A/B and Multivariate Testing

So for the past two weeks, I have been researching the topic of A/B and multivariate testing. It was very interesting. Basically, multivariate testing changes different elements on a website analyzes which element combination would be best to create the most compelling page. For instance, change the size or color of the checkout button. Better designed website allow for better conversion rates.

A/B testing is the simpler testing form. This type of testing is limited because only two variations can be used at one time but it is an inexpensive way to determine a few key elements of a website.

Multivariate testing allows for multiple components to be tested on a website in a live environment. It is based on statistical analysis to determine which components are most effective. However, this is a more complex process and usually requires software to track visits and elements. Omniture and Google both offer multivariate testing that use a Tugachi approach. The Tugachi test method takes a limited combination of elements to reduce all possible combinations.

So that is a quick overview of the basic ideas.