Thoughtful Testing: How to Ask the Right Questions in A/B Tests

Presented at ONA17
September 18, 2017
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A/B tests, surveys and other testing tools are critical for getting user *experience* feedback, but thoughtful product development requires asking the right questions before you get started. In this workshop, we’ll use case studies to walk through the difference between quantitative and qualitative data, when you need one or the other and how to test them (e.g., A/B testing vs. surveys), and deciding what your real indicators are. We’ll discuss how to carefully design the parameters of your test, as well as how to think ahead and identify what roadblocks may exist, such as how different platforms or device traffic can throw off your test results.

This session is designed for:

  • Product / engineering team members who want to talk best practices for user *experience* feedback testing
  • Newsroom leaders / executives who may want some new ideas for thinking through what newsroom indicators might be useful in your context
  • Anyone with a general interest in how to strategically use indicators from testing, surveys and traffic to inform *user experience* decisions

  • Speakers

    Sophie Ho
    Digital Editor
    Angela Wong
    ‎Product Manager, The Washington Post
    Additional Reading

    Social Conversation

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