Design an A/B test for a search ranking change
Last updated: November 20, 2025
Quick Overview
Design an experiment to test the impact of a redesigned homepage. Include sample size calculation, metrics, and analysis plan.
Airbnb
November 20, 2025100
6
3,196 solved
Design an experiment to test the impact of a redesigned homepage. Include sample size calculation, metrics, and analysis plan.
Statistics questions at Airbnb test your ability to reason quantitatively and design rigorous experiments. This Onsite question evaluates your understanding of statistical inference and its application to business decisions.
What the Interviewer Expects
- Set up the problem formally with proper notation
- Apply the correct statistical test with clear justification
- Interpret results with appropriate caveats and confidence levels
- Discuss practical significance vs statistical significance
- Identify potential confounders and how to address them
Key Topics to Cover
How to Approach This
- Define your hypotheses (H0 and H1) clearly before performing any test.
- Calculate required sample size BEFORE running an experiment, using power analysis.
- Remember the Central Limit Theorem: sample means become approximately normal with large n.
- Watch for Simpson's paradox. Always segment data by key dimensions.
- Distinguish between statistical significance and practical significance.
Possible Follow-up Questions
- What alternative statistical method could you use here?
- How would you explain this result to a non-technical audience?
- How would you handle multiple comparisons?
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Browse Statistics QuestionsSample Answer
Problem Formulation
To evaluate the impact of the redesigned homepage on user engagement, we can set up an A/B test. Let represent the control group (current homepage) and represent the treatment group (r...
Solution Approach
- Sample Size Calculation: We need to determine the sample size required to detect a statistically significant difference between the two groups. Using the formula for sample size in A/B tests: ...
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