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Evaluate New Feed-Ranking Algorithm with A/B Testing

Last updated: Mar 29, 2026

Quick Overview

This question evaluates understanding of experimental design, hypothesis framing, statistical power and minimal detectable effect estimation, experiment diagnostics (such as sample-ratio mismatch and data loss), and causal inference methods for clustered rollouts, situated in the analytics & experimentation domain for data science roles.

  • medium
  • Pinterest
  • Analytics & Experimentation
  • Data Scientist

Evaluate New Feed-Ranking Algorithm with A/B Testing

Company: Pinterest

Role: Data Scientist

Category: Analytics & Experimentation

Difficulty: medium

Interview Round: Onsite

##### Scenario A social-media company wants to evaluate a new feed-ranking algorithm intended to increase daily active minutes. ##### Question a) Formulate the A/B test hypothesis (null and alternative) and select primary and guardrail metrics. b) Determine the minimal detectable effect and required sample size for 95% power, two-tailed α = 0.05. c) After launch, the product dashboard shows a time-series chart of average active minutes by group. Describe what you look for to confirm experiment health (e.g., parallel pre-period, no data loss) and how you would interpret a sudden mid-test dip. d) Explain how you would establish causal inference if rollout is geography-based rather than randomized. ##### Hints Cover randomization, practical significance, and difference-in-differences when random assignment is impossible.

Quick Answer: This question evaluates understanding of experimental design, hypothesis framing, statistical power and minimal detectable effect estimation, experiment diagnostics (such as sample-ratio mismatch and data loss), and causal inference methods for clustered rollouts, situated in the analytics & experimentation domain for data science roles.

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Jul 12, 2025, 6:59 PM
Data Scientist
Onsite
Analytics & Experimentation
77
0

Experiment Design: New Feed-Ranking Algorithm and Daily Active Minutes

Scenario

A social-media platform plans to evaluate a new feed-ranking algorithm intended to increase daily active minutes (DAM) per user.

Assume you have historical data to estimate the baseline mean and standard deviation of DAM at the user-day level, and traffic is large enough to run a 50/50 split for at least one full weekly cycle.

Questions

(a) State the A/B test hypotheses (null and alternative). Choose an Overall Evaluation Criterion (primary metric) and appropriate guardrail metrics.

(b) Determine the minimal detectable effect (MDE) and the required per-group sample size for 95% power with a two-tailed test at α = 0.05. Show the formula and a small numeric example using reasonable assumptions from historical data.

(c) After launch, the dashboard shows a time series of average DAM by group. What checks would you perform to confirm experiment health (e.g., parallel pre-period, sample-ratio mismatch, data loss)? How would you diagnose and interpret a sudden mid-test dip?

(d) If rollout is geography-based (clusters) rather than randomized at the user level, explain how you would establish causal inference. Describe an analytic approach (e.g., difference-in-differences or synthetic control), key assumptions, and how you would validate them.

Hints

  • Discuss randomization, practical significance for choosing MDE, and difference-in-differences when random assignment is not feasible.

Solution

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