Trigger experiments
From the app’s English Help & Guide · Reference release 1.0.27
What are experiments?
A structured way to compare what you recorded during defined phases. Tended summarises the observed difference, but the result cannot establish whether the tested item caused a change or whether the same result will happen again.
Two types of experiment
Elimination: compare a baseline with a period when a suspected factor is absent, then with a reintroduction phase.
Intervention: compare a baseline with a period when a new factor is present, followed by a washout phase. Do not start, stop, or change prescribed medication, supplements, restrictive diets, or treatment as an app experiment without appropriate professional advice.
What you can test
Foods, triggers, medications, supplements, activities, or anything custom. Pick what you’re testing, choose what outcome to measure (day rating, flare days, energy, or sleep quality), and optionally write a hypothesis.
Why do I need 30 days first?
Experiments compare your records during the test phase with your earlier baseline. Thirty logged days provide a minimum comparison period, so experiments unlock then, but that threshold does not make a result clinically reliable or establish cause.
How results work
Tended uses effect size (Hedges’ g) to summarise how much the recorded outcome differed between phases, with a 95% bootstrap confidence interval. Results are phrased as observations, such as “Sleep quality was higher during the magnesium phase.”
If adherence is below 70%, the result is marked inconclusive. Even with higher adherence, a personal tracking experiment cannot establish cause, safety, or clinical effectiveness.
Making the comparison easier to interpret
Where it is safe and appropriate, changing fewer unrelated things at once can make the comparison easier to interpret. Log adherence honestly so the summary reflects how closely your records match the planned phases. A longer phase adds observations but does not remove confounding factors or turn the result into medical evidence.
Doctor Mode
Completed experiments appear in Doctor Mode as one-line summaries. This gives your doctor a quick view of what you’ve tested and what you found, backed by your own data.
Important
This is not medical advice. Do not use an app experiment to start, stop, delay, or change medication, supplements, a restrictive diet, or treatment without appropriate professional advice. You can pause or stop any experiment at any time.