Artificial intelligence (AI) has a quickly expanding range of applications, from facilitating drug discovery to providing more information about the food we eat. Evolv Technologies has introduced a unique application of AI: testing various digital experiences for potential customers simultaneously.
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| Nicole Junkermann |
Based in San Francisco, Evolv has rapidly expanded its range of services and reach. Last year, the company raised $10 million in series A funding with the round led by Horizons Ventures and additionally acquired Sentient Ascend, which developed from Sentient Technologies. Evolv used this funding to expand the Ascend platform and adapt it to the changing needs of its clients.
Through the Ascend platform, Evolv provides a Software-as-a-Service tool for testing multiple versions of a web page at a single time. Through AI and machine learning, companies can identify the elements from each iteration that most consistently convert viewers. Clients simply select the pages they want to optimize and then define a goal.
A
web-based editor makes it easy to alter the copy, design, visuals, and interactive
elements clients would like to test. Then, the Evolv platform isolates and
extracts these differences and produces a series of iterations that can test
the various elements. Each iteration accounts for changes in audience
demographics to provide the most reliable feedback to companies and help them
achieve optimized websites in a streamlined way.
Understanding How the Evolv Platform Works
The Evolv platform uses AI algorithms developed for biological applications. These algorithms are evolutionary and evaluate performance by generating a large number of possible solutions and then selecting and merging a small subset of them into new webpages. With this approach, tens of thousands of potential designs can be represented through a few dozen iterations that are then tested in weeks rather than months.
For Evolv customers, it is recommended that at least 1,000 conversions are secured during deployment of the platform for optimal insight on performance. With an average baseline conversion rate of about 2 percent, that means companies need to engage about 50,000 users to make the most of the insights.
The true value of the Evolv platform is that it automates the entire experimentation process and accelerates the journey toward a high-performing website while saving significantly on resource costs. Importantly, the platform works with both websites and mobile apps, so companies can undertake experimentation on a scope never before possible.
Moreover,
the solution requires only a few lines of code for integration and was designed
to integrate seamlessly with existing analytics suites like Google Analytics.
Evolv makes use of Amazon Web Services instances and the SoftLayer content
distribution network. With the support of these services, the loading time for
web page variations is limited to 100 milliseconds. Also, clients can easily
access a dashboard that shows which iterations had the best results.
Introducing New Features to Continue Meeting Client Needs
Evolv continues to refine its products to provide clients with the best experience. Recently, the company introduced Evolv Manager, which is an updated application that builds upon the Ascend Classic platform. The new platform introduces a number of features to make it as easy as possible for clients to test websites.
For example, individuals can now preview combinations directly in Web Editor to see what different approaches will look like once rendered on the actual website. Also, individuals can obtain a URL from Web Editor that can then be used in any browser to ensure that the site is rendering as intended across different programs and platforms. In addition, it is possible to preview screenshots of different projects, which is very helpful for determining how those projects are performing over time.
Another new tool introduced in the novel Evolv platform is the ability to pause experiments at the click of a button. This safety feature makes it possible to quickly put a stop on any experiment that is found to be broken or buggy. The feature includes cache invalidation as necessary to protect the image of the brand.
Sometimes, companies need to try novel things in their experiments, and these approaches do not always produce the desired results. As a result, businesses may be hesitant to take risks because of the chance of failure. However, this tool allows companies to hit the brakes immediately if any issue arises, which makes risk-taking less dangerous. With this feature, individuals can be more confident in their experimentation, even if they are thinking outside-the-box.
The Evolv Manager platform also introduced roles so that people throughout an organization can have different access to experiments. Roles makes it easier to share work while enforcing proper boundaries. Through the platform, organizations can enable read-only access for stakeholders, or allow them to edit and publish experiments.
Managers
have the ability to edit and can also mark an environment as protected. This
means that only designated people have access to it, which can add an extra
level of security to riskier experiments. An admin has access to all
environments within the system and can also change the permissions of all other
users.
