It was all very worthy stuff and I wasn't entirely sure either what they were doing or trying to achieve by this testing; the body of the content spent most of the time waxing lyrical about not having to touch they're underlying system platform. I guess this is a big deal for Netflix! Anyway as an avid Netflix user I believe I have witnessed their testing strategy firsthand but in a rather perplexing fashion. Below is a screengrab of what I'm talking about. Under documentaries recommendations I frequently see at least two listings of 'The Long Way Down'. These are for the same programm/episode etc but one is shown in some weird Instagram effect the second in a monochrome colour with a variation in image.
Now this is either a mistake or an entirely new way of a/b testing. I've never seen test variations (if that's what they are) presented side by side before. If this is a legitimate test is it not a rather crude means of promoting an episode to the end user? What is the end goal to see whether fans of Instagram filters opt for one creative over another? Is the 'Long Way Down' just such unmissable viewing entertainment that it warrants mentioning A LOT! Answers on a postcard. Happy testing : )
