A/B Testing#
A randomised experiment comparing two variants to measure an effect.
Important
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What it is#
An A/B test is a controlled experiment that randomly assigns users to two variants — A (control) and B (treatment) — and measures which performs better on a chosen metric (conversion rate, time on page, retention). Randomization is what lets you read the difference as causal.
How it’s run#
You fix the metric, use a power analysis to set the sample size, pick a statistical test (t-test, chi-square), and choose a significance level α. When the data are in, the test decides whether B’s effect is real or noise.
Its discipline#
The classic A/B test is fixed-horizon — you must wait for the pre-planned sample before deciding. Peeking early and stopping when it looks significant inflates false positives, which is exactly the failure that sequential methods are designed to fix.
Theme: A/B Testing & Experimentation · All terminology
Hint
Mind map — connected ideas
Sequential Testing (also called sequential analysis) · Interleaving Tests · Traditional A/B Test (Fixed-Horizon A/B Test) · Power Analysis · Statistical Tests · Conversion Rate (CR)
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More in A/B Testing & Experimentation
A/B/n Test · Bayesian Sequential Testing · Bayesian Stopping Rules · Conversion Rate Uplift · Fixed-Horizon Testing · Group Sequential Testing · Multivariate Test (MVT) · Online Experimentation Platforms · Optimizely · Risk of Peeking · Sequential Testing (also called sequential analysis) · Stopping Rules · Traditional A/B Test (Fixed-Horizon A/B Test) · Treatment Effect
See also
Source article Adapted (context, re-expressed) in our own words from: A/B Testing (insightful-data-lab.com).