testing executed by you, our testers. A few of you have asked for clarification about what this means for the availability of regression jobs. We expect the number of regression jobs to increase. More customers means more jobs. What we also expect is that the jobs themselves will increase in complexity.

FAQ (Slides 5-14)

I’m interested in being a test author! Can I have more info?

If you’ve expressed interest already, we’ll be reviewing profiles and reaching out to candidates in the near future with more detailed information. However, we’ve had a couple questions about the specifics of being a test author, which we’ll get into now.

Does English have to be my native language to qualify for test writing?

No, it does not! Our test writers do need to have very good to excellent written English skills, but by no means is it required to be your native language. For many of our current test writers, English is their second language.

Will Rainforest test writers still be able to carry out regression testing as they normally do?

Yes, if you are a test writer and you receive a regression testing job, you are still welcome to do it. However, we do require that test writers be able to dedicate at least 4 hours a day to test writing (Mon-Fri), so please consider your own availability if you would like to both write and execute tests for Rainforest.

Will we get paid for test writing?

Yes, you will get paid for test writing. If you qualify as a test writer, we can provide more information about our payment structure and rates.

Will there be training for test writing?

Yes, if you are selected as a test author you will go through several rounds of training before writing tests for our customers.

It’s unclear is this just an update to the test writing language, or will regression jobs also be automated away from the testers?

For right now, our new testing language is just that -- a new language. However, we are making these changes as a way of laying the groundwork for automating more of our regression jobs in the future.

As we’ve mentioned, there will always be regression tests that cannot be automated and will require human testers. Additionally, we expect the number of regression jobs to increase, and for the jobs themselves will increase in complexity.

Will the new test language be available in languages other than English? (e.g. Spanish)

Right now the new testing language is only available in English. We know that a few of you have expressed interest in writing tests in other languages, so we will let you know if this changes.

Will there be other opportunities in addition to test writing?

Right now our immediate need is for test writers. But we are also exploring other testing opportunities for our community, especially in the areas of usability testing, as well as reviewing automated test cases (much like the current peer review system).

As we have additional information around these opportunities, we’ll be sharing it with you all.

Will there be a new set of testing rules to accompany the new test writing language?

Right now most of our current rules should apply, but we are in the process of evaluating them and deciding if a specific set of new rules needs to be created. We will keep you all updated on this and any additional training in the near future.

Slide 15 - Next Steps

We want to emphasize that a huge reason our customers buy and love Rainforest is because of the great work our crowd does! So to continue to expand our footprint with our customers, we’re also adding in different types of jobs for our crowd to perform on the Rainforest platform. So what’s next?

Be aware that you’ll see tests written in the new language

Prepare for additional documentation and updated guidelines if needed

Be on the lookout for updates on test writing opportunities!

Slide 16 - Thank you!

That’s all we have for today. We appreciate all your questions and feedback. If you have any additional questions or thoughts to share, we encourage you to submit them in the survey, which we’ve linked again . Thank you!

Unique Jobs Overview

“A” testers now have the chance to complete “unique jobs” for Rainforest. These are jobs that Rainforest identified as problematic due to a variety of reasons (i.e. they are brand new and need special attention, they’ve received inconsistent results in the past, they cannot be performed by more than one tester, etc.). Please read through some of our best practices to prepare for these types of jobs.

Best Practices & Payment

In unique jobs, you may be the only tester completing the job. With that, there are a few things we’d expect from you. Unique jobs might take you a bit more time than you’d spend on other jobs. This is because any feedback made via the “Suggest Improvement” feature should be as detailed as possible for the customer, as well as any bug report you may need to fill out. Therefore, on these jobs you will receive 5c per step. If you are starting one of these jobs, we will notify you at the beginning of the test so that you’re aware.

When completing unique jobs, try to put yourself into the minds of others. In some cases instructions might be clear to you at first sight, but when you think more about it there could be misunderstandings due to the words being used or how sentences are phrased.

Please remember that all Rainforest rules (quote rules, etc.) still apply to a unique job. You are required to fail a step by answering “No” and submitting a detailed bug report if you cannot complete instructions or if the step question cannot be answered with “Yes.” The “Suggest Improvement” feature should only be used when appropriate. In addition, please note that the standard time constraints still apply to unique jobs (i.e. there won’t be extra time given to complete a unique job step).

Suggest Improvement Examples

The following examples show how questions originally appeared in jobs that were updated after tester feedback. These show how small changes can clarify instructions. Please read through to see the kinds of suggestions we’d like you to make as an “A” tester to our customers.

Example 1:

Original question:

Select the checkbox "Skip approval?" and then Click on "submit request to researcher"

What’s wrong with it?

In this example, testers were having to search through to find the location of the “Skip Approval?” checkbox. Instructions that direct the tester where to look makes it easier to complete the step. Therefore, your suggested improvement should be something like that:

Suggest improvement(category: “the instructions are hard to understand”):

It wasn’t easy to find the “Skip Approval?” checkbox. I suggest you direct testers where to look in order to make it easier for them to complete the step. My suggestion is to write the step as follows: Scroll down to the bottom of the page and select the checkbox "Skip approval?" and then Click on "submit request to researcher"

Example 2:

Original action:

Click the edit icons in each row and edit each field. Click the save icon when you are done with that row.

What’s wrong with it?

In this example, there is the option to save each specific row OR save the sheet. You realize this may be confusing for some testers, and that there is a more clear way to explain which specific Save button should be clicked.

Suggest improvement(category: “the instructions are hard to understand”):

it’s not clear whether the tester should save each specific row OR save the sheet. My suggestion is to indicate where the save button is in order to reduce confusion. For example, the step can be written as follows: Click the edit icons in each row and edit each field. Click the save icon next to the row when you are done with that row.

Example 3:

Original action:

Click the Dispute Adjustments” button.

What’s wrong with it?

The test author must have forgotten the quotation mark before Dispute, or perhaps forgot to remove the quotation mark after adjustments. Either way, a single quotation mark is confusing, and we expect you to help the test author understand that.

Suggest improvement(category: “the instructions are hard to understand”):

A quotation mark is missing from Dispute Adjustments". It should be "Dispute Adjustments" to be considered as a correctly quoted text. If you’d like testers to look for an exact match between the quoted text and the application, please add the missing quotation mark at the beginning. If you are not looking for an exact match, I recommend removing the quotation mark at the end.

The following are some basic guidelines on how to keep yourself safe, whether or not you are testing for Rainforest.

Be safe with your personal info!

Never post your sensitive personal information(e.g. full name, email, home address, phone number, etc.) in public online spaces, such as the Rainforest forum or other social media platforms. Be careful not to post pictures where your personal details may be compromised (e.g. someone may be able to tell where your house is). The only exception to this is that you are permitted to enter your Rainforest user name within a job.

Don’t enter sensitive personal info within a job, even if the instructions ask.

If you aren’t provided with a log in email and the instructions ask you to enter a valid email, you can create a valid email by using [email protected]

If you encounter instructions that ask you to enter sensitive, personal information, please report the instructions to our support team via the portal “Help” using the category “other.” Please provide the client name, a copy of the step instruction, and a brief description of why you are concerned.

Always use hard-to-guess passwords on your computer.

Don’t use obvious passwords, like “password,” “cat,” or obvious character sequences on the qwerty keyboard, like “asdfg” and “12345.” It’s better to use complex passwords.* Include different letter cases, numbers, and even punctuation.

Do not enter any NDA information in the forum.

If you have a question about an NDA job please reach out to Rainforest Staff through the help tab in your Portal profile, using the Other category. Be sure to include the client name.

Don’t use an untrusted computer.

When you access sensitive information from a non-secure computer, like one in an Internet caf, you put the information you’re viewing at risk.

Lock your computer and mobile phone when not in use.

Always lock your computer and mobile phone when you’re not using them. You work on important things, and we want to make sure they stay safe and secure. Rainforest cannot help you if your account is compromised, and you may not return to work for us if we discover that's the case.

Stay alert and report suspicious activity.

Always report any suspicious activity to the Rainforest Staff. Part of our job is to stop cyber attacks and to make sure that both your information and Rainforest’s information remains safe and secure.

This article provides definitions of common terms you’ll see within jobs that you complete. This has been shared with Rainforest clients as well so everyone has the same understanding of these terms.

There are three sections broken up by the type of terms: Elements & Objects, Actions, and Web to Mobile Translations. Each section has a list of terms, explanations, and examples.

Section 1: Elements & Objects

1. Address bar/ Navigation bar/ URL bar

The location of the browser interface that displays the current URL, and where you can view, modify the URL, or enter a new URL that will navigate the tester to a different site. The address bar in many browser acts as a search bar too, so if you're asked to search for a page you can and should do so from the same place as you would enter a URL.

www.example.com/file_download.

2. Browser Window / Tab / Window

Although in conversation the terms ‘browser’ and ‘tab’ might be used interchangeably, they do not mean the same thing in Rainforest testing. A ‘browser’ or ‘window’ is shorthand for a single ‘browser window.’ While the two terms are interchangeable, we recommend to our clients that they stick to one term throughout test instructions to avoid any unnecessary confusion.

‘Tab’ refers to the multiple panels or pages that can be opened within a single browser window. Some test cases will call for use of opening new tabs vs opening a new browser window.

‘Browser’ is best used in use cases that call for opening a browser (Chrome/Safari) when switching from a phone application to web application on a native phone device.

Sample Instructions:

Action: Enter “www.example.com” in your window’s URL field and navigate to the web address.

Action: Open a new tab in the same browser window and navigate to “www.example.com/bestexampleever”?

3. Menu /Sidebar Menu button/ Hamburger menu/Kebab menu

The menu button has many different names, but typically results in displaying other options when it is clicked open. It is often found on the top of the screen, but due to different browser and app configurations there is no one standard location.

We suggest test authors indicate where to find the button, however, due to non-standardization, you should do your best to locate the button in the given platform being tested even if instructions are not specific.

4. Textbox/Text Field:

‘Text box’ and ‘Text field’ are elements that enable you to input a certain amount of text. They can be of any size and usually cause the mouse cursor to change when hovering over it, or display a vertical line when selected. The terms are interchangeable terms and like browser vs window, though we highly suggest clients maintain a consistent use of one term throughout their tests, unless there is a reason that the two designate very different elements in an application. In certain cases, a text box/field may also turn into a drop-down menu which may have preloaded values. In this case, clients are told it is a best practice to instruct testers to expect a dropdown.

Example Steps:

Action: In the text field below “Summary”, copy and paste this step’s instructions (excluding the step’s question) into it.

Question: Did this text field populate with the text you entered?

Action: In the text field next to “Shifts”, enter “{{random.first_name}}”

Question: Did a drop-down appear with “{{random.first_name}} {{random.last_name}}” as the first row?

5. Breadcrumb:

A breadcrumb is an element in the user interface that users use to keep track of their locations within programs, documents, or websites. Usually, a breadcrumb element will display in the navigational order of how you arrived a location on a webpage. Breadcrumbs typically follow a format similar to:

`Home page > Section page > Subsection page`

Example step:

Action: Click on the “Homepage” text of the breadcrumb of site pages in the top left hand corner of the page.

Question: Were you brought back to the Homepage?

6. Radio/Option Button:

A Radio button, or option button, is an element in a user interface that allows the user to choose only one of a predefined set of options. That is, when one option is clicked from the list of options, clicking another option from the same list will override the selection of the previously submitted option.

Example step:

Action: Click on the radio button next to the first option in the list and then click on the third option from the list.

Question: When you clicked on the radio button next to the third option, was radio button from the first option deselected?

7. Navigation Bar

A navigation bar is an element of a user interface the serves as the main hub from which a user can navigate to different locations in the web UI. Typically, navigation bars will lead users to the primary functionalities of the application they’re using and such functionalities are indicated by text or icons.

Example step:

Action: Click on “Case Studies” in the navigation bar at the top of the page

Question: Were you brought to a page with a list of case studies?

8. Toggle button

A toggle button or toggle switch is a UI element that allows the end user to switch between two different states of a function or feature. Typically this button can be clicked and will change between two polar states like “On/Off”.

Example Step:

Action: Click on the toggle button located next to the “Flashlight” header.

Question: Did the button move and change fromoff to on?

9. Checkbox

A checkbox is a small box on a form into which a check or other mark is entered as the response to a question. In a customer’s UI, how many checkboxes can be selected at once can vary from form to form; it is possible to have forms where only one checkbox can be checked at a time (similar to a radio button in function) and it is equally possible to check multiple or even all checkboxes.

Example Step

Action: Click on the the checkbox next to “Enable email notifications” under the “Email Preferences” header.

Question: Was the checkbox filled in with a white checkmark against a blue background?

10. Dropdown/Dropdown Menu

A dropdown menu - also called a drop-down list, drop-down menu, drop menu or pull-down list or simply a drop down - is an UI element that allows the user to choose one value from a list of values. Typically, they can be accessed by clicking on a downward facing triangle or arrow, which reveals the menu from a search-bar-like field.

Example Step:

Action: Access the dropdown menu under the “Timezone preferences” and select any option that begins with “America”. Question: Did the field populate with the option you selected?

11. Filter / Funnel Icon

A funnel icon is a button that allows a user to filter options to locate an object matching the filter’s criteria. Generally they look like a downward point triangular or cone-shaped top half and anarrow rectangular stem piece attached to what the point of the triangular/cone would be.

Example Step:

Action: Click on the funnel icon above the matrix.Question: Did a modal appear with different dropdown menus?

12. Tooltip

The tooltip or infotip or a hint is UI element used in conjunction with a cursor, usually a pointer. The user hovers the pointer over an item, without clicking it, and a tooltip may appeara small “hover box” with information about the item being hovered over.

Example Step:

Action: Hover over the question icon next to the text “Runs”

Question: Does a modal appear when you hover over this question icon?(allegedly seen in Quid jobs)*

13. Folder/File tree

Folder tree or File tree is how an operating system organizes folders and files. Generally there is a hierarchical structure of which folders and files live, and how that hierarchical structure is usually displayed is the tree structure.

Example Step

Action: In the left navigation, click on “Help”

Question: were you redirected to a new page with a folder tree on the left where the left navigation used to be?

14. Return vs. Enter key

The “return” or “enter” key refers to the key on a computer keyboard that allows users to end an ‘entry’ in a command line, form, or dialogue. Functionally there is no difference between a return and enter key; the only difference is that the former is the name of the key on Macintosh (Mac) and the latter is the Windows name.

In Rainforest, we make special note of the enter/return key because it can be confusing as it shares terms with the executable action ‘enter’ or ‘enter in’. Clients are advised that when you should finalize an action by hitting the enter key on your keyboard, it is a best practice to explicitly refer to the key in the instruction.

Example step:

Action: Click on the “Message” field and enter “This is easy!”. Then hit the enter/return key on your keyboard.Question: Did your cursor move to the field under “Name”?

Section 2: Actions

1. Click in/ Click into/ Click on

“Click in” is a more specific instruction which you should generally associate with clicking a text field to enter some text or value. We distinguish this from a more general instruction to “Click” or “Click on” to imply that you’ll be interacting with an UI element other than a text field such as a tab or a button.

Example Step

Action: Click in the field next to the bolded text “Email” and enter: “[email protected]”.Question: Did you successfully enter “[email protected]” in this field?

2. Login/Sign-in

When you’re instructed to Login or Sign-in, you should search the step for provided credentials they can enter into the corresponding fields on the webpage. Additionally, you should expect to be navigated to a seeded account of some sort when you complete a login/sign-in process.

Because of this second expectation, clients are told it is very important to differentiate between a log-in/sign-in process and a sign-up process, in which they would expect you to create a user or test account as part of the workflow that you’re going through.

Example Step:

Action: In the email field enter “{{rainforest.tester_email}}” and in the password field enter “{{rainforest.tester_password}}”. After these have been entered, click the “Sign in” button.Question: Were you navigated to a dashboard with a welcome message reading “Welcome Back, {{rainforest.test_email}}”?

3. Copy/Paste

When you’re instructed to copy and paste something outside of the click-to-copy syntax, use your cursor to highlight the designated text and either use `cmd+c` /`cntrl+c` or a right click >’Copy’ to copy the text. To paste, use either `cmd+v` /`cntrl+v` or right click > ‘paste’ to input text. Clients should know that if they’d like for testers to use one method over the other, it is best to do so by specifying this in the step instruction

With copy/paste processes, there are several best practices to keep in mind.

Use quoted text to distinguish the value being copied from the body text of the step

Designate to testers which field they are pasting the value into

Ask them to verify that they were able to enter the designated text into the field successfully.

Example Step:

Action: Copy “{{field1_random.text}}” and paste it into the “Summary” field.Question: Did “{{field1_random.text}}” populate the “Summary” field?

4. Enter / Fill in

When you are instructed to ‘enter’ something, you can default to copying and pasting the value into an input field specified in the instructions. This also applies to fields that have placeholder text or previously entered text.

Example Step: Action: Into the “Reminder” field, enter “Do not leave toast in the toaster unattended”.

Question: Did the field populate with the text “Do not leave toast in the toaster unattended’?

Note: This does not apply when the QUESTION specifically asks you if you were able to type. An example would be if you see something like, "Were you able to type the password into the field?" then you should type.

5. Type in:

When the test author specifically instructs testers to "type” something (or “start typing” something), testers should manually enter this information as instructed, because the test author may not want the tester to use copy+paste in this instance. Check out details (especially about ClickToCopy) here https://testersupport.rainforestqa.com/hc/en-us/articles/360016132671#copyvstype

Example Step: Action: Type in “This is a test.” into the field underneath the “Category” header.

Question: Was “This is a test” successfully entered into the field?

Note: This does not apply when the QUESTION specifically asks you if you were able to type. An example would be if you see something like, "Were you able to type the password into the field?" then you should type.

6. Download

In Rainforest there are several ways to ‘download’ a file so that it can be used in the course of a test.

A. Downloading a file that is embedded in the step.

When a file is embedded in a step you will be able to download the file by clicking a clipboard icon. By clicking on this icon, the file will automatically copied to your clipboard and can be downloaded by entering the copied url in a new browser window or tab. Once pasted and executed, the file will download from the window or tab that you downloaded it in.

With this, we highly recommend to clients that the question portion of a download step ask you whether a file was downloaded after you executed the entered URL.

Example Step:

Downloading a file that is embedded in the step.

Action: Click the icon next to this `file` and in a new tab and paste the value into the URL field of the tab.Question: Did a file download when you navigated to the address?

B. Downloading a file from a URL provided in a step.

Files that are hosted on a server such as Amazon S3 will have a URL that a tester can enter into a URL field of a browser and will automatically download the file once executed.

If the file is hosted in this manner, we suggest that the download step includes instructions to enter and execute the hosting URL in a different browser window or a different tab so as to not disturb the tester’s work until this point of a test.

Example Step: Downloading a file from a URL provided in a step.

Action: Open a new Chrome browser window and navigate to Question: Did a file download in the new browser window?

C. Downloading a file from interacting with an UI element.

A third way to download a file during a test is to have testers interact with a UI element - such as (but not limited to) a button, hyperlink, icon, etc - to start the download process. In such cases, it should be made very clear to the tester how they should interact with the element, whether the file will cause a saving modal to appear, and/or whether the file will download automatically.

Example Step: Downloading a file from interacting with an UI element.

Action: In the the top right hand corner of the page, locate the icon of a cloud with an arrow pointing downward in the middle and click it.Question: Did a file download after you clicked the icon?

D. Saving a downloaded file

In some instances, a file downloaded by one of the processes above will prompt testers to save it under a certain name. In this case testers should be instructed in the same step to enter the desired file name and/or click ‘save’ in the modal that would appear upon completing the file download.

Example Step: Saving a downloaded file

Action: Open a new Chrome browser window and navigate to www.example.com/file_download. In the modal that appears, rename this file “awesome_download” and click “Save”.Question: Did a file download with a title that begins with “awesome”?

E. Designating the location of the downloaded file

When a file is downloaded, if the download was automatic, this file will have been routed to the ‘downloads’ folder unless otherwise specified in the instructions.

Example Step: Designating the location the downloaded file

Action: Click the icon next to this `file` and in a new tab and paste the value into the URL field of the tab. In the modal that appears, in the left navigation panel double-click on the “Downloads” folder to open it. Then click “save”.Question: Was a file downloaded in the new tab you just opened?”

7. Upload

When instructed to “Upload” a file, you should expect several things to have been completed beforehand.

At some previous step, you were instructed to download a file of some sort that they will be able to access during this step.

There will be instructions describing what element on the UI will allow you to begin the upload process and how you should interact with this element and any other process this interaction may trigger (such as a file picker/selection modal).

In the case that a file picker modal appears, clients are told it is a best practice to inform you which folder/where a file is located and how to navigate that to that location. In such situations, to actually upload the selected file, you would then need to click ‘open’ or ‘select’ in this modal to actually begin the process.

Example:

Action: Locate the orange “UPLOAD” button and click it once. In the modal that appears, in the left navigation locate the “Downloads” folder and double click on it. Click on “awesome_download” once to select it then click “Open”.Question: Do you see a progress bar in the middle of the Upload field that is slowly filling up?

8. Look For:

“Look for” instructs you to visually look for something specific, and may sometimes mean searching back through several pages to find an item.

Example Step:

Action: Look for “Test321” in the the table.Question: Do you see “Test321” in the table?

9. Search For:

“Search for” in Rainforest tests could hold several meanings. It could mean:

A visual search for a specified element in the Web UI, similar to ‘Look for’. In this case, it is a best practice to draw a tester’s attention to the area of the UI where this specified element would be.

The use of a Search functionality in the UI. Considering that search functions typically come in the form of a search bar or box, it is a best practice to designate the search box/bar as such and where it would be located on a page.

Example Steps:

Visual Search

Action: In the navigation bar on the right hand side of the page, search for a tab titled “Resources”.Question: Is there a “Resources” tab in this right navigation bar?

Search Function:

Action: Use the search text field on the right-hand side to search for “Test321”.Question: Does “Test321” appear in the results?

10. Scroll

When instructed to scroll up and/or down a page, one should keep in mind several things.

1. Scrolling on a desktop browser may differ from a mobile browser

a. On a desktop browser, scrolling works in the VM just as it does outside - by using the mouse scrolling function

b. On a mobile VM, scrolling works by clicking a point on the UI and then dragging the page up and down depending on the requirement of the step. This is to simulate how an end user would actually scroll if they were using a mobile app.

c. For this reason, we advise clients to keep tests run on desktop vs. mobile VMs be kept separate from each other.

2. If an element may require you to scroll in order to locate it, clients are told it would be helpful to inform you how much you’d need to scroll or about where approximately on a page you should scroll to.

Example Step:

Action: Scroll down the page until you see a section called “My Wishlist”.Question: As you were scrolling down the page, did you see advertisements appear on the left and right sides of the page?

Section 3: Web to Mobile Translations

1. Tap/Double Tap:

In terms of mobile testing “Tap” and/or “Double Tap” should be translated as the mobile equivalent of the action “Click in”. Instructions that contain ‘tap’ should be interpreted as a direction to click on an object using a cursor.

Example Step:

Action: Double tap on the hamburger button in the top left side of the screen.Question: Did a menu appear from the left side of the screen?

2. Swipe (Right/Left/Up/Down)

In mobile testing, “Swipe” translates to a click and dragging of some element in the UI from it’s original position in some direction. The most common directs are right/left/up/down. Generally, the object that is meant to be swiped will be designated and/or identified before the actual instruction to ‘swipe’.

Example Step:

Action: On the page, locate some empty space. Click on that empty space and swipe to the left.Question: Did a new page appear after you swiped left?

3. Mobile Scroll

Scrolling on a desktop browser differs from scrolling on a mobile browser.

a. On a desktop browser, scrolling works in the VM just as it does outside - by using the mouse scrolling function.

b. On a mobile VM, scrolling works by clicking a point on the UI and then dragging the page up and down depending on the requirement of the step. This is to simulate how an end user would actually scroll if they were using a mobile app.

For this reason, we advise to keep tests run on desktop vs. mobile VMs be kept separate from each other. Example Step: Action: Scroll to the middle of the page Question: Do you see a piechart that has been divided into several segments called “Spent”, “Saved” and “Undisturbed”?

Here you’ll read about a few basic actions that you may need to take and how to perform them depending on what browser your job is being completed in.

Access browser settings

Google Chrome

Click the three dots at the top right of the page (newer versions) or a hamburger menu (older versions of Chrome).

On macOS, you can also access Chrome > Preferences from the mac menu bar (or cmd+,)

Firefox

Settings for Firefox can be accessed by clicking the hamburger menu in the right hand corner then clicking the option “Settings”

Internet Explorer

Close all Internet Explorer windows.

Select the Tools button, and then select Internet options.

Incognito mode

Incognito mode (aka private browsing or privacy mode) is a privacy feature in some web browsers to disable browsing history and the web cache. This allows a person to browse the internet without storing local data that could be retrieved at a later date.

Here are some how-to videos on using Incognito mode in commonly used browsers, should a customer job ask you to open an incognito window and perform actions there:

Google Chrome

Firefox

Internet Explorer

Safari

Clear cache

The first time you visit a website, the browser will save pieces of the website to its cache, later enabling the browser to display the files stored in its cache much faster than pulling fresh files from a server. This helps cut down the page load time next time you visit the website.

It’s a good idea to periodically clear your browser’s cache so it can function more efficiently. Here are some how-to videos on clearing the cache in commonly used browsers, should a customer job require you to do so within the virtual machine:

Google Chrome

Internet Explorer

Firefox

Safari

Enable Cookies

Cookies are small files which are stored on a user's computer. They are designed to hold data specific to a particular client and website, and can be accessed either by the web server or the client computer. This allows the server to deliver a page tailored to a particular user, and carry information from one visit to the website (or related site) to the next. Here are some how-to videos on enabling cookies in commonly used browsers, should a customer job require you to do so within the virtual machine:

Google Chrome

Internet Explorer

Firefox

Safari

Let us know via the forum if any of these videos have been removed by their authors. We endeavor to review this page as and when needed.

Below you'll find general payment information about Rainforest QA jobs. For specific questions related to using PayPal or Skrill as your payment method, please see our relative FAQs.

General Payment Info

You will receive 4c for each complete step (see note below)

To qualify for the daily 10\% bonus, you have to have completed at least 10 jobs that were created by us within a 24-hour period starting at UTC 00:00

To qualify for the daily 20\% bonus, you have to have completed at least 100 jobs that were created by us within a 24-hour period starting at UTC 00:00

Unique Jobs

"A" testers now have the opportunity to receive "unique" jobs, and will receive 5c per step for these specific jobs. If you are starting one of these jobs, we will notify you at the beginning of the test so that you’re aware. "A" testers will still receive 4c per step for jobs that aren't "unique" jobs.

PayPal and Fees

Rainforest funds withdrawn via PayPal are subject to fees. For non-U.S. accounts the fee is 2\%. For U.S. accounts there is a flat fee of $0.25.

Rainforest will waive your Paypal fee if your score level is 'A' during cashout. Note - the only score that matters for the decision whether to waive your Paypal fee or not is the score during cashout. Your score while performing the job/s doesn't influence the waiving decision.

Payment Options & Editing Payment Preferences

1. How do I enable SKRILL as a payment method?

Part 1 - Sign documents (If you’ve never set up a payment with Rainforest)

Click the “Account & Profile” tab

You’ll see the following messages displayed at the top of the screen, “You haven’t set up a payment method. Set up one of the available payment methods and start working with us today!”

Before beginning setup for your desired payment method, check out the FAQ for that payment method. Links to each FAQ are available on the “Account & Profile” page.

Once you’re ready to begin setting up your payment method, click the blue “Set Up Payment Method” button. A modal will appear asking for your personal info.

Let us know where you live, your legal name, and your email address. This is the email address we will send your Tester Agreement and tax forms to, so make sure it is valid.

Once the above information is filled out, click Next.

You’ll see a pop up letting you know that Hellosign documents have been sent to your email address. Click Okay.

Sign and submit the Hellosign documents sent to your email address.

Testers located in the U.S. will receive a Tester Agreement and W-9

Testers located outside the U.S. will receive a Tester Agreement and W-8BEN

Part 2 - Setting up Skrill

Once your Tester Agreement and tax form are signed, radio buttons will appear next to each payment method.

Select the radio button next to Skrill.

Click the grey “Go to Setup page” button. This will open up a modal asking for your Skrill email address.

Enter your Skrill email address and click Save. Make sure the email address you enter in this modal is the same email address associated with your Skrill account.

If you change the email address associated with your Skrill account in the future, please be sure you update it here as well.

To do so, click “Edit” next to Skrill. A modal will appear.

Enter the new email address associated with your Skrill account and click Save.

You’re all set up & can begin using Skrill as your Rainforest payment method!

Part 3 - Switching Payment Methods

Once you’ve set up Skrill, you might decide you want to use PayPal instead. No problem!

Select the radio button next to PayPal and click the blue Save button at the bottom of the screen.

Clicking save will open a pop up asking you to confirm if you’d like to change your payment method.

After clicking “Yes, change provider”, a modal will appear asking for the email address associated with your PayPal account.

Enter the correct email address and click Save.

Your payment method is now switched!

Part 4 - MTurk Users

If you get paid for Rainforest tasks via MTurk, you are also able to change your payment method to Skrill (or PayPal) if you prefer.

To change your payment method from MTurk to Skrill, follow the instructions in Parts 1 & 2

To change your method from Skrill to PayPal, follow the instructions in Part 3

If you want to change your method from Skrill (or PayPal) back to MTurk, do the following:

Click the blue Reactivate Old Payment Method link

A modal with a list of payment options will appear

Select Mechanical Turk from the list of payment options

Click the blue Save button

2. Does my portal profile email need to be the same as my Skrill email address?

No. It’s okay if the email address associated with your Skrill account is different from the email address associated with your Rainforest profile. You can change the email address associated with your Skrill account at any time without affecting your Rainforest profile (and vice versa).

3. What are the terms and conditions for using SKRILL

https://www.skrill.com/en/footer/terms-conditions/skrillaccounttermsofuse/

4. Once I receive my payment in my Skrill account, can I exchange money between Skrill <-> PayPal ?

No. Any personal or 3rd party exchanges between PayPal / Skrill is prohibited and may result in termination of your PayPal/Skrill account(s). You may switch between different payment methods from your Rainforest account, however, once payment is received to your PayPal / Skrill account, you cannot perform to/from exchange between Skrill PayPal.

5. Can I use multiple payment methods with Rainforest ?

Yes - you may edit your payment method at any time. However, balances will not transfer between payment methods. But don’t worry - if you switch to Skrill, your PayPal funds will not be lost. You can still access your PayPal balance by switching your payment method back to PayPal and cashing out.

6. When switching between payment methods, my available balance changes, do I lose any amounts accumulated from other methods?

No. Each payment method has its own separate balance. You will not lose any accumulated balances when switching between payment methods.

7. Can I use another person’s account to cashout my earnings?

No. The Skrill account associated with your Rainforest account must be owned by you (tester) and in your legal name. The account should not belong to anyone else, including any family member or friend.

8. Do I need to verify my Skrill account in order to receive payment from Rainforest ?

No. Your Skrill account does not need to be verified to receive payment from Rainforest. Although in order to withdraw funds from Skrill, account verification is required. For more information please click here.

9. Is Skrill available in my country?

You can check what options are available for your country and currency here: https://www.skrill.com/en-us/siteinformation/fees/

10. I get paid via MTurk. Are MTurk testers required to switch to Skrill or PayPal?

No - MTurk testers are welcome to continue using MTurk if they wish. They are not required to switch to Skrill or PayPal.

Cashing out, Processing Payments, & Fees

1. How do I cash out my available Rainforest balance from my portal profile to my Skrill account?

Log into your portal profile

Scroll down - you’ll see your available balance (labeled Available) alongside your other stats such as Total Completed Jobs and Total Found Bug

To cash out, click “Available to cashout”

If you don’t have enough funds to cash out (less than 3 cents), you will see the phrase “Cashout unavailable” instead of the “Available to cashout” button.

Review the payment details presented to you and click the “Confirm” button

Click “Cancel” if you decide you don’t want to cash out right now

Funds should cash out to your Skrill account immediately

Contact Rainforest support if your funds don’t cash out to Skrill within 24 hours.

Note: the available balance "cashout" feature is only available in the private view of your portal profile, not the public view. Please ensure you aren't in the public view before submitting a support ticket about it being missing.

2. Where can I find the fee structure for my country?

Through this link: https://www.skrill.com/en/siteinformation/fees/

Please make sure to select your country and currency from the drop down fields.

3. Can I cash out partial amounts from my available balance?

No. You can only cash out the full balance available.

4. Is there any fee deduction from when cashing out from Rainforest to Skrill?

Similar to PayPal, there is no fee for testers with a score of “A”. b. Testers without an “A” will be charged a 1\% fee or 1 cent, depending on which value is higher. You will never be charged more than $10 in fees upon cashing out your Rainforest balance to Skrill.

5. Is there a minimum $ or maximum amount required for cashing out to Skrill?

You must have a balance greater than $0.02 to cash out.

6. Is there a limit to how often I can cashout?

While we don't limit how often you can cashout from Rainforest to Skrill, we advise you to take cashout fees and Skrill’s own withdrawal fees into consideration. In order to reduce the impact of fees, consider cashing-out from Rainforest to Skrill only when you reach a significant balance.

7. I’m one of the testers who needs to have my PayPal balance transferred to Skrill because PayPal is not available in my country. Will I be able to transfer my PayPal balance over to Skrill once it is implemented?

Once your Skrill account is set up, please send us a support ticket through the Help tab, using the category “Other” with the subject “Balance Transfer”. We’ll then transfer your PayPal balance over to your Skrill balance.

8. My Skrill account is in a different currency, can I still receive payments from Rainforest?

Skrill should automatically convert the USD sent by Rainforest into your chosen currency using their chosen exchange rate.

9. Is Skrill free or is there any annual payment?

Opening and maintaining your Skrill account is free as long as your Skrill account isn’t dormant for a year or more.

Support & Miscellaneous

1. Who should I contact in case nothing was credited to my Skrill account after cashing out? How long do I have to wait before sending a support ticket?

Please contact Rainforest support via the Help tab if you do not see the payment credited to your Skrill account after 24 hours. Use the category “Other” and the subject “Skrill Payment”.

2. There is an investigating notification under my job id, what does that mean?

This usually means that the balance you attempted to cash out is stuck in the processing phase and won’t post to Skrill due to a technical issue. If your balance is still stuck in “investigating” after 24h, please contact Rainforest support via the Help tab. Use the category “Other” and the subject “Skrill Payment”.

3. Where can I access some of Skrill’s own support documentation?

Account

Payments

Security

Prepaid-Card

Payment Options & Editing Payment Settings

1.How do I set up a payment method?

Part 1 - Sign documents (If you’ve never set up a payment with Rainforest)

Click the “Account & Profile” tab

You’ll see the following messages displayed at the top of the screen, “You haven’t set up a payment method. Set up one of the available payment methods and start working with us today!”

Before beginning setup for your desired payment method, check out the FAQ for that payment method. Links to each FAQ are available on the “Account & Profile” tab.

Once you’re ready to begin setting up your payment method, click the blue “Set Up Payment Method” button. A modal will appear asking for your personal info.

Let us know where you live, your legal name, and your email address. This is the email address we will send your Tester Agreement and tax forms to, so make sure it is valid.

Once the above information is filled out, click Next.

You’ll see a pop up letting you know that Hellosign documents have been sent to your email address. Click okay.

Sign and submit the Hellosign documents sent to your email address.

Testers located in the U.S. will receive a Tester Agreement and W-9

Testers located outside the U.S. will receive a Tester Agreement and W-8BEN

Part 2 - Setting up PayPal

Once your Tester Agreement and tax form are signed, radio buttons will appear next to each payment method.

Select the radio button next to PayPal.

Click grey “Go to Setup page” button. This will open up a modal asking for your PayPal email address.

Enter your PayPal email address or phone number and click Save. Make sure the email address you enter in this modal is the same email address associated with your PayPal account.

If you change the email address associated with your PayPal account in the future, please be sure you update it here as well.

To do so, click “Edit” next to PayPal. A modal will appear.

Enter the new email address associated with your PayPal account and click Save.

You’re all set up & can begin using PayPal as your Rainforest payment method!

Part 3 - Switching Payment Methods

Once you’ve set up PayPal, you might decide you want to switch to use Skrill instead. No problem!

Select the radio button next to Skrill and click the blue Save button at the bottom of the screen.

Clicking save will open a pop up asking you to confirm if you’d like to change your payment method.

After clicking “Yes, change provider”, a modal will appear asking for the email address associated with your Skrill account.

Enter the correct email address and click Save.

Your payment method is now switched!

Part 4 - MTurk UsersIf you get paid for Rainforest tasks via MTurk, you can also change your payment method to PayPal (or Skrill) if you prefer.

To change your payment method from MTurk to PayPal, follow the instructions in Parts 1 & 2

To change your method from PayPal to Skrill, follow the instructions in Part 3

If you want to change your method from PayPal (or Skrill) back to MTurk, do the following:

Click the blue Reactivate Old Payment Method link

A modal with a list of payment options will appear

Select Mechanical Turk from the list of payment options

Click the blue Save button

2.I don’t want to use PayPal. Will I still be able to get paid for Rainforest tasks via MTurk or CrowdFlower?

Current MTurk users will have the option between MTurk and PayPal (but not CrowdFlower). Crowdflower is no longer available as a Rainforest payment method, so CF users must set up PayPal and Skrill.

3.Do you plan on adding any other payment methods?

We currently offer Skrill and PayPal. We may add a third option in the future. Mturk is also available to people who were already using it to begin with.

4.How do I know if PayPal is available in my country?

The following resources can help you determine if you are able to use PayPal in your country. Use the first link to see a list of countries where PayPal is available. Use the second link to see if you can receive AND withdraw funds using PayPal in your country :

https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/country-worldwide

https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_display-country-functionality-outside&dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8dc3f308debf7330dd8d0b0a9f21afd7d3

5. Does my profile email need to be the same as my PayPal email address?

No. It’s okay if the email address associated with your PayPal account is different from the email address associated with your Rainforest profile. You can change the email address associated with your PayPal account at any time without affecting your Rainforest profile (and vice versa).

6.Do I need a verified PayPal account?

No, you should not need to be verified with PayPal in order to receive funds from Rainforest. However, we do recommend going through this process, as it may be needed to withdraw funds from PayPal. For more information on verified PayPal accounts visit their website: https://www.paypal.com/us/selfhelp/article/what-does-a-verified-account-status-mean-faq1014

7.I signed my legal name on the PayPal documents will this change the name displayed on my Rainforest profile?

No. Signing the PayPal documents with your legal name (as you are required to do) will not change the name displayed on your Rainforest profile. Changing your Rainforest profile name via “Edit Profile” will not change the legal name you provided on your PayPal documents.

8.Does the Paypal account need to be in my name? Can I use my Brother’s/Sister’s/Friend’s Paypal Account?

The PayPal account you use to receive & withdraw Rainforest payments must belong to you and be in your legal name. You cannot use your brother’s/sister’s/friend’s or any one else’s PayPal account.

9.If my RF account is blocked because my CrowdFlower or MTurk account was suspended, can I be unblocked if I change my payment method to PayPal?

Yes, your Rainforest profile can be unblocked, but it won’t be an automatic process. If you have been blocked by a previous payment channel and would like to get paid for Rainforest tasks via PayPal, you will need to submit a support ticket via the “Help” tab of your portal profile and request we review your account.

10.Will the contracts I signed legally bind me, Rainforest and PayPal forever? Is there an option to terminate the contracts?

The agreement you signed is between Rainforest and you. It doesn’t include PayPal. Either party (Rainforest or you) may terminate the agreement at any time upon notice to the other party. If you would like to terminate the contract, please submit a support ticket via the “Help” tab of your Rainforest profile and we will cancel the contract. Keep in mind that Rainforest will not be able to pay you via PayPal (or Skrill) without having a signed contract in place.

Cashing out, Withdrawals & Fees

1. What are the Paypal fees for U.S. and non-U.S. accounts?

For non-U.S. accounts the fee is 2\%. For U.S. accounts there is a flat fee of $0.25. This information can also be found here. Note - PayPal will not charge more than $20 per transaction.

2.How do I cash out my available Rainforest balance from my portal profile to my PayPal account?

Log into your portal profile

Scroll down - you’ll see your available balance (labeledAvailable) alongside your other stats such as Total Completed Jobs and Total Found Bug

To cash out, click “Available to cashout” 1. If you don’t have enough funds to cash out, you will see the phrase “Funds too low to cash out” instead of the “Available to cashout” button.

Review the payment details presented to you and click the “Confirm” button 1. Click “Cancel” if you decide you don’t want to cash out right now

Funds should cash out to your PayPal account immediately 1. Contact Rainforest support if your funds don’t cash out to PayPal within 24 hours.

Note: the available balance "cashout" feature is only available in the private view of your portal profile, not the public view. Please ensure you aren't in the public view before submitting a support ticket about it being missing.

3.How do I withdraw funds from PayPal?

Log in to your PayPal account.

Click Withdraw money under "PayPal balance" on the left of the page.

Enter your withdrawal amount and select your withdrawal method.

Click Continue.

Review the details and click Withdraw.

For more information visit: https://www.paypal.com/bz/selfhelp/article/how-do-i-withdraw-funds-from-my-paypal-account-faq1737

4.Can I choose the amount I want to cash out to PayPal from my Rainforest balance?

No, you don’t have the option to choose the amount. Your entire balance will be cashed out to PayPal.

5.Is there a minimum $ amount required for cashing out to PayPal?

Yes, you must have an available balance of at least $0.25 in order to cash out funds from your RF profile to PayPal.

6.Is there a maximum limit to how much $ I can cash out to PayPal at once?

No, there isn’t a maximum.

7.Is there a limit to how often I can cash out? Can I cash out several times a week, for example?

There is no limit to how often you can cash out, as long as your account contains the minimum amount required for cashing out to PayPal ($0.25).

8.CrowdFlower Elite doesn’t have fees. Can you eliminate the cash out fee associated with PayPal?

Rainforest will waive your Paypal fee if your score level is 'A' during cashout. Note - the only score that matters for the decision whether to waive your Paypal fee or not is the score during cashout. Your score while performing the job/s doesn't influence the waiving decision.

9.Do you plan to add Bitcoin withdrawals?

We support whatever withdrawal method(s) the provider (in this case, PayPal) supports.

10.How will switching to PayPal affect the funds I’ve earned with a previous payment method (e.g. CrowdFlower Elite)?

Switching your payment method to PayPal will not affect the funds you’ve already earned through your previous payment method. HOWEVER, if you have a balance and you switch payment methods, your balance will not transfer to the new payment method.

You should cash out before you switch payment methods. But don’t worry - if you forgot to cash out your old payment method, you can switch back to the old payment method (via the “Edit Profile” tab of your portal profile) and the balance will reappear!

Processing & Receiving Payments

1.How long do I have to wait for cashed out funds to arrive in PayPal?

The payment should process instantly, but allow up to for 24h before contacting support.

2.Are we going to receive a notification whenever payment is requested/processed?

Yes, PayPal will alert you according to your notification settings when a payment is requested or processed.

3.Who should I contact in case nothing was credited to my PayPal account after cashing out? How long do I have to wait before sending a support ticket?

If you do not see the funds available in your PayPal account 24 hours after the request was made, please contact Rainforest Support.

4.How would I be able to know which job was set via paypal and which one was credited to my CrowdFlower or MTurk payment channel?

At this point Rainforest doesn’t indicate which job is associated to which payment method. Rainforest will soon implement a feature that will provide this information via the job history page. Until then, you will need to keep track of when you changed the payment method selection in order to figure out which job is associated to which payment method.

5.Payment notifications have stopped coming to my Elite account ever since I changed to Paypal. In that case how would I receive my Rainforest notifications?

If Paypal is set as your payment method in Rainforest, you will not receive payment related notifications to your Elite account anymore. That being said, you will continue to receive all other notifications as per the settings on your Rainforest profile.

6.Is it possible to transfer my available PayPal balance to my CrowdFlower account if I haven’t made a withdrawal yet?

No, your balance will not transfer between payment methods. You should cash out before you switch payment methods. But don’t worry - if you forgot to cash out your old payment method, you can switch back to the old payment method (via the “Edit Profile” tab of your portal profile) and the balance will reappear!

7.Is it possible to identify which bonuses have been processed via PayPal since we don't receive any notification unless we request payment?

You can find this information in the “History” tab of your portal profile. You will find there all the cash out transactions that you have made. Rainforest will soon implement a feature that will also indicate for each job its associated payment method.