How Red Bull Gives its QA Wings

Arpita Goala , Content Marketing Manager

November 19th, 2024

Red Bull’s consumers expect high-quality interactions that are both seamless and localized—whether they’re engaging with a rap battle app in Latin America or participating in a global charity run in real-time. Any misstep, no matter how small, can ripple across regions, tarnishing trust and brand loyalty.

So, how does Red Bull make sure it meets those expectations?  In a recent webinar, Ken George, Red Bull’s Head of QA (quality assurance), and Steve Semelsberger, Testlio’s CEO, explored the strategies and partnerships that ensure the brand’s digital products deliver flawless experiences every time. 

Three Key Highlights

Here’s a glimpse into our top three highlights from the live webinar:

Test Automation is the Name Of the Game

As every QA leader can attest, serving a global audience demands efficiency and speed that manual testing alone cannot deliver. For Red Bull, test automation enables the team to deliver faster, handle global releases more seamlessly, and ensure the consistency Red Bull is known for. 

However, Ken stressed that automation is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Manual testing remains essential for more nuanced scenarios and exploratory testing, where human creativity and intuition are necessary. By balancing automation and manual approaches, Red Bull ensures no detail is overlooked while maintaining the flexibility and speed required to support a global audience.

Global Apps Require Culturally-Nuanced Feedback

Given the global reach and diversity of Red Bull’s user base, it’s essential that its apps are not only translated but also culturally relevant to people in each geography. For Red Bull, achieving this means working with native testers who provide critical insights into the cultural nuances of their target markets. Testers in specific regions bring essential context to their work, flagging language inconsistencies, identifying inappropriate slang, and ensuring the app aligns with local norms.

This approach is key for apps like Batalia, Red Bull’s rap battle app that operates in regions like Latin America, Japan, and Croatia. By leveraging culturally appropriate feedback, the QA team ensures their apps resonate authentically with users, turning localization into a strategic advantage rather than a last-minute add-on.

QA Must Go Beyond the Lab

While device clouds, emulators, and simulators bring efficiency to the fold, they can’t fully replicate real-world conditions. Testing has to go beyond the lab for apps like Red Bull’s Wings for Life World Run, a global charitable running event supporting spinal cord injury research.

Red Bull’s QA strategy includes field testing with Testlio’s freelancing community running in diverse terrains, climates, and connectivity environments. This approach uncovers critical insights—such as how the app performs under varying GPS signals or connection drops—that lab environments can’t replicate. By taking testing into the real world, Red Bull ensures their apps deliver seamless and reliable experiences, no matter the conditions.

Want To Give Your QA Wings, Too? 

While this article discusses the webinar’s top three takeaways, it only scratches the surface of the topics covered. From leveraging AI to enhance QA efficiency to creating scalable processes for global releases to fostering stronger vendor partnerships, there’s so much more to learn. 

If you’re curious or want to learn more about how Red Bull achieves seamless, high-quality digital experiences, you can now watch the session on demand by clicking on the link below. 

Have more questions? Talk to a member of our team today to learn how you can ensure incredible brand experiences globally!