Testing with Humans: How to use experiments to drive faster, more informed decision making. by Constable Giff

Author:Constable, Giff [Constable, Giff]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-10-15T16:00:00+00:00

Learning and Decisions

(a.k.a. the hard part)

“If we have data, let’s look at data. If all we have are opinions, let’s go with mine.”

Jim Barksdale

former CEO of Netscape and AT&T WIreless

With practice, it gets easier to run good experiments. However, making critical, high-pressure decisions remains difficult. If you’ve made it this far, you’ve probably bought into the idea that experiments can help inform better judgment calls. We use the phrase “judgment calls” on purpose. Results are rarely clear cut. You will often get muddy data and mixed signals. You will have variables in the mix that pollute the purity of an experiment. You will always worry about false positives and false negatives. The members of your team will interpret the results differently. Startups and innovation teams don’t operate in a controlled lab. Fighting against this is a waste of time, because of the speed at which new ventures need to operate.

Given all of this, how can you increase the odds of making good decisions?

Gather Good Data on Something Important

First, gather good data. If you are disciplined about choosing the big risks to tackle, and disciplined about designing and executing your experiments (which includes adjusting them mid-flight if needed), you will get much more believable, and ultimately actionable, data. Part of running a disciplined experiment is keeping the incoming data organized. Keep a running, consolidated source of key results. This can be a shared digital document or spreadsheet or a physical wall with sticky notes or a whiteboard. The method doesn’t matter, just that you do it and do it in a way that gives the entire team easy access.

Know When to Be Skeptical of Results

It’s worth once again reminding ourselves of the Truth Curve:

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