Episode 53: Evidence Based Web Development

 

Knowing what works on your website is critical. Here are some tools to help you find evidence of what works best.

Geek Tool

• 02:15 – Gorillapod - Flexible camera tripod

Webapps

• 04:47 – Posterous – Create a place for your “stuff” with only an email.
  • Tip from Ryan Heimbuch
• 08:33 - FollowBase – Listing of companies that provide support via twitter

Topic

• 11:26 – Evidence Based Web Development
  • Split (A/B) Testing
  • Tools
    • Google Website Optimizer
    • PHP Script
    • Django plugin for split testing
  • Tests to get you started
    • Headline
    • Sub-headline
    • Opening paragraph
    • Call to action
    • Submit buttons
    • Colors
    • Check similar sites in your industry and try similar elements
  • Knowing when you are finished
    • If the result of page A was 20 conversions, and the result of page B was 30 conversions, then the difference between the two is 10.
    • The sum of the two results is 50
    • The square root of that sum is 7 (rounded down)
    • The difference (10) is greater than the square root of the sum (7), so the result is statistically significant.
  • Companies that primarily use split testing
    • Amazon.com
    • Google
    • Intuit
    • Microsoft
    • Ebay
    • Yahoo
  • Analysis of Amazons add to cart button over the years
  • Top Google designer shows criticism of the amount of engineering Google puts into its designs

Tags: amazon, Django, followbase, google, php, posterous, split, statistics, testing

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 26th, 2010 at 3:00 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

4 Responses to “Episode 53: Evidence Based Web Development”

• Ced W Says:
  January 27th, 2010 at 5:08 pm

  good show as always! haven’t done the split testing let alone heard about it, but I can use it for a site I’m working with now for sure…
• Jade Robbins Says:
  January 29th, 2010 at 11:40 am

  Yeah, I mean it’s something to bring up to your clients at least. Try and help them get the most out of features you are implementing.
• Tyghe Says:
  May 17th, 2010 at 10:52 am

  The gorilla pod has a bigger version for bigger camera’s like DSLR’s that can hold them as well which is awesome. I have one that I always forget to bring with me
• Jade Robbins Says:
  May 17th, 2010 at 9:07 pm

  O rly?! I had no clue. I’ll have to pick one up.

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