What separates winners and losers isn’t just luck or timing; it is their strategic mastery of large-scale experimentation
After being introduced by a mutual friend, I had an eye-opening conversation with Ed Baker, the former head of growth at Facebook and Uber. During our insightful call, Ed imparted a piece of wisdom that resonated deeply. At Uber, one experiment stood out for its impact, surpassing the cumulative effect of all other experiments in a year. This interaction solidified my belief in the transformative power of strategic experimentation.
At its core, a Lean experiment is a method used to test and validate hypotheses in the most efficient and low-risk way possible. Derived from the principles of the Lean Startup methodology, this approach emphasizes speed, agility and profitability. The goal is to learn more about what works and what doesn’t with the least amount of effort and resources.
Characteristics of Lean experiments:
- Based on assumptions: Every Lean experiment begins with a clear hypothesis. For example: “If we add a user tutorial, we will see an increase in user engagement. »
- Simple: Lean experiments focus on creating the most minor or simplest version of an idea to test its validity.
- Measured and iterative: The effectiveness of Lean experiments depends on their ability to produce measurable results. Iteration is essential to the process, as each experiment leads to new insights and improvements.
- Customer focused: These experiences are designed around customer needs and behaviors. Understanding the target audience and how they respond to changes is fundamental to Lean experimentation.
- Quick execution: Lean experiments are conducted quickly to avoid unnecessary expenditure of time and resources.
As CEO of CodeCheck, a popular shopping app in German-speaking markets, I became interested in the topic of experimentation. Even though we only held a few per year, we saw good results. A new…
