A/B testing involves showing two variants of a digital experience to different user groups and measuring which performs better according to key metrics. It is used to test hypotheses about how to improve user engagement and conversion rates. The process involves researching problems, developing hypotheses, creating alternatives, validating alternatives through testing, and then implementing the best performing version. Some best practices include focusing tests, using statistical analysis, controlling for external factors, and collecting user feedback. Common areas to conduct A/B tests include websites, apps, search, ecommerce, and APIs. Popular A/B testing tools vary in features and pricing.

1. A/B Testing
101
The Basics & Best Practices

2. A/B Testing: Why?
USER EMPATHY:
COLLECT, ANALYZE
& SOLVE USER
PAIN POINTS
INCREASED ROI REDUCED BOUNCE
RATE
TAKE INTELLIGENT
RISKS
DATA DRIVEN
DECISION MAKING
INTRODUCE &
SCALE CHANGE
INTELLIGENTLY
Problem statements:
• Increased unqualified leads? Lower engagement? Higher bounce rate?
Answer: A/B Testing

3. A/B Testing: Scope
Web pages (Headlines, images, Call to action
texts/buttons, mentions, badges etc)
API end points: Platform as a service API or
Data as a service API or Software as a service
API (the developer network uses APIs which
APIs has higher rate of conversions)

4. A/B Testing: Definition
A/B Testing = showing 2 variants to different target
personas (at same time) + comparing the results to
determine which variant has higher ROI
Example:
Landing page changes to determine which change
results in higher metrics of conversion.
Examples of metrics of conversion:
• # of products purchased
• # of leads generated

5. A/B Testing: How it works?
Research
Collect data on usage by
visitors=>track
metrics=>Identify
problems=>Root-cause-
analysis of the problem
Hypothesis
Build a hypothesis based
on the findings from
research.
Alternatives
Build alternatives to
existing solutions to
validate the hypothesis.
Validate
Validate by testing
alternatives in parallel for
a defined duration. The
test duration can be
based on:
•existing state vs future
state
•# of alternatives
•total # of
personas/users
•% of personas/users to
be tested.
Implement
Analyze the test results
from the validation
Measure, Iterate &
Improve alternatives
until the best outcome is
achieved
Implement the winning
alternatives

6. A/B Testing: Best practices
• Plan for optimization: Measure, iterate, improve & scale intelligently
• Prioritize & focus while testing alternatives (Quantity vs Quality)
• Use “Smart statistics” (Data science) to eliminate bias in driving outcomes from a test (Probability,
Duration & Comparison of Improvements)
• Control vs challenger (test & compare with vs without hypothesis)
• Build test samples intelligently
• Set a goal for your test
• Look for best tool selection
• Collect feedback from users during the test
• Consider external factors

7. Examples of A/B testing by domains
A/B Testing for media:
Engagement & Growth
for online users
A/B Testing for B2B: # of
qualified leads, # of
trials, # of conversions
A/B Testing for search:
search modals, search
relevance, search results
A/B Testing for
eCommerce: # of orders
(Successful vs Cancelled)
A/B Testing for Platform as service or Data
as Service or Software as service: # of
successful API calls, engagement & growth

8. A/B Testing Tools
Convert Experiences Google Analytics Instapage
Pricing Paid: Higher price (trial) Freemium Paid: Lower price (trial)
Product direction Strong Available Strong
Support High quality support Low Meets expectation
Ease of use Can be better Meets expectation Great
Variation Testing Strong Meets expectation Meets expectation
Reporting Strong Meets expectation Meets expectation
Personalization Strong Meets expectation Meets expectation
Industry SMB, Mid-market SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise SMB, Mid-market
** Disclaimer: Based on my experience of using these tools & information available on internet.

9. References
• https://www.g2crowd.com/categories/a-b-testing
• https://vwo.com/ab-testing
• https://offers.hubspot.com/an-introduction-to-ab-testing