Standards for playtesting

Well, I know this thread is old, but I've recently had my first delving into playtesting (i.e.: sending my game out to be tested) and I can definately say it's invaluable.
My suggestions would be as follows:

First, get a working set of mechanics and a little bit of "setting" then send it out to as many other designers as you can get to look at it. For the most part, they don't need to run a full game.. they can tell you what they see as problem areas. This will save you the problem of sending it to the average gamer and them not realizing something is a problem. For example, I sent a version of Any Town, U.S.A. out (very recently) to my little brother's group. They live far away so they were on thier own to test it. They reported it was workable and that they'd like to see a full version. The only problems they saw were the obvious lack of content. I was happy. It wasn't untill a fellow designer informed of some major flaws that I became aware.

second: once you've gotten obvious flaws fixed, add a little meat (setting, theme, writing) to it and send it to some average gamers. The most you should get from them is "is it fun or not?" "were you able to immerse?" "Or were you just thinking 'it's not as good as *** game'" Which, at this point, is what you need to know.

finally: Once you've revamped it, make a copy of the game with no artwork and less filler then send it out to anyone you can. Check for final glitches, get some real reviews, and hunker down for the official release.

Hope this helps, it seems to be working for me.

T