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Kay Corry Aubrey <[log in to unmask]>
Thu, 7 Oct 2010 22:17:11 -0400
text/plain (163 lines)
Thanks to Susan, Nancy, and Toby for their excellent responses to a question
I posted to this list last week:

****************************************

Hi - can anyone on the  Chi-web list suggest innovative usability test
design approaches for A/B testing? Both A and B will be presented on the
same screen and the user needs to peruse each and choose the one they
prefer. I am looking for ideas on the best UIs to present text and pictures
most effectively for this type of purpose and was wondering if folks on the
list have suggestions. 

Please send your ideas to me and I will collect, summarize, and send out to
the list.

Kay

Kay Corry Aubrey, user-centered research and design 
Usability Resources Inc | www.UsabilityResources.net |
[log in to unmask]
Phone: 781-275-3020 | Fax: 1-781-998-0325

************************************************
-----Original Message-----
From: Susan Price [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Wednesday, September 29, 2010 10:18 AM
To: Kay Corry Aubrey
Cc: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Usability test design approaches for A/B testing

Kay, 

Your proposed test is not what I think of as A/B testing. Our A/B testing is
showing one or the other variant to the same user segment (usually in the
live production environment) and watching which performs better.

Presenting on the same screen side by side is an attempt to not lead the
participants? This seems to invite careful perusal of the differences, and
that's usually not what we're going for. What we seek in the usability lab
are the untutored, knee-jerk reactions that we can't anticipate. Inviting
careful perusal invites participants to play "designer." Our team doesn't
suffer from a lack of such opinions - what we seek are the revelations that
we weren't able to anticipate.

There will be unavoidable left-right bias I believe, and the test experience
doesn't compare to the "one solution per screen" actual experience. 

Seems like it might be better to show each variant (and perhaps some
dummies) several times and have the participant rank each with a numerical
scale, with duplications of each to weed out the biases.

-Susan



-----Original Message-----
From: Nancy Frishberg [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Wednesday, September 29, 2010 12:46 PM
To: Kay Corry Aubrey
Subject: Re: Usability test design approaches for A/B testing

I agree with Susan Price's comment:

What you propose is not A/B testing.

A/B testing is a method which relies on behavioral data, not attitudes  
or preferences. It uses large numbers of responses in place of richer  
data from a few participants (as is found in usability studies). And  
it measures which of the 2 (or more designs, where you might actually  
be testing A/B/C/D) achieves a better business outcome (typically  
conversions to the next step in a purchase sequence). You need not  
present the 2 design to an equal number of participants, but  
sufficient to be able to say with confidence that design A converted N 
% and design B converted M%, and N>M (or the reverse).

Doing several usability sessions with one design and several more  
sessions with the other is unlikely to get the statistically valid  
results that a true A/B test can provide.  However, you might consider  
having 2 very similar tasks that use one design for one task and the  
other for the other task, and watching timing as well as other  
reactions for which design performs better. Of course you still need  
sufficient participants so that you can vary which one is presented  
first, to separate out issues of learning/familiarity from better  
performing design.

  -- Nancy


-----Original Message-----
From: ACM SIGCHI WWW Human Factors (Open Discussion)
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Toby Biddle
Sent: Wednesday, September 29, 2010 7:34 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Usability test design approaches for A/B testing

Hi Kay,

Our tool, Loop11 (www.Loop11.com) can and has been used for A/B testing by
many of our customers before. We've also written a case study
(http://bit.ly/dzmm93) that outlines how a project was set up by one of our
customers.  I also agree with Susan's response in which she suggests that
inviting careful perusal of the differences doesn't encourage natural
behaviour. 

Creating task-based scenarios to see which design performs the best is the
better way to run A/B testing. If you haven't already signed up to Loop11
feel free to do so. Your first project is free, so you can use it to see
whether A/B testing will work for you.

I hope this helps.
Regards,

Toby Biddle
Director
 
t: (03) 9684 3470
m: 0402 113 104
f: (03) 9684 3434
e: [log in to unmask]
skype: toby.biddle

119 Ferrars Street, South Melbourne, Victoria, 3205




On Sep 29, 2010, at 7:54 AM, Kay Corry Aubrey wrote:

> Hi - can anyone on the  Chi-web list suggest innovative usability test
> design approaches for A/B testing? Both A and B will be presented on the
> same screen and the user needs to peruse each and choose the one they
> prefer. I am looking for ideas on the best UIs to present text and
pictures
> most effectively for this type of purpose and was wondering if folks on
the
> list have suggestions. 
> 
> Please send your ideas to me and I will collect, summarize, and send out
to
> the list. 
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> Kay 
> 
> Kay Corry Aubrey, user-centered research and design 
> Usability Resources Inc | www.UsabilityResources.net |
> [log in to unmask]
> Phone: 781-275-3020 | Fax: 1-781-998-0325
> 
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