A/B testing is a well-known tool which is used to experiment with different parts of a website in order to optimise it continuously. It is very effective and typically involves changing a particular element of the website, and then testing that change against the control version of the site. There is, however, another way to perform these kind of tests.
Gradual vs. Radical Website Testing
Gradual testing, as mentioned above, is the testing of singular elements. This, for example, could involve changing the header on a page, trying a different call to action placement, or changing an image. Each A/B test is run, analysed and then implemented, if found to be more effective than the original.
Radical testing, on the other hand, is when many elements are tested at the same time. This would, for example, include a new background color, different fonts, different images, a different form to fill out or a completely different value proposition. How would the person running the test be able to tell if they should keep any elements of the old site? They wouldn’t. It’s an all or nothing tactic. Why would someone want to do this type of test? There are certain scenarios where it can be beneficial.
When you Should Do Radical Redesign A/B Testing?
#1 Your testing programme plateaued
One circumstance when website owners may want to try a radical A/B test is when they have exhausted singular A/B testing variables. When a header has been tested 3 times, images have been tried all over the page and calls to action have been tried after each paragraph; test results may reach a point when results basically plateau. This is just the time to shake things up and try a total redesign. Could an entirely different website approach be more successful? A radical test can help you find out.
#2 Your manager demands large growth in a short time period
There are times when demand is low, and times when it is high. When an occasion arrives where a website needs to reap big results in a short amount of time, a radical test can potentially help it to do so. Many small changes can take too much time that just isn’t available. With a complete website redesign aimed at bumping up sales, the radical A/B test can quickly tell if it will help to meet the goal.
#3 Your team is out of ideas
When working on a website for an extended period of time, it may happen that you get stuck always doing things in the same way. The fresh idea well runs dry. If you announce a radical A/B test, team members can collaborate to look at the website with a fresh pair of eyes. With a different approach, an interesting comparison can be performed to find out if a total re-haul will be more effective. Even if it is not, there may be some new elements that are brainstormed that can be tested individually.
#4 Your team has vastly different ideas
If the team testing the website has opposing ideas on the direction to take, a radical test can provide the answer. Let both teams run with their concept, make the design, and run the two against each other. The advantage of testing is that the results do not lie: instead of wasting time on continuous discussions that do not lead anywhere, a test can give a non-discriminating and independent answer to the questions “What works for our target audience and what doesn’t work?” When the best approach is established, the team can move forward and work together on making it even better.
#5 Your visitors are confused
When your website data analytics confirm that your visitors are confused and cannot find what they are looking for, this is a good reason to consider a radical redesign. Every day that a website is not optimised, is a day that the owner is losing money. Instead of trying to fix many little things that are clearly not working, changing many elements at once can help to fix the problem more efficiently.
#6 Your website is clearly outdated
Website trends change fast, and even one update to search engine algorithms can cause a drastic drop in traffic and conversion rates for a website. If your website is out of date, radical testing which implements many of the updates needed at once, can knock out several birds with one stone. Again, time is money, and when a website is out of date, the sooner it is updated the better.
#7 Your site has limited traffic
It is easier to perform gradual A/B tests if you have a high volume of traffic in order to get an accurate test result. If a website’s traffic is low, that means the appropriate sample size will take longer to acquire, and testing will take longer. When low traffic is the case, a radical A/B test can test a few elements at a time, to make it quicker.
#8 You found additional data
Analytic tools can provide great insights and show changes that need to be made. For example, if a heat map shows where customers are lingering most often, a website manager may want to reorganize the most important elements there. With this data providing insights, a radical test can be used to implement many changes at once.
What are the risks of running radical A/B tests?
When you are thinking about a radical re-design test, it is critical to know that there are risks to it as well. This process can create major improvements in a short period of time, it can also cause a condition where your re-design doesn’t work at all and your conversion rates drop drastically as a result. It is critical to know that this is a possibility and learn how to accept the consequences. It is a good idea to make sure management and other stakeholders are open to the game plan and are in position with the higher risk- higher capability strategy.
Tips
Radical redesign changes can have a large influence on your conversion rates. The secret to success is to make sure that you are prepared for all outcomes. Make sure that you base your test changes on solid research, perceptive team discussions and a firm digital strategy to develop the highest chance of a successful end result. If it is done correctly, a radical redesign test can help save you a lot of time and energy and create a shorter learning process.
Next Steps: Success is in the follow up
If your test results prove that the radical new design is working much better, and you see a large increase in revenue, it is time to implement the new version.
You should do several follow up tests to adjust and fine-tune your successful variations before you apply your changes.
It might mean a very large investment in the actual application process of the website design, so you want to make sure that you are very clear on the design that you want to go with. When you are satisfied with the test results, and you are sure you have a solid method, you can make the necessary changes and enjoy the rewards of your very courageous approach.
In the end, incremental testing that focuses on creating a clear, clean approach is the most effective way to really improve your website. However, sometimes gradual testing takes you to a stagnant place or time is cut short. In these situations, as overviewed in the several situations in this article, radical A/B testing can be used as a helpful tool.