How to Implement Effective A/B Testing for Progressive Web Apps

More companies are increasingly investing in progressive web apps (PWAs) than before. While 24% of e-commerce companies worldwide favor progressive web apps, 11% have already adopted them.

So, what is a progressive web app? PWAs are a hybrid between mobile websites and mobile apps. They are applications that provide the users with an app-like experience and possess modern web capabilities. Progressive web apps can also optimize the performance of web pages and allow faster access.

Benefits of Progressive Web Apps

If you wonder why your company must invest in progressive web apps, here are some of the best features that make PWAs a worthy candidate.

• It is Fast

Being fast is one of the most significant characteristics of progressive web apps. Studies show that when the loading time of mobile websites increases from 1 second to 3 seconds, the bounce rate rises by 6%. If your website needs 3 seconds or more to load, you will likely miss out on some potential customers.

However, this is not the case with progressive web apps. With less than 3 seconds loading time, they can help you attract more customers and retain the existing ones.

• Connectivity Independent

Most people feel frustrated when they are not able to open applications due to poor network connections. However, PWAs offer connectivity independence to the users. Regardless of how slow the network connectivity is, the web apps can still be loaded.

• Easy Accessibility

The progressive web apps are easily accessible and offer optimum convenience to the users. You can directly use the PWAs from the home screen or install them on your phone. Moreover, it provides an app-like experience such as easy access to built-in mobile accessories like mic and camera, full-screen mode, and more.

A/B Testing for PWAs

Progressive web app testing is one of the most crucial steps. It helps build a better customer experience and achieve higher conversion goals. Let’s first understand what A/B testing is.

What is A/B Testing?

A/B testing, aka “split testing,” is a process of experimentation wherein two variants of the app are randomly chosen for users to identify the better performing variant. The A/B testing for PWAs leverages user data and statistical significance to roll out the winner version.

To perform the A/B testing effectively, you must have experienced developers or UX researchers on your team to carry out multiple split testing experiments. Alternately, you can hire PWA developers from an experienced application development company like us to save time and resources.

Steps involved in A/B Testing of PWAs

Now that you know about progressive web apps and A/B testing, we will discuss deploying the A/B test experiment to get the best results. Following is the step-by-step approach.

Step 1: Benchmark Parameters

It would be best if you began analyzing the current user data to become aware of the current state of your app. This analysis should be able to tell you which are the areas that are doing good and which aren’t. Based on this preliminary analysis, you can design the experiment.

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Step 2: Identify Goals

The next step in progressive web app testing is identifying the goals you want to achieve. Pre-determining the specific goals can make it easier to prioritize and define the scope of the experiment. The objective will depend on the target audience and business models, like whether you have a B2C or B2B business.

For example, an eCommerce business may want to increase successful checkouts of users. A media business may wish to increase article sharing on different social media platforms. And in the case of a gaming app, strategically addressing the pop-up banners can boost player engagement.

Step 3: Create Hypothesis

Once you have identified the key objectives of progressive web app testing, the next step is to list A/B test variation ideas and corresponding reasons explaining why it is better than the existing version. After making this list, you must prioritize them according to their impact on the business, app-specific KPIs, difficulty in implementation, etc.

Step 4: Develop Variations

Now, you need to create a modified version of your custom web app according to your hypothesis. The desired modification may be a simple change in the color of the web app, change in the order of menu options, hiding buttons, etc. There are PWA development tools available in the market that can easily do it for you (more on this later).

Step 5: Run Experiment

Once you have developed the variation, you are good to start the experiment. You must randomly allow the web app traffic to use the original or “control” version of the app and the proposed variation.

A word of caution, you must only undertake experiments when you have a sizeable number of users interacting with your app; otherwise, the experiment data is of little value.

Step 6: Examine Results

Finally, check the results of the experiment. You can start segregating the experiment data with the help of the deployed testing tool and analyze the performance of both variants. If you can establish the statistical significance of your result, you can easily find the winning version of the progressive web app. If your hypothesis is the winner, you can go ahead and implement the change. And if the data says otherwise, plot another hypothesis and start from the beginning.

If running progressive app testing regularly sounds too cumbersome, you can hire PWA developers from external development partners and get started with the testing process in no time. Ensure you hire seasoned and well-trained professionals with in-depth knowledge and years of experience in A/B testing of PWAs.

Read More: Why, Where and How – All Your Regression Testing Questions Answered

Benefits of Progressive Web App Testing

Here are some of the benefits of A/B testing.

• Ease of Analysis

A/B testing for progressive web app development can provide you with conclusive results, and you can keep optimizing your analysis further in the future. Determining the winner is relatively straightforward because the data is based on the observed user behavior.

• Test Specific Pages

When you want to test only specific web pages of your app, A/B testing proves to be an ideal option. Instead of having to test the entire app, you can quickly test only the desired web pages. This can help you save more time, money, and effort. Moreover, trying new and innovative ideas is easy with A/B testing.

• Improves User Engagement

One of the significant benefits of A/B testing for PWAs is that it helps in improving user engagement significantly. It allows you to quickly determine the preferences of your target audience in terms of color, layout design, and more. By understanding the user behavior and updating your web applications with the desired changes, you can easily take your app’s user experience to the next level.

• Increases Conversion Rates

A/B testing helps you in determining what works for web app and what doesn’t. It ultimately helps in keeping the visitors on your app for more time. This, in turn, reduces the bounce rate effectively and increases the conversions rates. With the increase in conversions, you are bound to generate greater profits.

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A/B Testing Tools

To simplify A/B testing results, choosing the right testing tool is essential. Some of the top tools are Google Analytics, Optimizely, VWO, Crazy Egg, MockingFish, and Kissmetrics.

If you want a user-friendly tool for optimum outcomes, Optimizely can be the best option for you. However, if you want cost-effective options, Crazy Egg and MockingFish can be considered. Google Analytics is also an effective complementary tool for performing the A/B testing. Each of these tools has its pros and cons.

Depending on the specific requirements of the A/B testing experiment and your core objectives, you can choose the relevant tool. Or you can hire PWA developers who are well versed in performing such experiments and help you select the right A/B testing tool.

Read More: Emerging Software Testing and Quality Assurance Trends to Watch Out For

Conclusion

The demand for progressive web application development services is likely to increase owing to the benefits it offers to the users. This means companies are incentivized to perform A/B testing on their apps. It also empowers the companies to choose the best app version, which is more likely to provide better user engagement and conversion rates.