What is A/B Testing?
A/B testing is a randomized experiment on two variants, A and B. It is a way to compare two versions of a website or application, typically by testing response or conversion rate of variant A against variant B, and determining which of the two variants is more effective or attractive.
During AB testing two or more variants of a page are shown to users at random, and statistical analysis is performed to determine which variation performs better for a given conversion goal.
Why A/B Testing?
A/B Testing over a time provides an eagle-eye view of what impacts the user experience and conversion rate. A clear hypothesis of user experience serves as a strong knowledge base to scale up your business.
Conducting A/B testing helps you to make more out of your existing traffic, and understand more about the user experience. The impact of A/B testing could be massive, as even small changes on a landing page or website can result in significant increases in Traffic, conversion, sales, and revenue.
How does A/B Testing Work?
Take a page or app screen and change it to create a second version of the same. The change you do can be simple or be a complete redesign based on your requirement. Then, let half of your traffic continue with the original version of the page (known as the control) and another half are shown the modified version of the page (the variation). The below snapshot shows the representation of A/B Testing.
Then Measure, Collect and Analyse user engagement with each of the version. Now You can determine whether the change had a positive, negative, or no effect on user behavior.
A/B Testing Process
The below snapshot will give an insight into A/B testing process.
Collect Data
The initial step is to gather data, This phase helps to gain a clear view of where to start. For good results look for pages with low conversion rates since these were the area which needs attention.
Identify Goals
After choosing an area of optimization, the next phase is to Identify Goals. Since your goals are the metrics to determine which version is better, formulating goals should be given more attention.
Generate Hypothesis
Once you have identified a goal begin generating A/B testing ideas. Think about how the change could be better than the current version. Think, List and prioritize.
Create Variations
Using your A/B testing software, Make the desired changes to your website or mobile app. This changes could be of any kind either small(like changing the color of a button) or complex(redesigning a whole page). QA your changes properly to make sure it works as expected.
Run Test
Kick off your experiment and wait for users to participate! Now, visitors to your site or app will be randomly shown either the control(the original version) or variation(the modified version). Their interaction of the user with each version is measured and compared to determine the better one.
Analyze Results
Once your test is complete, it’s time for the results. Compare the data from the test and check whether there is a significant difference in conversion rate or user experience.
Now Optimize your application based on the test results. If variation creates a better impression. Say congrats! Your test passed and you’re in right track. Else use your experience to future tests. Continue the test with new ideas for optimization.
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A/B_testing
https://www.optimizely.com/optimization-glossary/ab-testing/
