I applied this new framework and all the knowledge gained directly to my client work.
Nicola Rubino
Tell us something about yourself and what you are currently working on.
I’m a Growth Marketer with over 10 years of experience across industries, currently freelancing for tech startups and marketing agencies. I combine marketing with data science to turn ad spend into predictable, measurable growth.
As part of my Postgraduate Programme in Design Thinking at UCC (completed in 2022), I developed an Action Design Research project focused on creating a new experimentation framework. The main goal was to identify a better way to run experiments. The work combined user research, academic literature review, and user research to explore growth experimentation holistically.
Before you learned about GrowthMentor, how did you deal with the challenges you faced?
I distributed questionnaires, studied best practices on A/B testing, data analysis, YouTube videos, and prioritization frameworks available on Google Scholar and books. However, I soon realized that engaging with experienced professionals was essential to truly understand the topic and gain actionable insights and the user’s pain point.
What ultimately compelled you to sign up to GrowthMentor?
I needed an effective way to connect with the right user personas, as well as experienced professionals, to validate ideas at different stages of my experimentation framework (artefact). GrowthMentor gave me the flexibility to schedule mentorship sessions that aligned with the different phases of the design sprints methodology, helping me iterate based on expert feedback.
What’s your favorite thing about GrowthMentor?
I could show the artefact and get tailored feedback when I needed it most, which was incredibly helpful for evolving my experimentation framework efficiently. Also, I could also learn more about the topic, gaining more skills in general.
What topics have you mostly discussed with mentors?
- Data sources and analytics tools used in experimentation
- Customer Data Platforms and infrastructure
- Cohort analysis and retention strategies
- A/B testing methodologies and tools
- Frameworks for prioritizing ideas (e.g., P.I.E. and I.C.E.)
Is there a specific session/mentor that stands out in your mind as super helpful?
Each session was a journey of exploration. However, the session with Kuba Nowak was particularly impactful. We covered foundational differences between qualitative and quantitative data, explored tools like Amplitude for cohort analysis, discussed Customer Data Platforms for data orchestration, and reviewed tools like the A/B Test Size Calculator by CXL to determine test validity. We also compared frameworks like P.I.E. and I.C.E., and talked about their pros and cons due to subjectivity. Kuba’s expertise and friendly, technical approach made the session incredibly valuable.
He also recommended the book Trustworthy Online Controlled Experiments by Ron Kohavi et al., which I found to be a great A/B testing resource with real-world examples from companies like Microsoft and Airbnb.
Based on the things you’ve discussed in calls, do you have any results to tell us about?
I updated my experimentation framework based on Kuba’s feedback, making it more visual, simplified, and tailored to different business models. I also developed a more data-driven mindset by mapping customer journeys and focusing on user retention through cohort analysis. One important takeaway was that not all companies need a Customer Data Platform, a reminder that the right infrastructure depends on the size and needs of the business.
How has GrowthMentor helped you?
GrowthMentor played a key role in helping me improve as a professional. This project helped me to validate and iterate on my experimentation framework. It gave me fast access to expert-level insights that I couldn’t get from academic research or user surveys alone. Personally and professionally, the platform has accelerated my learning and helped me translate theory into practice.
At the end of the Postgraduate Programme, I applied this new framework and all the knowledge gained directly to my client work.
What three adjectives would you use to describe GrowthMentor?
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