Why Multi-armed Bandit algorithms are superior to A/B testing (with Math)

Re:Why Multi-armed Bandit algorithms are superior to A/B tes... by raverbashing on Sunday June 03, 2012 @09:57AM (#4060736)

What, now it's indirect argument over HN?

Dear UX specialists with no knowledge of statistics: you can use the MAB algo with 2 choices, no problem. And it is a better way of getting 'the right choice'.

Dear statisticians: there's more to life (and to UX) than A/Bing (or MABing) everything

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Why Multi-armed Bandit algorithms are superior to A/B tes... by dwc on Sunday June 03, 2012 @01:32PM (#4061274)

> What, now it's indirect argument over HN?

This has obviously been standard procedure for a while now. I see this on almost a daily basis. Afraid your comment on a HN thread won't get enough traction? Make a blog post instead, meant expressly for submission to HN (or reddit, or ...)

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Why Multi-armed Bandit algorithms are superior to A/B tes... by btilly on Sunday June 03, 2012 @02:26PM (#4061438)

Dear random internet poster. This argument has happened several times already on this site. I recommend reading previous discussion at http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4052997 and http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4040022 before being sure that this blog is obviously the final say.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Why Multi-armed Bandit algorithms are superior to A/B tes... by _delirium on Sunday June 03, 2012 @12:57PM (#4061191)

I don't think most statisticians need to be taught the latter. This particular narrow slice of statistical methodology is dominant in certain areas of advertising, web design, and UX, but it's not as if it completely dominates the field of statistics, or the toolbox of most statisticians.

[ Parent | on HN ]