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A dependent variable is a measurable result of interest in an experiment. In a typical experiment, an independent variable is changed to measure the impact on dependent variables. Other variables that aren't of interest to your experiment that can influence results are known as extraneous variables. Efforts are made to control extraneous variables to prevent them from influencing results. The following are illustrative examples of a dependent variable.
HealthA health outcome such as the prevalence of a disease. In this case, an independent variable may be a harmful substance, a healthy food or a medicine.SafetySafety related outcomes such as the results of a crash test on a vehicle. An example of an independent variable in this scenario is a design variation such as different materials used in key structures.Energy ConsumptionThe energy consumption of a building, facility, infrastructure component, machine or product. For example, testing different data center configurations to reduce the power required to cool racks.
EcosystemsOutcomes in an ecosystem such as the population of an endangered species. This would typically be a natural experiment based on independent variables that are a threat to the species.Material PropertiesMaterial properties such as the amount of sound absorbed by a foam pad. Here the independent variable might be the formulation or structure of the foam.ChoiceConsumer choice such as a taste test whereby consumers choose a product variation they prefer.
Marketing experiments are often designed to improve conversion rate. This is defined as the percentage of visitors who complete a goal. Experiments to test improvements to products, services or customer experience are often measured with customer satisfaction as the dependent variable. For example, a hotel may experiment with two different models of interior design for its rooms to gauge customer satisfaction with their stay.
Experiments with business processes, practices and facilities are often measured in terms of efficiency. For example, an experimental change to a production line may be measured in terms of unit cost as the dependent variable.|
| Type | | | Definition (1) | A measurable result of interest in an experiment. | | Definition (2) | A variable that is predicted to change with changes to independent variables in an experiment. | | Related Concepts | |
Experiments
This is the complete list of articles we have written about experiments.
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