<blockquote>This is a living document that will be updated as the MyArkansas testing strategy evolves and expands.</blockquote><h2>Overview</h2>This document covers how to access, test, and provide feedback on MyArkansas app builds. It applies to two testing tracks:<ul class="accent-bullets"><li>Alpha: Internal testing by Trailhead Labs and Tyler team members.</li><li>Beta: Expanded testing that will eventually include State of Arkansas employees and potentially members of the public.</li></ul>Both tracks currently point to the staging environment (UAT in Resident Engagement Platform). The app is only available for testing on iOS at this time; Android will be available for testing the week of Feb 23.<h2>Testing Tracks</h2><h3>Alpha</h3>Who: Trailhead Labs team + Tyler Technologies staff. Purpose: Catch bugs, validate new features, and stress-test functionality before wider release. Build Cadence: As needed — alpha testers may receive frequent builds, often multiple per week. Expectations: Alpha builds may be unstable. Crashes, incomplete features, and UI rough edges are expected.<h3>Beta</h3>Who: State of Arkansas employees, and potentially members of the public. Purpose: Validate the app experience with real users in near-production conditions. Build Cadence: Less frequent than alpha. Beta builds represent features that have already passed internal testing. Expectations: Beta builds should be relatively stable, but bugs are still possible — that's the point of testing.<blockquote>Note: Beta testing is not yet active. This section will be updated with onboarding instructions and tester criteria when the beta program launches.</blockquote><h2>Getting Access</h2><h3>Prerequisites</h3><ul class="accent-bullets"><li>An iPhone running iOS 16 or later.</li><li>The <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/testflight/id899247664" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="cursor-pointer box-border border-b hover:border-b-[2px] transition-all duration-75 " style="text-decoration: none; border-color: var(--portal-accent-color);">TestFlight app</a> installed from the App Store.</li><li>An Apple ID.</li></ul><h3>Step-by-Step Instructions</h3><ol class="steps-list"><li>Request access. <a href="mailto:support@residentpath.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="cursor-pointer box-border border-b hover:border-b-[2px] transition-all duration-75 " style="text-decoration: none; border-color: var(--portal-accent-color);">Reach out to the ResidentPath team</a> to add your Apple ID email to the TestFlight alpha group.</li><li>Accept the invitation. You'll receive an email from TestFlight with an invitation link. Tap the link on your iPhone.</li><li>Install the app. TestFlight will open and show MyArkansas as available. Tap "Install."</li><li>Launch. Open MyArkansas from your home screen.</li><li>Keep TestFlight updated. When new builds are available, TestFlight will notify you. Always test on the latest build.</li></ol><h3>Troubleshooting</h3><ul class="accent-bullets"><li>Invitation not received? Check your spam folder. Make sure the email address on your Apple ID matches what was submitted.</li><li>Build expired? TestFlight builds expire after 90 days. If your build expires, a new one should be available in TestFlight automatically.</li><li>App crashes on launch? Force-quit and reopen. If it persists, delete and reinstall from TestFlight, then report the issue (see Providing Feedback below).</li></ul><h2>What to Test</h2>Always read the latest <a href="https://residentpath.productlane.com/changelog" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="cursor-pointer box-border border-b hover:border-b-[2px] transition-all duration-75 " style="text-decoration: none; border-color: var(--portal-accent-color);">changelog entry</a> for specific information about what’s new in a build, as well as testing instructions specific to the build.<h2>Providing Feedback</h2><h3>The Feedback Tool</h3>All tester feedback goes through the <a href="https://residentpath.productlane.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="cursor-pointer box-border border-b hover:border-b-[2px] transition-all duration-75 " style="text-decoration: none; border-color: var(--portal-accent-color);">ResidentPath product portal</a>. This keeps feedback centralized, searchable, and separate from our engineering backlog.How It Works<ol class="steps-list"><li>You submit feedback (bug reports, feature requests, general comments) through the product portal.</li><li>The Trailhead Labs product team reviews, categorizes, and prioritizes submissions.</li><li>Validated issues and requests are promoted to our engineering team.</li></ol>Each TestFlight release will include a link to the changelog entry associated with the build (which will include specific testing instructions).<h3>What to Include in a Bug Report</h3>Good bug reports save everyone time. Include:<ul class="accent-bullets"><li>What happened. Describe the problem clearly. "It broke" is not helpful. "The agency detail screen showed a blank white page after I tapped 'Department of Finance and Administration'" is.</li><li>What you expected to happen. So we can understand the gap.</li><li>Steps to reproduce. Walk us through exactly what you did, in order.</li><li>Screenshots or screen recordings. A picture is worth a thousand words. iOS screen recording (swipe down from top-right, tap the record button) is extremely useful for UI bugs.</li><li>Device and OS version. (e.g., iPhone 15, iOS 17.3.)</li><li>Build number. Found in TestFlight under the app name.</li></ul><h3>What to Include in a Feature Request or General Feedback</h3><ul class="accent-bullets"><li>What you want. Be specific.</li><li>Why it matters. What problem does it solve, or what experience does it improve?</li><li>Who benefits. Is this for all users, a specific audience, or an edge case?</li></ul><h3>What NOT to Do</h3><ul class="accent-bullets"><li>Don't assume someone else reported it. If you saw a bug, report it. Duplicates are fine — they help us gauge severity.</li><li>Don't wait. Report issues as you encounter them. The details are freshest right after it happens.</li></ul>