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What are the differences between formative evaluations and summative evaluations? At which stage in product development do you believe that evaluations should use controlled settings instead of natural settings? Why? +500 WORDS
Formative evaluations and summative evaluations are both types of evaluation utilized in product development, but they serve distinct purposes. Formative evaluation is used to monitor progress, identify areas of improvement, inform decision making and assist in quality control. It typically happens during the design process and involves testing prototypes with users to assess usability, user interfaces (UIs) and overall effectiveness of the product before it is released into a market or production environment. On the other hand, summative evaluation aims to measure the overall effectiveness of a product after its release into the market or production environment by assessing how well it meets customer needs and expectations. This type of evaluation usually occurs after implementation has taken place so that any changes needed can be made quickly.
Formative evaluations are meant to help identify potential problems during early stages of product development while summative evaluations measure how effectively solutions have been implemented at later stages of development in order to ensure that customer requirements are met as expected. Generally speaking, formative evaluations should use controlled setting instead natural settings whenever possible because controlled settings provide more accurate data for analysis due to having set variables which can be manipulated for greater insight about user experience (UX). Natural settings on the other hand involve real-world scenarios which may not be easily replicated nor offer consistent results due their uncontrollable nature thus making them less suitable for formative testing purposes compared to controlled environments where all conditions remain constant throughout testing sessions.
Moreover, formative evaluations should take place as soon as possible when developing products such as websites or software applications because this will give developers more time to incorporate feedback from testers at an earlier stage rather than waiting until closer towards completion when significant changes would become much harder if not impossible without affecting deadlines significantly due longer turnaround times caused by incorporating feedback received late in comparison with earlier phases thus delaying launch dates potentially even further . Moreover, using controlled settings allows testers or evaluators conducting formative tests make sure that nothing else interferes with results by introducing external factors such as heavy traffic on a website causing slow responses or unexpected behavior on mobile devices running different operating systems etc., none of which would occur under typical circumstances experienced by end users once launched thus providing improved accuracy when trying to analyze test results against predetermined goals already established before beginning tests given higher standards achieved through isolating respective components being tested amongst themselves through methods like A/B testing allowing comparisons between two versions based on specific criteria determined before starting any tests along with being able to instantly apply relevant changes necessary within shorter periods compared when using natural settings whilst eliminating possibilities such as visitors leaving webpages too soon before completing desired actions thereby increasing chances towards attaining better outcomes previously identified beforehand leading optimizations necessary for achieving success upon launch date instead embarking journey filled chaos uncalled surprises down road filled unknowns ahead because lack planning preparation prior launching henceforth importance conducting proper studies begin increase chances succeeding long run since many fail realize difference between prior during post-launch scenarios therefore highly recommended relying strictly research gather insights upcoming projects ensuring smooth sailing future releases otherwise ending up shipwrecked either way first second third time come around depending level knowledge understandings concerning differences each approach aforementioned types evaluating stand point big picture although always advised select best choices test plan accordingly evaluate successes failures afterwards revise strategies rectify errors issues arisen hopefully ending improved performance end result kudos