Marketing Test Method Selection Worksheet
Choose interviews, usability observation, controlled comparisons or descriptive analysis based on the question and evidence available.
When to use this template
Use this when a team calls every change an A/B test or expects a few interviews to establish a conversion uplift.
Choose another approach when: You want to choose a method solely because its name sounds rigorous, conduct sensitive experiments without appropriate review, or avoid uncertainty by relabeling weak evidence.
Gather these inputs
- A precise decision and the uncertainty behind it.
- Available participants, traffic, instrumentation and access.
- A realistic statement of what each candidate method can establish.
Copy and adapt the template
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Worked example
Illustrative example, not a Crany customer result. Replace every example detail with facts you can verify.
A fictional founder asks why visitors misunderstand beta access. Relevant reader observation is a suitable first investigation because the uncertainty concerns comprehension. An A/B test could later assess an appropriately measured behavioral effect if traffic and design support it. If the question is which channel sent observed requests last week, a defined acquisition report is more relevant than an interview alone. The worksheet avoids ranking methods universally; it selects the method by the claim the team wants the evidence to support.
How to use it
- Write the question and the conclusion you hope to support.
- Compare methods against that question and the available conditions.
- Choose a feasible method and state what its result will not establish.
Check before using it
- Qualitative learning is not presented as a causal uplift estimate.
- A before/after trend is not called a randomized experiment.
- Method constraints and permissions are considered before collection.
What to measure
Review whether the resulting evidence answers the original question and changes the decision. Choosing an appropriate method reduces overclaiming but does not guarantee a decisive result.
Research and sources
The references separately describe interviews, realistic task tests and controlled comparisons. This original selection worksheet synthesizes those distinctions without claiming one method is always superior.
- Yale: User Interview Example Questions — checked 2026-10-23. Interview structure, current tasks, past experience, alternative workflows and discovery paths.
- NN/g: Turn User Goals into Task Scenarios for Usability Testing — checked 2026-10-23. Realistic actionable user tasks without interface clues for qualitative usability observation.
- GOV.UK: A/B testing, comparative studies — checked 2026-10-23. Control/variation comparisons, random allocation and sample/planning needs; the article’s application context is digital health, not software-marketing performance claims.
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