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This is exactly the problem with people implementing split testing and they're hurting their business. They hear about it, run off and implement the a/b versio
by hartror 16y ago
This is exactly the problem with people implementing split testing and they're hurting their business.
They hear about it, run off and implement the a/b versions of their pages and add some tracking. Proceeding then to draw incorrect conclusions and make bad decisions based on them. They don't go read up on it enough to understand the statistics behind it. I used my stats book from Uni (I knew it had a better use than a laptop stand, a java book now has that honour) but there are plenty of tutorials out there. For example: http://visualwebsiteoptimizer.com/split-testing-blog/what-you-really-need-to-know-about-mathematics-of-ab-split-testing/ http://visualwebsiteoptimizer.com/split-testing-blog/what-yo...
It really is a toss up between statistics and medicine for which is the most misunderstood of the sciences.
- ramit 16y agoUnfortunately, nobody wants to learn about statistics -- they just want it to work so they can make more money. I just wrote a post about behavioral change and understanding your users here: http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/why-personal-finance-experts-continue-writing-worthless-advice/ http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/why-personal-finan... That's why sites like Visual Website Optimizer are getting increasingly good. They use plain language to explain when to keep running the tests. Again: It's unrealistic to expect lay users to learn statistics. They don't want to become statistical experts, they usually just want to increase sales. This is where software can help.
- hartror 16y agoI think even laymen should learn the why of the statistics, a few paragraphs about statistical significance would have helped the article's author I should think. As an aside, wow another one of my favourite bloggers responding to a comment of mine on HN this week!