Closing the test

Eventually, we will finish accepting participants and collecting data. This may be when we get enough participants, run out of time, or (as often happens) a combination of both.

We may close the test manually, or we may have configured the testing tool to close it automatically according to a rule. See Setting closing rules in Chapter 8 for more on on these options.

Once the test is closed, there are a few housekeeping items to attend to:

• We take down our web ads on all the sites we posted them to.

• If we posted an explanation page and linked to it from other channels such as email or social media, we replace its text with a simple “Thank you but this study is closed” message.

• If anyone who received an email invitation belatedly clicks the test link, the testing tool should display its own “study closed” message (but best to try it yourself to make sure).

• If we arranged a prize draw, we pick the lucky winner(s) and notify them. For more on this, see Offering incentives in Chapter 9.

Finally, after all our work setting up the study, and the participants each doing their best to find the right answers in our tree, we can now sit down, look at the data, and see how well the tree performed. The next chapter explains how to make sense of those results.

Next: Chapter 11 - key points