From web development to tools for writing better copy, here is an essential collection of sites and applications for designing, building, troubleshooting, and logging experiments on the web. I have chosen not to include the testing software itself. Instead, these are tools and software you can use to help support your testing activities, regardless of how you do it.
Troubleshooting Tools:
1. Firebug
Firebug is an extension for the Firefox web browser which helps you design and debug CSS rules, HTML and javascript. It lets you make edits to a page that is live on the web (although you cannot save them.) This means you can try things out in Firebug, seeing how they will look on your site. When you are ready, just cut and paste the edited HTML into your testing application.
In addition, if you are seeing layout problems, these same capabilities may be helpful in figuring out the problem.
The web developer toolbar is another essential Firefox extension. It contains many of the same capabilities as Firefox, but has a useful option to “View Generated Source.” This works just like the regular “view source” except it will show the source code of the page after it has been rendered- which may be different than the “actual” source if a test is running.
3. FireCookie
Firecookie is an add on for Firebug, that makes it easy to view, edit, and delete cookies. In addition, cookie activity shows up in the Firebug console.
This is another Firefox extension for editing and deleting cookies on your system.
The Vendor Detector is a Greasemonkey script for firefox that will show you which (if any) vendor a given website is using for testing on their site. It works well at detecting Google optimizer, but is unable to determine the variable location of tests run with some other tools.
Design Tools for Creating Test Options
1. Fireworks
Fireworks, from Adobe, is the perfect software for building alternate buttons, badges, and other assets for your tests. It includes many of the same capabilities as bigger brother Photoshop, but is optimized specifically for building website images.
2. Dreamweaver
You can use Dreamweaver to develop HTML layouts and snippets, then include them in your tests. It is tightly integrated with Fireworks, and using the two applications together you’ll be able to quickly develop complex HTML layouts.
3. CssEdit (Mac Only)
You will most likely want a visual tool for creating new style rules for existing web pages. Although there are many editors on the market, and Dreamweaver also does CSS, if you have a Mac you are in luck. CssEdit is, in my opinion, the best CSS editor out there. It works by allowing you to “override” the native styles of any web page, and edit them in a WYSIWYG environment with live updates on the actual site you are editing.
Copywriting Tools
When you are writing alternative sales copy for your site, you’ll definitely want to keep a thesaurus handy. Thesaurus.com lets you quickly find alternative words and ways to say things.
2. Digg.com
One of the best ways to learn copy writing is through example, and Digg is a literal treasure trove of good and bad examples. Often the most well written headlines help the story make it to Digg’s front page- and the lesser examples flounder in anonymity.
To get started, run some searches on Digg using your business niche as the search word. The results of your search will contain a wide selection of examples, which you can then order by number of Diggs received to find the best.
Tools for Planning and Keeping Track of your Tests
1. Microsoft Excel or Google Spreadsheets
Keeping good records of your testing activities is important, so you will want a spreadsheet. Both Excel and Google Spreadsheets will meet your needs here. Google Spreadsheets is great because it’s online, but is still buggy in places. For mass acceptance, Excel is the way to go.
2. Fleck
We have convered Fleck in the past, and it continues to be a useful tool for unobtrusively annotating web pages and test designs. It is particularly useful if you need to send some ideas to a client or partner, and want to be able to share it via a URL (say through IM).
What did we miss?
Is your favorite resource missing from this list? Why not add it in the comments below, and we may do a following on post covering your suggestions!
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These are great tools for putting together page variations.
Testing the correct landing page for best conversions is best when you have the analytics data to back up the results.
Great Post!