Just because you can…

Today’s guest blog is from Kyle Duford, Director of eCommerce at Chrome Industries. Previously, Kyle managed eCommerce at Speck.

Growing up my Dad had a few choice catchphrases — mostly ones I can’t write here. “Life is like a big wheel, what goes around comes around,” he’d say at just the moment the young version of me would want to retaliate to someone who did me wrong at school or when I questioned violence on the news. He particularly surprised me when his business partner orchestrated a way to virtually steal my father’s entire company just before he retired. His response? “He must need the money more than me. What goes around, comes around.” Eventually the scum got his comeuppance.

Another phrase that stuck with me from my early years was just as simple, “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.”

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How Obama’s Campaign Team Sourced A/B Tests from User Feedback

When thinking about A/B testing, the pivotal question is what to test. Ideally you should focus your testing efforts on the page elements that are most likely to have an impact. A great source of discovery for high impact elements can come from focusing on the user experience. Usability studies, user experience research, heuristic evaluations, and surveys can all yield insights into where users have difficulty (and success) using your site. By focusing on fixing the issues, and doubling down on the successes, you’re guaranteed to run tests that benefit your audience.  In return, you’ll achieve a big win for your users, and a big win for your business.

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