Idea in Brief
The Opportunity
In an increasingly digital world, randomized, controlled A/B experiments are an extremely valuable way to create or improve online experiences.
The Obstacle
Culture—not tools and technology—prevents companies from conducting the hundreds, even thousands, of tests they should be doing annually and then applying the results.
The Remedy
Create an environment in which curiosity is nurtured, data trumps opinion, anyone can conduct a test, all experiments are done ethically, and managers embrace a new model of leadership.
In December 2017, just before the busy holiday travel season, Booking.com’s director of design proposed a radical experiment: testing an entirely new layout for the company’s home page. Instead of offering lots of options for hotels, vacation rentals, and travel deals, as the existing home page did, the new one would just feature a small window asking where the customer was going, the dates, and the number of people in the party, and present three simple options: “accommodations,” “flights,” and “rental cars.” All the content and design elements—pictures, text, buttons, and messages—that Booking.com had spent years optimizing would be eliminated.
