so we meet again...
Jim, this one is a little Sublime :) I don't practice Santeria, I ain't got no crystal ball; but failure is the best teacher of all!
Sometimes, I don't know how I stumble upon these things but this was a good afternoon of reading and thinking (read as "work avoidance"). What is this thing? From the website (emphasis mine):
The Experimentation Platform enables product groups at Microsoft and later on will enable developers using Windows Live to innovate using controlled experiments with live users. The platform enables testing new ideas quickly using the best-known scientific method for establishing causality between a feature and its effects: randomized experimental design. The basic methodology in controlled experiments is to expose a percentage of users to a new treatment, measure the effect on metrics of interest, and run statistical tests to determine whether the differences are statistically significant, thus establishing causality. ... The platform encourages faster launches, which will in turn result in faster failures of bad ideas and better understanding of good ideas.
The Experimentation Platform enables product groups at Microsoft and later on will enable developers using Windows Live to innovate using controlled experiments with live users. The platform enables testing new ideas quickly using the best-known scientific method for establishing causality between a feature and its effects: randomized experimental design. The basic methodology in controlled experiments is to expose a percentage of users to a new treatment, measure the effect on metrics of interest, and run statistical tests to determine whether the differences are statistically significant, thus establishing causality.
...
The platform encourages faster launches, which will in turn result in faster failures of bad ideas and better understanding of good ideas.
Wow! Visit the site and read gems like this:
Our experience indicates that significant learning and return-on-investment (ROI) are seen when development teams listen to their customers, not to the Highest Paid Person’s Opinion (HiPPO).
http://exp-platform.com/hippo.aspx
So, what are you doing? Experimenting enough? I like the notion of fast failure, reminds me of the Bill Buxton interview on Channel 9.
P.S. Before I forget, they're looking for folks.