Are "best practices" in experimentation and CRO overrated? Or is there a legitimate use case for them? Talia "The wolf" Wolf and Shiva Manjunath discuss where 'best practices' fail, but also where can perhaps 'good' practices be utilized properly. In addition, are 'best practices' going the opposite direction of 'personalization'? This episode was a banger. (00:00) Episode Start (2:45) What IS a "best practice"? (8:40) Why do "best practices" exist? (13:04) Are 'Shopify templates'...

Shawn "The Brawn" David joins Shiva to discuss all things bots in CRO and Experimentation. Specifically, what exactly is the difference between AI and Automation, what is exaggerated in AI/CRO, and where can we intelligently use the bots to give CROs' exoskeletons'. Plus, what are some red flags in vendors who sell AI CRO, and how to suss out if their tools are legit, or shit. (00:00) Episode Start (04:39) Exploring the Limits and Potential of AI in CRO (13:05) AI in CRO - What is Hype,...

In this episode, Shiva and Eden Bidani discuss copy. Is it important? Yes. Yes it is. But specifically, they discuss bad examples of copy, the importance of differentiation in copy, and avoiding ways to use buzzwords and improve on clarity within CRO / copywriting. Plus, Eden gives an example of using ChatGPT for copywriting which legitimately leaves Shiva speechless (not clickbait - legitimately happened). (00:00) Episode Start (01:50) Fun Examples of Bad Copy (07:13) The Role of...

In this episode of From A to B, Shiva and Els "Bells" Aerts explore the balance between conducting research and running A/B tests in optimization efforts. Not everything SHOULD be tested, and in fact, research can play a critical role in companies trying to improve on their site optimization when testing isn't available, due to cost, or traffic volume. Finally, they discuss in this weeks "Shit You Need to Know" section... usability testing with older adults, emphasizing the importance of...

In the episode, Shiva and Bhavik "The Sick" Patel discuss prioritization frameworks. Theoretically, they are a fantastic mechanism for ensuring you have a testing program which focuses on high ROI tests - especially when resources are limited. However, they do have some drawbacks worth discussing, including subjectivity in scoring. 00:00 Episode Start02:30 The Role of Effort in Prioritization03:01 The Need for Objectivity in Prioritization12:38 The Importance of Flexibility in...

In this episode, Shiva has David 'Zedd' Mannheim to discuss personalization, and how 'stages' (user's intent) is more important than optimizing for pages on your website. Plus, David has a spicy take on "social proof" ... 00:00 Introduction 02:08 Concept of 'Stages not Pages' 10:38 Social proof is... not good? 21:38 Optimizing for Users vs Pages 22:51 LinkedIn Post of the Week (Eden Bidani) Check out Eden's post here! http://tinyurl.com/FromAtoB-Eden And check out...

In this episode, Shiva and Juliana discuss how to break into the field of experimentation, the importance of understanding experimentation principles, and the value of critical thinking in the process. They also share tips for product owners and engineers who want to start testing and experimenting with small changes without disrupting the entire website. Juliana has some EXCELLENT tips for little ways you can test without breaking your site entirely, which is great for actually breaking...

In this episode, Shiva and Erin "All She Does Is Win" Weigel discuss different kinds of designers (Designers vs designers... apparently there is a difference), and gives you a glimpse into the mindset of a designer so you can understand how better to collaborate with them. Also her dog interrupts the show but we are ok with this because dogs are awesome. Timestamps: 00:00 Show Kickoff02:39 Understanding designer's Mindset11:01 What makes a designer tick?12:44 Erin's dog disrupts the...

In this episode, Shiva and Rommil "The Thrill' Santiago dive deep into the state of salaries based on the latest report coming out of Experiment Nation, in addition to giving y'all some ideas and thoughts on how to make sure you're getting paid fairly! 02:29 Discussing the Experimentation Salary Report08:06 Job Title vs. Salary Satisfaction19:13 Tips on Getting Your Bag22:03 LinkedIn Post of the Week This week's LinkedIn Post of the Week is brought to you by Avinash Kaushik (who...

Website redesigns are the literal worst. They'll happen whether you like it or not, and chances are you still have to clean up the mess if/when they go wrong. Here's how to prepare for (and test) a redesign and still sleep at night. In this episode, Tracy and Shiva discuss: 00:00 Intro 03:47 Legit vs. shit reasons to redesign your site 07:54 The first things you must do before a site redesign 18:50 The redesign went live... now what? 28:02 LinkedIn Post of the Week Still freaking...

This spooky season we ask one question literally nobody has asked before: Can your CRO skillsets save you from a zombie apocalypse? In this episode, Tracy and Shiva discuss: 00:00 Intro 01:41 Can CROs survive the zombie apocalypse? 03:13 The first things a CRO would do to survive 09:11 Experimentation and data weapons for survival 18:29 The verdict: Do CROs survive the zombie apocalypse? 21:15 Guess the most (and least) popular Halloween candy with us Like what you hear?...

Browse your LinkedIn feed for 10 minutes and we guarantee you'll find advice encouraging you to copy so-and-so's website. Because if they're doing something, it must work... right? Not quite. In this episode, Tracy and Shiva discuss: 00:00 Intro 04:05 What's the harm in blindly copying your competitors? 05:57 Shiva burps 06:08 What's the harm in blindly copying your competitors? (continued) 09:23 How to 'watch' competitors instead of flat-out copying 23:59 LinkedIn Post of the...

Working with clients can be a rollercoaster ride, but what happens when you find yourself strapped in with a nightmare client? We'll relive the trauma and give you things to think about, so (hopefully) you don't have to. In this episode, Tracy and Shiva discuss: 00:00 Intro 02:05 Why it's important to spot client red flags ASAP 05:05 Signs you're working with a client from hell 15:23 How to protect yourself from client woes 21:08 Going nuclear: What if you can't walk away from the...

Reviews, ratings, testimonials, user-generated content... we've seen ENOUGH already! We've all been told in Marketing 101 that you NEED social proof. When does it become overkill in your digital marketing program though? In this episode, Tracy and Shiva discuss: 00:00 Intro 02:20 Social proof is great... sometimes 06:11 The need for authentic and creative social proof 10:02 Is social proof a bandaid fix for conversion issues? 16:16 How to do (and test) social proof right 18:11 The...

We'll put money on the fact that you've had your fair share of decision-makers who couldn't care less about user research. You know research is important. But how do you get THEM to see the light? In this episode, Tracy and Shiva discuss: 00:00 Intro 01:51 Signs leadership doesn't care about research 04:55 WHY research fails to get taken seriously 10:27 The consequences of ignoring research 13:36 What to do about research-allergic leaders 22:32 LinkedIn Post of the Week The...

Experimentation is slow. It's what people keep telling us. And you know what? They kind of have a point. Isn't it better to go 'slow' in the right direction (in the short term) instead of fast in the wrong direction, though? In this episode, Tracy and Shiva discuss: 00:00 Intro 02:23 Experimentation can be slow (in the short term) - and that's ok! 09:31 Is your program slow? Or is it you? 11:26 Stop striving for pixel perfection 14:04 How to build faster processes without losing...

9/10 pasta makers agree on this one simple fact.* Throwing shit at the wall is fine at a food fight, but a no-no in your testing program. The cure? Iterative testing. It's like a pressure washer for your wall, cleaning up the mess you made from all that janky spaghetti testing.  In this episode, Tracy and Shiva discuss: 00:00 Intro 02:12 Iterative vs. spaghetti testing 03:35 Research is pointless if you don't act on it 07:52 How to tell if you're spaghetti testing 10:27 Practice...

Technical marketing and analytics extraordinaire Juliana Jackson has seen a lot of s****y marketing. She joins us to explore a big question with some surprising answers: Is segmenting your audience by gender sexist? In this episode, Tracy and Juliana discuss: 00:00 Intro 05:03 Deconstructing 'segmentation' and 'sexism' 06:39 We self-segment all the time without knowing it 09:00 Humans are complex; so why do we love labels? 10:38 Representation beyond 'the average man' 20:55 How to...

Nobody wants to work (s****y jobs) anymore! We think that's pretty great. In this episode, Tracy and Shiva help you spot a crappy CRO/experimentation job by learning from our many job-hunting mistakes. We cover: 00:00 Intro 02:42 Job hunting kind of sucks 05:11 Red flags in the job description 13:22 Red flags in the interview 21:21 Wrapping it up all 24:08 LinkedIn Post of the Week The LinkedIn post of the week is from Ruben De Boer: https://tinyurl.com/FromAtoBRubenDB Find...

Shiva started drama on LinkedIn the other day in a (seemingly innocuous) post arguing that "bug fixes are not experimentation". Let's just say the comments got lit and we want to talk about it. In this episode, Tracy and Shiva explore: 00:00 Intro 02:45 The LinkedIn drama that started it all 03:56 Differentiating bugs vs. bad UX 06:08 Why most of us don't have the luxury of testing bugs 13:37 Why WOULD you test a bug fix? 19:25 LinkedIn Post of the Week The LinkedIn post of the...

You just started a new testing program and the execs expect wins NOW (well, they expected results before your first day, but will settle for now). Where do you go from here? In this episode, Tracy plays the 'devil's advocate' in a new segment (we're beta testing...), where one of us is forced to steelman the opposite position. In this case, Tracy (fantastically) played the annoying, win-obsessed exec. In less than 30 minutes we cover: 00:00 Intro 03:41 Learnings don't pay the bills,...

What do websites and toilet paper have in common? You can tear them down and sometimes those teardowns are full of shite. In this episode, Tracy and Shiva discuss: 00:00 Intro 03:28 What's a website teardown? 05:23 Why do marketers love teardowns so much? 07:28 How teardowns can be kinda b******t 10:56 How to use a teardown responsibly 17:27 The verdict: Awesome or overrated? 19:20 LinkedIn Post of the Week The LinkedIn post of the week is from Gerda Vogt-Thomas:...

You're doing it wrong... but it may not be entirely your fault? Perverse incentives in experimentation can lead to cherry-picking results, running 2-day tests, and ignoring long-term effects. If you do this purposefully though, you're ruining experimentation for everyone and we hope you stub your toe. In this episode, Tracy and Shiva discuss: 00:00 Intro 03:52 What are perverse incentives? 06:18 Perverse incentives in experimentation 17:28 How perverse incentives ruin it for...

Every experimenter has wondered the same thing at some point: "Should I work at an agency or go in-house?" Good thing we've roughed it out in both environments so you don't have to. In this episode, Tracy and Shiva discuss: 00:00 Intro 04:18 Should you work agency or in-house first? 05:24 Pros and cons of working in agency vs. in-house environments 16:48 When contracting may be your best bet 19:10 Shiva derails the conversation with more pros and cons 24:19 LinkedIn Post of the...