PIE Framework In A Nutshell

The PIE framework is an idea prioritization tool used in A/B testing. The PIE framework was created by WiderFunnel founder Chris Goward to help businesses identify which idea they should test first. The framework is one of several prioritization frameworks, but it is most associated with A/B testing to monitor conversion rates on websites.

Aspect	Explanation
Concept Overview	– The PIE Framework is a strategic model used by businesses and organizations to evaluate and enhance their overall market position and competitiveness. It consists of three key components: Performance, Image, and Exposure. By assessing and optimizing these elements, companies can better understand their strengths and weaknesses, make informed decisions, and improve their market positioning. The PIE Framework provides a comprehensive view of an organization’s market dynamics.
Key Components	– The PIE Framework consists of the following three components: – Performance: This aspect focuses on how well an organization delivers on its core functions, products, or services. It includes factors like product quality, efficiency, customer satisfaction, and operational effectiveness. – Image: Image refers to the perception and reputation of the organization among its target audience and stakeholders. It encompasses branding, customer trust, corporate values, and how the organization is perceived in the market. – Exposure: Exposure relates to the visibility and reach of the organization in the marketplace. It involves factors like marketing efforts, market presence, and the ability to capture the attention of the target audience through various channels.
Applications	– The PIE Framework has various applications in strategic planning and management: – Market Analysis: Organizations use the framework to analyze their position within the market compared to competitors and identify areas for improvement. – Strategic Planning: It informs strategic decision-making by highlighting which aspects (Performance, Image, or Exposure) require attention or investment. – Reputation Management: The Image component helps in managing and enhancing the organization’s reputation, trustworthiness, and credibility. – Marketing Strategy: Exposure considerations guide marketing strategies to increase brand visibility and engage with the target audience effectively. – Performance Improvement: Organizations can identify performance gaps and work on improving product quality, customer service, and operational efficiency.
Benefits	– Employing the PIE Framework offers several advantages: – Holistic Assessment: It provides a holistic view of an organization’s market position, ensuring a balanced focus on performance, image, and exposure. – Data-Driven Decision-Making: The framework encourages data-driven decision-making by quantifying and assessing key metrics within each component. – Competitive Advantage: Optimizing Performance, Image, and Exposure can lead to a competitive advantage in the marketplace. – Risk Mitigation: Identifying weaknesses in any of the three components allows organizations to mitigate risks and challenges proactively. – Alignment: The framework aligns various departments and functions within an organization toward common objectives.
Measurement	– Measuring Performance, Image, and Exposure involves key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics specific to each component: – Performance: Metrics may include customer satisfaction scores, product defect rates, delivery times, and cost-efficiency ratios. – Image: Image can be assessed through surveys, brand recognition studies, online reputation analysis, and stakeholder feedback. – Exposure: Exposure is quantified using metrics such as website traffic, social media engagement, marketing ROI, and market share.
Challenges	– Challenges in using the PIE Framework include the need for accurate data collection and analysis, potential biases in perception studies, and the dynamic nature of market conditions that require ongoing monitoring and adjustments. Additionally, organizations may face resource constraints when trying to improve all three components simultaneously.

Table of Contents

Understanding the PIE framework

The business must understand where to focus its time and effort because it cannot test every idea at the same time.

In other words, the PIE framework helps key decision-makers determine which website features should be tested now and which can be tested at a later juncture.

Without a proper prioritization framework in place, businesses become overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices and suffer from analysis paralysis.

What’s more, they may end up focusing their efforts in the wrong areas which leads to significant opportunity costs.

The three components of the PIE framework

The PIE framework considers three factors that make up the PIE acronym: potential, importance, and ease.

When moving through the framework, the business can score each factor in a matrix according to how significant the impact of a proposed change may be. A scale of 1 to 5 or 1 to 10 is commonly used.

Let’s now take a look at each of three factors:

P is for Potential

How much improvement can be made on a page as a result of a specific idea?

Here, the worst-performing pages should be given a higher score since they have the most room for improvement.

Consider customer data, web analytics data, and heuristic analysis of user scenarios.

I is for Importance

How important is the page? Does it receive a high volume of traffic? Will the change impact a visitor’s ability to complete a transaction?

Note that some of the worst-performing pages identified in the previous section may be a low priority because they receive comparatively little traffic, so score accordingly.

Web analytics can help identify important pages such as landing pages with high bounce rates. It’s also helpful to consider the financial cost of bringing visitors to a page.

Indeed, pages with high-cost traffic sources are more important because conversion improvements have the potential to deliver a better return on investment.

E is for Ease

How complex is the task, project, or idea? In other words, how easily will it be completed and how long will it take?

Barriers to implementation include technical, organizational, or even political issues.

Tasks deemed as easier to implement should be given a higher score.

To determine which tasks should be prioritized, add the scores for each factor and divide by three to get the PIE value.

For example, a task with a score of 7 for potential, 8 for importance, and 5 for ease receives a PIE value of 6.67.

Examples of PIE Framework in A/B Testing

E-commerce Website Optimization: An e-commerce company wants to improve its product pages to increase conversions. Using the PIE framework, they analyze potential changes such as adding customer reviews, optimizing product images, and simplifying the checkout process. The team assigns scores based on potential improvements, the importance of each page (e.g., high-traffic vs. low-traffic pages), and the ease of implementation. Based on the PIE values, they decide to prioritize optimizing the high-traffic product pages with the most potential for improvement.
Lead Generation Website: A B2B lead generation company aims to optimize its lead generation form to increase the number of qualified leads. They use the PIE framework to evaluate potential changes, such as reducing the number of form fields, adding trust badges, and improving the form’s usability. The team assigns scores based on potential improvements in lead generation, the importance of the lead generation form in the conversion funnel, and the ease of making changes to the form. Based on the PIE values, they prioritize implementing the changes that offer the highest potential for increasing qualified leads.
Mobile App User Onboarding: A mobile app company wants to improve user onboarding to reduce user drop-off during the registration process. They use the PIE framework to assess potential changes, such as simplifying the registration form, providing interactive tutorials, and offering incentives for completing registration. The team assigns scores based on the potential impact on user retention, the importance of user onboarding in the app’s success, and the ease of implementing each change. Based on the PIE values, they prioritize implementing the changes that offer the highest potential for improving user retention during onboarding.
Subscription-Based Service: A subscription-based service wants to increase user engagement and reduce churn on its platform. Using the PIE framework, they evaluate potential changes, such as personalized content recommendations, gamification elements, and a more intuitive user interface. The team assigns scores based on potential improvements in user engagement and retention, the importance of the platform’s key features, and the ease of implementing each change. Based on the PIE values, they prioritize implementing the changes that offer the highest potential for increasing user engagement and reducing churn.
Content Publishing Website: A content publishing website aims to optimize its article pages to increase reader engagement and ad revenue. They use the PIE framework to assess potential changes, such as adding related articles, improving page load speed, and optimizing ad placements. The team assigns scores based on potential improvements in page views and ad revenue, the importance of article pages in driving website traffic, and the ease of implementing each change. Based on the PIE values, they prioritize implementing the changes that offer the highest potential for increasing page views and ad revenue.
Software as a Service (SaaS) Platform: A SaaS platform wants to improve user onboarding and reduce customer churn. Using the PIE framework, they evaluate potential changes, such as simplifying the setup process, offering interactive tutorials, and providing personalized onboarding assistance. The team assigns scores based on potential improvements in user activation and retention, the importance of onboarding in the customer journey, and the ease of implementing each change. Based on the PIE values, they prioritize implementing the changes that offer the highest potential for improving user activation and reducing churn.
Online Course Platform: An online course platform aims to optimize its course landing pages to increase course enrollment. They use the PIE framework to assess potential changes, such as improving course descriptions, adding student testimonials, and optimizing the enrollment process. The team assigns scores based on potential improvements in course enrollment, the importance of course landing pages in driving conversions, and the ease of making changes to the landing pages. Based on the PIE values, they prioritize implementing the changes that offer the highest potential for increasing course enrollment.
Subscription Box Service: A subscription box service wants to improve its website’s checkout process to reduce cart abandonment. Using the PIE framework, they evaluate potential changes, such as simplifying the checkout form, offering guest checkout options, and providing clear shipping information. The team assigns scores based on potential improvements in checkout conversion rates, the importance of a smooth checkout process in driving subscriptions, and the ease of implementing each change. Based on the PIE values, they prioritize implementing the changes that offer the highest potential for increasing checkout conversions and reducing cart abandonment.

Key takeaways

The PIE framework is an idea prioritization tool used in A/B website or page testing.
The PIE framework helps businesses assign resources to initiatives with the most potential to positively impact their bottom line.
The PIE framework is an acronym of three factors: potential, importance, and ease. Decision-makers must assign weighted scores to each factor and then sum each score to determine task priority.

Key Highlights

Definition: The PIE framework is an idea prioritization tool used in A/B testing, specifically in website optimization. It helps businesses determine which ideas to test first and allocate resources effectively.
Purpose: The framework assists businesses in focusing their efforts on the most impactful changes to their website, avoiding analysis paralysis and optimizing resource allocation.
Components of the PIE Framework:
- Potential (P): Measures the potential improvement that can be achieved through a specific idea. Pages with more room for improvement receive higher scores.
- Importance (I): Evaluates the importance of the page, considering factors like traffic volume and impact on visitor actions.
- Ease (E): Gauges the complexity and effort required to implement the idea, including technical, organizational, and political barriers.
Prioritization Process:
- Decision-makers assign scores to each factor using a scale (e.g., 1 to 5 or 1 to 10) for proposed changes.
- The scores for potential, importance, and ease are summed and then divided by three to calculate the PIE value for each idea.
- Higher PIE values indicate higher priority for testing and implementation.
Examples of PIE Framework Implementation:
- E-commerce Website Optimization: Prioritizing changes for high-traffic product pages.
- Lead Generation Website: Focusing on improving the most critical parts of the conversion funnel.
- Mobile App User Onboarding: Enhancing the user experience during app registration.
- Subscription-Based Service: Increasing engagement and reducing churn on a platform.
- Content Publishing Website: Optimizing article pages to enhance reader engagement and revenue.
- Software as a Service (SaaS) Platform: Improving user onboarding to reduce churn.
- Online Course Platform: Enhancing course landing pages to boost enrollment.
- Subscription Box Service: Improving the checkout process to reduce cart abandonment.