Statistical Methods in Online A/B Testing

Statistical Methods in Online A/B Testing
Author: Georgi Zdravkov Georgiev
Publisher:
Total Pages: 302
Release: 2019-09-28
Genre:
ISBN: 9781694079725

"Statistical Methods in Online A/B Testing" is a comprehensive guide to statistics in online controlled experiments, a.k.a. A/B tests, that tackles the difficult matter of statistical inference in a way accessible to readers with little to no prior experience with it. Each concept is built from the ground up, explained thoroughly, and illustrated with practical examples from website testing. The presentation is straight to the point and practically oriented so you can apply the takeaways in your daily work.It is a must-read for anyone looking for a deep understanding of how to make data-driven business decisions through experimentation: conversion rate optimizers, product managers, growth experts, data analysts, marketing managers, experts in user experience and design. The new research presented and the fresh perspective on how to apply statistics and experimentation to achieve business goals make for an interesting read even for experienced statisticians.The book deals with scientific methods, but their introductions and explanations are grounded in the business goals they help achieve, such as innovating under controlled risk, and estimating the effect of proposed business actions before committing to them. While the book doesn't shy away from math and formulas, it is to the extent to which these are essential for understanding and applying the underlying concepts. The presentation is friendly to readers with little to no prior knowledge in statistics. Artificial and impractical examples like dice rolling and betting are absent, instead statistical concepts are illustrated through scenarios which might well be mistaken with the last couple of A/B tests you managed.This book also doesn't shy away from the fact that much of the current statistical theory and practice in online A/B testing is misguided, misinterpreted, or misapplied. It also addresses the issue of blind copying of scientific applications without due consideration of the unique features of online business, which is widespread. The book will help you avoid these malpractices by explicitly pointing out frequent mistakes, while also helping you align your usage of statistics and experimentation with any business goals you might want to pursue.

Trustworthy Online Controlled Experiments

Trustworthy Online Controlled Experiments
Author: Ron Kohavi
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 291
Release: 2020-04-02
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 1108590098

Getting numbers is easy; getting numbers you can trust is hard. This practical guide by experimentation leaders at Google, LinkedIn, and Microsoft will teach you how to accelerate innovation using trustworthy online controlled experiments, or A/B tests. Based on practical experiences at companies that each run more than 20,000 controlled experiments a year, the authors share examples, pitfalls, and advice for students and industry professionals getting started with experiments, plus deeper dives into advanced topics for practitioners who want to improve the way they make data-driven decisions. Learn how to • Use the scientific method to evaluate hypotheses using controlled experiments • Define key metrics and ideally an Overall Evaluation Criterion • Test for trustworthiness of the results and alert experimenters to violated assumptions • Build a scalable platform that lowers the marginal cost of experiments close to zero • Avoid pitfalls like carryover effects and Twyman's law • Understand how statistical issues play out in practice.

Fundamentals of A/B Testing

Fundamentals of A/B Testing
Author: Alex Dombrowski
Publisher:
Total Pages: 183
Release: 2020-03-22
Genre:
ISBN:

The A/B Testing mindset at a company evolves through four stages. Intuition: In the beginning, intuition drives decisions. The company acknowledges the user, but does not solicit feedback. Data is sparse. Data driven: Decision makers use data to supplement their intuition in cases when they are less confident. The data lacks richness and methods for processing data are crude. Causal statements are drawn from situations that do not warrant them. Data is not respected. A/B Testing: The company unearths the practice of A/B Testing and embarks on the well-trodden path of successful companies. A/B Testing gains followers, however infrastructure is nascent and statistical methods are questionable. The goal is to get a number, not necessarily a correct number. The thought is that a number from an A/B Test must be trustworthy because, well, it's from an A/B Test! Sound A/B Testing: The company is educated on the fundamentals of A/B Testing. The company adopts sounds practices, produces trustworthy numbers, and makes informed go/no-go decisions. Regardless where your company is on the journey, this book will guide you to the last stage.

Statistical Methods in Water Resources

Statistical Methods in Water Resources
Author: D.R. Helsel
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 539
Release: 1993-03-03
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0080875084

Data on water quality and other environmental issues are being collected at an ever-increasing rate. In the past, however, the techniques used by scientists to interpret this data have not progressed as quickly. This is a book of modern statistical methods for analysis of practical problems in water quality and water resources.The last fifteen years have seen major advances in the fields of exploratory data analysis (EDA) and robust statistical methods. The 'real-life' characteristics of environmental data tend to drive analysis towards the use of these methods. These advances are presented in a practical and relevant format. Alternate methods are compared, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each as applied to environmental data. Techniques for trend analysis and dealing with water below the detection limit are topics covered, which are of great interest to consultants in water-quality and hydrology, scientists in state, provincial and federal water resources, and geological survey agencies.The practising water resources scientist will find the worked examples using actual field data from case studies of environmental problems, of real value. Exercises at the end of each chapter enable the mechanics of the methodological process to be fully understood, with data sets included on diskette for easy use. The result is a book that is both up-to-date and immediately relevant to ongoing work in the environmental and water sciences.

Statistical Inference as Severe Testing

Statistical Inference as Severe Testing
Author: Deborah G. Mayo
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 503
Release: 2018-09-20
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 1108563309

Mounting failures of replication in social and biological sciences give a new urgency to critically appraising proposed reforms. This book pulls back the cover on disagreements between experts charged with restoring integrity to science. It denies two pervasive views of the role of probability in inference: to assign degrees of belief, and to control error rates in a long run. If statistical consumers are unaware of assumptions behind rival evidence reforms, they can't scrutinize the consequences that affect them (in personalized medicine, psychology, etc.). The book sets sail with a simple tool: if little has been done to rule out flaws in inferring a claim, then it has not passed a severe test. Many methods advocated by data experts do not stand up to severe scrutiny and are in tension with successful strategies for blocking or accounting for cherry picking and selective reporting. Through a series of excursions and exhibits, the philosophy and history of inductive inference come alive. Philosophical tools are put to work to solve problems about science and pseudoscience, induction and falsification.

100 Statistical Tests

100 Statistical Tests
Author: Gopal K Kanji
Publisher: SAGE
Total Pages: 262
Release: 2006-08-07
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 9781412923767

Expanded and updated, the Third Edition of Gopal Kanji's best-selling resource on statistical tests covers all the most commonly used tests with information on how to calculate and interpret results with simple datasets. The Third Edition now includes: - a new introduction to statistical testing with information to guide even the non-statistician through the book quickly and easily - real-world explanations of how and when to use each test with examples drawn from wide range of disciplines - a useful Classification of Tests table - all the relevant statistical tables for checking critical valu.

Communication Research Statistics

Communication Research Statistics
Author: John C. Reinard
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Total Pages: 604
Release: 2006-04-20
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1506320481

"While most books on statistics seem to be written as though targeting other statistics professors, John Reinard′s Communication Research Statistics is especially impressive because it is clearly intended for the student reader, filled with unusually clear explanations and with illustrations on the use of SPSS. I enjoyed reading this lucid, student-friendly book and expect students will benefit enormously from its content and presentation. Well done!" --John C. Pollock, The College of New Jersey Written in an accessible style using straightforward and direct language, Communication Research Statistics guides students through the statistics actually used in most empirical research undertaken in communication studies. This introductory textbook is the only work in communication that includes details on statistical analysis of data with a full set of data analysis instructions based on SPSS 12 and Excel XP. Key Features: Emphasizes basic and introductory statistical thinking: The basic needs of novice researchers and students are addressed, while underscoring the foundational elements of statistical analyses in research. Students learn how statistics are used to provide evidence for research arguments and how to evaluate such evidence for themselves. Prepares students to use statistics: Students are encouraged to use statistics as they encounter and evaluate quantitative research. The book details how statistics can be understood by developing actual skills to carry out rudimentary work. Examples are drawn from mass communication, speech communication, and communication disorders. Incorporates SPSS 12 and Excel: A distinguishing feature is the inclusion of coverage of data analysis by use of SPSS 12 and by Excel. Information on the use of major computer software is designed to let students use such tools immediately. Companion Web Site! A dedicated Web site includes a glossary, data sets, chapter summaries, additional readings, links to other useful sites, selected "calculators" for computation of related statistics, additional macros for selected statistics using Excel and SPSS, and extra chapters on multiple discriminant analysis and loglinear analysis. Intended Audience: Ideal for undergraduate and graduate courses in Communication Research Statistics or Methods; also relevant for many Research Methods courses across the social sciences

Introductory Business Statistics 2e

Introductory Business Statistics 2e
Author: Alexander Holmes
Publisher:
Total Pages: 1801
Release: 2023-12-13
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

Introductory Business Statistics 2e aligns with the topics and objectives of the typical one-semester statistics course for business, economics, and related majors. The text provides detailed and supportive explanations and extensive step-by-step walkthroughs. The author places a significant emphasis on the development and practical application of formulas so that students have a deeper understanding of their interpretation and application of data. Problems and exercises are largely centered on business topics, though other applications are provided in order to increase relevance and showcase the critical role of statistics in a number of fields and real-world contexts. The second edition retains the organization of the original text. Based on extensive feedback from adopters and students, the revision focused on improving currency and relevance, particularly in examples and problems. This is an adaptation of Introductory Business Statistics 2e by OpenStax. You can access the textbook as pdf for free at openstax.org. Minor editorial changes were made to ensure a better ebook reading experience. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Federal Statistics, Multiple Data Sources, and Privacy Protection

Federal Statistics, Multiple Data Sources, and Privacy Protection
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 195
Release: 2018-01-27
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0309465370

The environment for obtaining information and providing statistical data for policy makers and the public has changed significantly in the past decade, raising questions about the fundamental survey paradigm that underlies federal statistics. New data sources provide opportunities to develop a new paradigm that can improve timeliness, geographic or subpopulation detail, and statistical efficiency. It also has the potential to reduce the costs of producing federal statistics. The panel's first report described federal statistical agencies' current paradigm, which relies heavily on sample surveys for producing national statistics, and challenges agencies are facing; the legal frameworks and mechanisms for protecting the privacy and confidentiality of statistical data and for providing researchers access to data, and challenges to those frameworks and mechanisms; and statistical agencies access to alternative sources of data. The panel recommended a new approach for federal statistical programs that would combine diverse data sources from government and private sector sources and the creation of a new entity that would provide the foundational elements needed for this new approach, including legal authority to access data and protect privacy. This second of the panel's two reports builds on the analysis, conclusions, and recommendations in the first one. This report assesses alternative methods for implementing a new approach that would combine diverse data sources from government and private sector sources, including describing statistical models for combining data from multiple sources; examining statistical and computer science approaches that foster privacy protections; evaluating frameworks for assessing the quality and utility of alternative data sources; and various models for implementing the recommended new entity. Together, the two reports offer ideas and recommendations to help federal statistical agencies examine and evaluate data from alternative sources and then combine them as appropriate to provide the country with more timely, actionable, and useful information for policy makers, businesses, and individuals.

Understanding Statistics and Experimental Design

Understanding Statistics and Experimental Design
Author: Michael H. Herzog
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 146
Release: 2019-08-13
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3030034992

This open access textbook provides the background needed to correctly use, interpret and understand statistics and statistical data in diverse settings. Part I makes key concepts in statistics readily clear. Parts I and II give an overview of the most common tests (t-test, ANOVA, correlations) and work out their statistical principles. Part III provides insight into meta-statistics (statistics of statistics) and demonstrates why experiments often do not replicate. Finally, the textbook shows how complex statistics can be avoided by using clever experimental design. Both non-scientists and students in Biology, Biomedicine and Engineering will benefit from the book by learning the statistical basis of scientific claims and by discovering ways to evaluate the quality of scientific reports in academic journals and news outlets.