Articles on sample size

Comparison of the statistical power of sequential tests: SPRT, AGILE, and Always Valid Inference

Power and Average Sample Size of Sequential Tests

In A/B testing sequential tests are gradually becoming the norm due to the increased efficiency and flexibility that they grant practitioners. In most practical scenarios sequential tests offer a balance of risks and rewards superior to that of an equivalent fixed sample test. Sequential monitoring achieves this superiority by trading statistical power for the ability […] Read more…

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A/B Testing with a Small Sample Size

AB Testing Small Business

The question “How to test if my website has a small number of users” comes up frequently when I chat to people about statistics in A/B testing, online and offline alike. There are different opinions on the topic ranging from altering the significance threshold, statistical power or the minimum effect of interest all the way […] Read more…

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Analysis of 115 A/B Tests: Average Lift is 4%, Most Lack Statistical Power

Observed Percent Change Significant

Oct 2022 update: A newer, much larger and likely less biased meta analysis of 1,001 tests is now available! What can you learn from 115 publicly available A/B tests? Usually, not much, since in most cases you would be looking at case studies with very basic data about what was tested and the outcome of […] Read more…

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20-80% Faster A/B Tests? Is it real?

Percent Runs and Stopping Stage 1Delta

I got a question today about our AGILE A/B testing calculator and the statistics behind it and realized that I’m yet to write a dedicated post explaining the efficiency gains from using the method in more detail. This despite the fact that these speed gains are clearly communicated and verified through simulation results presented in our AGILE […] Read more…

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Multivariate Testing – Best Practices & Tools for MVT (A/B/n) Tests

Multivariate AB Tests / MVT Testing

Let’s get this out of the way from the very beginning: most “A/B tests” are in fact multivariate (MVT) tests, a.k.a. A/B/n tests. That is, most of the time when you read about “A/B testing” the term also encompasses multivariate testing. The only reason to specifically differentiate between A/B and MVT is when someone wants to […] Read more…

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The Importance of Statistical Power in Online A/B Testing

Statistical Power and Test Sensitivity

What is Statistical Power? In null-hypothesis statistical testing (NHST) – the procedure most commonly applied in A/B tests, there are two types of errors that practitioners should care about, type I and type II errors. Type I is the probability of the test procedure to falsely reject a true null hypothesis. Type II error is […] Read more…

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