People Analytics For Dummies

Chapter 16

Learning with Experiments

IN THIS CHAPTER

Designing experiments to produce new learning and change

Selecting random samples for experiments

Comparing two measures to determine statistically significant differences

If I accomplish nothing else in this chapter, I hope to at least tamp down some of the fear surrounding the word experiment. It’s worth noting that, though the word has come to be associated with white lab coats, the logic for experiments is a natural part of human learning. The fact is, we all conduct experiments in our lives all the time — you just may not know that you’re doing it. All adult skills were learned through experimentation: eating, walking, talking, riding a bicycle, driving a car, and so forth. Think about what happens when you prepare your evening meal: You add a tiny bit of seasoning, taste, add some more, taste, and so on until you get it just right.

I vividly remember learning how to cook, in about the third grade. I was making scrambled eggs, and I assumed that if a bit more salt was good, then a whole lot more salt was even better — so I dumped in a good handful of the stuff. I still remember biting into what I assumed would be the most ...