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Experiment!: Website Conversion Rate Optimization With A/B and Multivariate Testing
Testing is a surefire way to dramatically improve your website’s conversion rate and increase revenue. When you run experiments with changes to design or content, you’ll quickly discover which changes better motivate your users to take action. This book shows how to learn from your customers’ behavior and decisions, and how their responses reveal the strengths and weaknesses of your site. It will show you how to make websites that work harder and convert better.
Experiment! will inspire you to challenge assumptions and start experimenting right now. You
Experimenting changes the way you think about design and the way you work. It helps prevent the loudest voice from deciding direction; instead, through an experiment, you’ll ask the most important voices--your customers--“What do you think?”
Experiment! will inspire you to challenge assumptions and start experimenting right now. You
Experimenting changes the way you think about design and the way you work. It helps prevent the loudest voice from deciding direction; instead, through an experiment, you’ll ask the most important voices--your customers--“What do you think?”
157 pages, Paperback
First published July 2, 2012
15 people are currently reading
83 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 7, 2018
Colin McFarland is a legend of experimentation. I’ve watched his videos and read his blog posts, so I was really looking forward to getting in-depth with some of his thoughts and experiences in this book. It IS good, don’t get me wrong - I highlighted quite a lot of pages (which I’ve made public) - but I also wish he’d been able to give more specific and detailed examples from his experience. I feel like I absorbed a lot of general advice on how to start out through to embedding a culture of experimentation, but I’d still get stuck at specific hurdles around designing good experiments and interpreting the data correctly. I’d like to learn, for example, from badly done experiments and dissect what went wrong and why, and then compare that to a better one. I think maybe I’m asking too much from what is essentially a short introduction (otherwise I guess it could get mega mathsy) and as that it does succeed. I’d say it’s worth a read and then you can check out his meatier stuff online.
August 3, 2018
Similar to "A/B testing: The most powerful way to turn clicks into customers", this book is written for anyone who is interested in knowing tricks, practical issues, insights and tips in conducting A/B testing for optimizing conversion rate. However, it is much more helpful for those who have experience in working with A/B testing. This is not a book for freshman. It is a book that one should repeat reading in combination of his own gains and loss in his A/B testing advanture.
April 2, 2013
This is the first book I've read on website conversion testing, and I couldn't be happier. Drawing on his experience with thousands of online tests, McFarland provides a practical and highly accessible overview of the principles and methods of online optimization testing. He also discusses the most common pitfalls of testing and how to avoid them. The book cites many interesting examples of how companies like Facebook and Netflix have successfully (or unsuccessfully) applied tests. The purpose of these examples is not to offer specific tactics for your website (e.g., make signup buttons orange), but to convey the basic strategies and principles of successful testing. McFarland talks a lot about the mindset and culture that sets the basis for constructive testing and shares advice on how to come up with new ideas.
If you're looking for an in-depth look at different testing tools then look elsewhere. But if you're looking for a broad primer on online A/B and Multivariate testing with lots of great, practical insights, then this book is for you.
If you're looking for an in-depth look at different testing tools then look elsewhere. But if you're looking for a broad primer on online A/B and Multivariate testing with lots of great, practical insights, then this book is for you.
December 29, 2014
I high recommend this book to everyone that wants to learn about A/B and multivariate testing...
I started to write out another boring review, but then I decided that I should share how I used the information I learned in this book. A few years back I was working with this client that was the "my way or the highway" type. It was almost impossible to get anything approved, even if it was to make them more money. I noticed that they loved facts and figures, so I thought I would give that angle a shot. I did a little A/B testing before this project, but I knew I would need to do this with a lot more knowledge. I don't remember how I came across Colin's book, but it made me into a superhero to my client.
His book covers everything from the basic stuff that I already kind of knew to the more advance topics. The book was a pleasure to read and I read it over a few times. I took what I learned from this book and got my way and the client was happy with it. The only issue with the book is that it is a quick read for me, but maybe that's ok because there wasn't much fluff.
I started to write out another boring review, but then I decided that I should share how I used the information I learned in this book. A few years back I was working with this client that was the "my way or the highway" type. It was almost impossible to get anything approved, even if it was to make them more money. I noticed that they loved facts and figures, so I thought I would give that angle a shot. I did a little A/B testing before this project, but I knew I would need to do this with a lot more knowledge. I don't remember how I came across Colin's book, but it made me into a superhero to my client.
His book covers everything from the basic stuff that I already kind of knew to the more advance topics. The book was a pleasure to read and I read it over a few times. I took what I learned from this book and got my way and the client was happy with it. The only issue with the book is that it is a quick read for me, but maybe that's ok because there wasn't much fluff.
February 4, 2013
“Experiment!” provides a nice introduction to A/B and multivariate testing. Colin McFarland packed a significant amount of information into a rather small book. The author did a good job at emphasizing that you shouldn't expect positive results from all the tests you run, as well as the need to be unbiased while conducting tests. There are a few areas where testing tools are recommended, but this book is more about why you should test as opposed to how to create a test.
If you've already read up on A/B and multivariate testing elsewhere, and consider yourself somewhat experienced in running tests, you probably won’t find much additional information in the book to make the purchase worthwhile. However if you’re in charge of testing within your organization, and there are other co-workers who would benefit from some basic knowledge about testing, this would be a good book to pass around the office.
If you've already read up on A/B and multivariate testing elsewhere, and consider yourself somewhat experienced in running tests, you probably won’t find much additional information in the book to make the purchase worthwhile. However if you’re in charge of testing within your organization, and there are other co-workers who would benefit from some basic knowledge about testing, this would be a good book to pass around the office.
October 3, 2012
This is a great book for professionals who'd like to dive right in with experimenting.
I appreciated how the author doesn't waste a lot of time on opinion and fluff. If you don't have a lot of time to wade through that type of stuff, this book will give you everything you need in order to start thinking about HOW to optimize.
Notice that I focused on the HOW rather than WHAT. This is because to run good experiments, you must have the right mindset. Case studies and best practices are not all that helpful in the end because they don't show you the decisions made to get there.
It's worth a few hours of your time, it's easy to digest and reference back to, and your boss or clients will appreciate you more for it.
I appreciated how the author doesn't waste a lot of time on opinion and fluff. If you don't have a lot of time to wade through that type of stuff, this book will give you everything you need in order to start thinking about HOW to optimize.
Notice that I focused on the HOW rather than WHAT. This is because to run good experiments, you must have the right mindset. Case studies and best practices are not all that helpful in the end because they don't show you the decisions made to get there.
It's worth a few hours of your time, it's easy to digest and reference back to, and your boss or clients will appreciate you more for it.
March 10, 2017
I really really like this book.
Specifically, I am doing consulting work at "a large travel/hotel inventory distributor" at the moment.
I walk into every meeting and say "Read this book. It's written by the Head of Experimentation at SkyScanner" and it immediately makes the whole room jump and pay attention.
It enables me to get my points across to the business succinctly and with plenty of punch.
Specifically, I am doing consulting work at "a large travel/hotel inventory distributor" at the moment.
I walk into every meeting and say "Read this book. It's written by the Head of Experimentation at SkyScanner" and it immediately makes the whole room jump and pay attention.
It enables me to get my points across to the business succinctly and with plenty of punch.
September 19, 2012
The book covers high level discussion of the topics listed on the jacket but it would be a stretch to say "You will learn" as the book implies. Most topics are covered as introductions rather then in depth. Fast read, but in the end I was let down.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews