: Illuminate

How Do You Prove the Value of Experimentation to Executives?

For a testing program to be as successful as possible, it must be backed by an executive — a leader in the company who believes in the power of testing and champions the cause. Getting...

What Should You Do When a Test is Flat?

A/B testing is a bit like the Olympics. You always go for gold. Ideally, you’re looking for Michael Phelps-style wins: long-term, consecutive, and (seemingly) effortless. And if you fail to make it to the top-level...

Beyond CRO: Where Your Optimization Program Should Go Next

I have been passionate about conversion optimization for years and have had a hand in testing thousands of variations ever since my love affair with testing began. I’ve referred to optimization in terms of a...

5 Reasons a Testing Culture is a Healthy Culture

“The joke in the office was that when it came to work/life balance, work came first, life came second, and trying to find the balance came last.” –A former Amazon employee In August 2015, The...

What Essential Skills Should You Look For When Hiring an Analyst?

The importance of a good analyst can’t be overstated. If your organization is data-driven (and it should be), an analyst provides unparalleled guidance and insight: He or she identifies where to allocate resources, influences company strategy,...

Here’s Proof That You Are Not Your Customer

Most people who work in testing and optimization understand that they do not share the exact same preferences, motivations, habits, and goals as their customers. If you were to say to them, “You are not...

March Madness: Why an Algorithm Probably Won’t Give You a Winning Bracket

Although I have a master's degree in advanced analytics, I filled out my NCAA March Madness bracket in 5 minutes, just seconds before the tip-off of the first game. Maybe you’ve heard of the model...

What’s the Best Way to Grow Your Testing Program?

In order for a testing program to advance, it must do more than garner wins—it must grow in a way that's steady, smart, and efficient. While increasing test velocity and generating new test ideas are signs that a...

Go Beyond the Online Calculator to Determine Sample Size

The premise of statistics is simple: “We have a population we want to understand, but we can’t measure everyone. Let’s collect a sample and use statistical inference to make the best decisions we can.” For...

Dealing with Outliers (Part 2): Avoid These Common Mistakes

Part two of a two-part series. In the first post of this series, I discussed the different types of outliers and why they’re important. If you haven’t already, take a couple of minutes to read...

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