Growth

ICE score calculator and growth experiment planner

By Charles Summers · Updated · Free, no signup

Short answer

This scores a growth experiment using the ICE framework (Impact, Confidence, Ease) and returns more than a number: a properly formed hypothesis, the minimum sample size question you need to answer before starting, a kill criterion, and where the test belongs in your sprint order. Confidence is weighted more heavily than the raw ICE average because low-confidence high-impact ideas are the most common way growth teams waste a quarter.

Use the growth experiment planner

What does this tool actually do?

This scores a growth experiment using the ICE framework (Impact, Confidence, Ease) and returns more than a number: a properly formed hypothesis, the minimum sample size question you need to answer before starting, a kill criterion, and where the test belongs in your sprint order. Confidence is weighted more heavily than the raw ICE average because low-confidence high-impact ideas are the most common way growth teams waste a quarter..

It runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to a server, no account is required, and there is no usage limit, because there is no cost per run to control.

What does the output look like?

This is the exact output the tool produces from the example inputs. It is generated by the same code that runs when you click the button, so what you see here is what you get.

EXPERIMENT Add social proof above the pricing table HYPOTHESIS We believe that add social proof above the pricing table will improve trial-to-paid conversion rate from a baseline of 4.2%. We will know we are right when trial-to-paid conversion rate moves and holds for two consecutive weeks. SCORES Impact 7/10 Confidence 5/10 Ease 9/10 ----------------------- ICE (mean) 7.0 Confidence-weighted 15.8 VERDICT: DE-RISK FIRST The score is inflated by optimism. Run a cheap validation (5 customer calls, a fake-door test, a survey) before committing build time. EVIDENCE CHECK Confidence at 5/10 is workable but thin. One customer conversation or one lookalike case study would firm this up cheaply. KILL CRITERION If trial-to-paid conversion rate has not moved measurably within 7 days, stop and write down why. Do not extend the test to find a result. BEFORE YOU START 1. How many users or sessions do you need for the result to mean anything? 2. What is the one number you will look at, and who checks it? 3. What will you do if it works? If there is no next step, the test is not worth running.

Frequently asked questions

How is the ICE score calculated?

The classic version is the mean of Impact, Confidence and Ease. This tool reports that, and also a confidence-weighted score that squares the confidence term. The reason is practical: a 10/2/10 idea and a 7/7/7 idea have nearly the same plain ICE score, but the first is a guess and the second is a plan. Weighting confidence separates them.

What is a good ICE score?

Scores are only meaningful relative to your other ideas, not against an absolute bar. A backlog where everything scores above 8 means the scoring is not honest yet. Expect a spread, and expect most ideas to land between 4 and 7.

Why does the output include a kill criterion?

Because the most expensive experiment is the one nobody ends. Deciding in advance what result would make you stop is the difference between a test and a preference. The tool proposes one based on your ease score, since cheap tests deserve shorter leashes.

Should low-ease experiments ever go first?

Only when the impact is high and confidence is genuinely high, which is rare. The sequencing note in the output tells you which bucket your idea falls into and what should be true before you commit engineering time to it.

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