Is there a privacy concern here? No, because the scope of data that is collected is clearly defined – the data collected by testing tools is far less detailed than that collected by click stream tools or transactional data.

Is there a user experience/user sentiment concern here? Possibly.  Although user experience varies widely by platform and site customization features, by the very nature of a test, certain visitors are getting a sub-optimal experience.  Should informing site visitors of the use of these tools, or even the fact that they are participating as a panelist in an experiment, be part of a policy of transparency and potentially cut off any negative sentiments created by the testing?

This all leads to my question:

Do you explicitly inform your sites’ visitors of any A/B or multivariate tests/tools that are deployed on your sites?
	No.
	Yes, we cover all testing generically in our TOS/Privacy Policy.
	Yes, we mention specific tools and/or tests in our TOS/Privacy Policy.
	Yes, pages that are part of test treatments inform visitors to the existence and nature of the test.
Web Polls

I’d love to hear about any specific experiences related to testing and disclosure in the comments!

If you are the type to eat quietly at your desk, why not spend your lunch listening to two Web Analytics gurus discuss testing?

The other day, I found a great podcast that Bryan Eisenberg produced with Avinash Kaushik that was created in support of Bryan’s book: Always Be Testing: The Complete Guide to Google Website Optimizer.  Their discussion focuses on the importance of testing and the usage of Google’s testing platform, Google Website Optimizer.  There is really some great stuff in there from two people that are passionate about testing.

This podcast, recorded on September 11, 2008, is available on Avinash’s web site from the Videos, Podcasts, and Media Mentions page.  The podcast is 24 minutes long.

Download the podcast here (5 MB).