Your example is not stats. A sample set of 6 is called anecdote. Turning it into a percentage is not stats. Their I'd no amount of boostrapping that will make it so either. If you are not using a statician fluent in regression analysis and using spss or SAS - then you cannot lay claim to doing quant. Numbers dont lie. People lie. People also ask the wrong questions and then interpret the answers the wrong way bases on assumptions, bias, ignorance or stupidity but properly done real quant done by qualified people is eminently useful. (IMHO)
will evans user experience architect [EMAIL PROTECTED] 617.281.1281 On Nov 27, 2007, at 8:46 PM, Katie Albers <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > At 6:10 PM -0700 11/27/07, Robert Hoekman, Jr. wrote: >>> Do you think analyzing data using tools like Omniture and >>> Coremetrics >>> should >>> fall under the user experience umbrella? >> >> >> Definitely falls under UX. So much can be learned about human >> behavior from >> stats, it's unreal. And stats don't lie, which is more than we can >> say about >> humans (even when these "lies" are unintentional). >> >> -r- > > Oh dear. Oh my. If you're consulting a statistician who can't make > any set of data say anything you want them to say then you should > find a better statistician. Of course statistics lie. Statistics > properly manipulated can tell you just about anything about anyone in > any situation. It's like the old joke about the difference between a > bookkeeper and an accountant: When you ask how much money you made > last year a bookkeeper will answer the question and the accountant > will ask you how much money you want to have made. > > Data don't have meaning without context and context is amazingly > flexible. To give just a few examples that leap to my mind whenever > someone says that statistics don't lie I cite the following: > > A study early in the co-education process of a previously all men's > college that said 1/3 of all women admitted had married faculty > members. Mind you there were only 6 women who'd been admitted and the > social life of the college was all frat based and they imported girls > for events, thank you very much. Both the male faculty in question > were also brand new PhDs. > > As we all know, 50% of all marriages end in divorce. Except that they > don't and they never have. One year in the early 60s a study was done > which noticed that in a particular year there would be 50% as many > divorces as marriages. You'll never find anyone (except me) who will > call your attention to the fact that those data are unrelated to the > conclusion. > > The point is not that the numbers are wrong, nor are they apparently > "false" but both of them are intended to elucidate the behavior of a > certain group of people under certain circumstances but tell us > absolutely nothing about human behavior except that in the US (at > least) we tend to believe things if there are numbers attached to it. > > There are a million examples...many much more pointed than > these...and books are constantly being written on the application and > misapplication of statistics, but the central fact remains: If you > want someone to believe what you're saying, find a number that seems > to support it. > > Katie > -- > > ---------------- > Katie Albers > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > ________________________________________________________________ > *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* > February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA > Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ > > ________________________________________________________________ > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! > To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe > List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines > List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help ________________________________________________________________ *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
