When releasing your digital product onto the market, it's both an exciting and terrifying experience. Whether you've created a mobile app or another type of software product, seeing it in the hands of real users is the ultimate achievement. However, simply building a wonderful product isn't enough to ensure its long-term success. Over time, you'll inevitably want to make changes and updates to your app.

But how can you be sure you're making the right changes? That's where A/B testing comes in – a marketing and product development strategy that compares two extremely similar versions of a product to see which one performs better. The two versions, known as control and variant, must only differ by one element. Otherwise, while examining the data, you wouldn't be able to tell which adjustment had which impact.

In this article, we'll explore how to conduct an A/B test on an Android (Kotlin) application using ConfigCat's feature flag management system and Amplitude – two powerful tools that can help you make data-driven decisions about your app's development.

What is A/B Testing?

A/B testing involves creating two versions of a screen and releasing both to users. The control, as the name implies, is frequently the current version of the program, whereas the variant is the modification we wish to implement. By comparing the performance of these two versions, you can determine which one resonates better with your users.

The Sample App

For this tutorial, we'll work on a very simple page to see which button text performs better. Users of "my AwesomeApp" can listen to music, read books, and watch movies. A premium subscription exists, but few users browse the subscription information page. So, I've decided that showing the subscription fee ($4.99) could encourage my customers to learn more about the premium plan. Because I'm not sure if it will drive growth, I've decided to A/B test my concept.

Prerequisites

Initializing the App

First things first, open Android Studio and create an Empty Activity using Kotlin and Gradle. Then, paste the following code into activity_main.xml:

`xml

android:id="@+id/myButton"

android:text="Subscribe to Premium!"

.../>

`

As you can see, this is a simple page with some premium plan details and a call to action for the user to subscribe now. This is the button we will run our A/B test on.

Now, heading to MainActivity.kt, we need to add a listener for when the button is clicked in the onCreate() function.

`kotlin

val myButton: Button = findViewById(R.id.myButton)

myButton.setOnClickListener {

println("Button Pressed")

}

`

By now, if you run your app, you should get a message in the console every time you press the button.

Connecting to ConfigCat

It's time to create a feature flag and connect it to our button. If you're not familiar with feature flags, I suggest reading this tutorial or checking out the ConfigCat Blog to learn more about how to use them on different platforms.

If you haven't already, head over to ConfigCat, create a free account, login and navigate to the dashboard. Here you can create your new feature flag and set its value. While you're here, take a second to locate your SDK key, which you can find in the upper right corner of your screen, as you'll be needing it in just a moment.

Then, go back to Android Studio and add the Kotlin SDK dependency in your build.gradle file. Don't forget to re-sync your gradle afterward.

`groovy

implementation 'com.configcat:configcat-android-client:8.+'

`

In MainActivity.kt, import the library and create the ConfigCat client using your unique SDK key, which you've located in the previous step.

`kotlin

import com.configcat.ConfigCatClient

class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity() {

var client = ConfigCatClient.get("YOUR-SDK-KEY")

override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {

...

val priceShown = client.getValue(Boolean::class.java, "priceShown", false)

System.out.println("priceShown's value from ConfigCat: " + priceShown);

...

}

}

`

Now, you've not only made a feature flag, but you've also linked it to the button text. This is just the beginning of your A/B testing journey – and with Swift app development, you can unlock even more powerful insights about your users' behavior.

Conclusion

In this article, we explored how to conduct an A/B test on an Android (Kotlin) application using ConfigCat's feature flag management system and Amplitude. By following these steps, you can create a simple page with two button text options and use ConfigCat to manage the feature flag. With this knowledge, you're one step closer to unlocking the secrets of your users' behavior – and making data-driven decisions about your app's development.

Target Keyword: Swift app development