Skip to main content

Thursday, June 11, 2015 - 11:30am - 12:30pm
Testing
BT8

The Value of A/B Testing Prior Year Content

Recently, a wide range of new testing ideas has emerged that makes testing online systems easier and faster. One idea goes beyond functional testing to a more basic question: Does the system convert shoppers into buyers? Since that is a key function of commercial websites, it is important for an organization to understand its website’s effectiveness. One way to do this is to create two different variations of the site—the A and B versions—and then assess the more-effective variation. The A/B tester plays a key role in the entire effort. His role is to gather A/B test requirements; prioritize, develop, and execute the tests; and partner with the analytics team to report the findings. Venkat Atigadda explains the types of tests involved, advantages, best practices, and key guidelines for performing A/B testing. This approach can be generalized to test for signing up for additional services, viewing the site longer, and visiting additional parts of the site.

1.00 PMI® PDU
Alan Page
Alan Page, Microsoft

Alan Page is a principal SDET—a fancy name for tester—on the Xbox console team at Microsoft. Edging up on twenty years in software testing, Alan has previously worked on a variety of Microsoft products including Windows, Windows CE, Internet Explorer, and Office Lync. He spent some time as Microsoft’s director of test excellence where he developed and ran technical training programs for testers throughout the company. Alan was the lead author of How We Test Software at Microsoft and contributed chapters on large-scale test automation to Beautiful Testing and Experiences of Test Automation: Case Studies of Software Test Automation. You can follow Alan on his blog or on Twitter @alanpage.

read more