Chapter 97. Sometimes A/B Testing Is the Only Way to Know
This book includes a lot of ways that you can use psychology to make things look and feel better than they would otherwise. But what if you have to choose between two psychological strategies?
Eventually you will come to a design choice that is psychology versus psychology; motivation versus motivation; emotion versus emotion.
Maybe you have to choose between creating trust in your company or creating trust in the product you’re selling.
Maybe you have to choose between promoting the exclusive status of the brand or the popularity of the brand.
Maybe you need to choose between the word “enjoy” and the word “save”—they are both benefits! Or are they?
In those situations, it is damn near impossible to base your decisions on theory. And asking users face to face is not reliable unless you plan to ask 10,000 of them.
Sometimes A/B testing is the only way to know.
Design and launch the experiment. Make the versions exactly the same except for that psychological detail.
Compare the results, and go with the winner.
Do the science. Trust the science. Be the science.
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