Factorial Design Builder
Overview
The Factorial Design Builder helps you plan and visualize factorial experiments with 2-4 factors. Design full or fractional factorial experiments, visualize the design matrix showing all treatment combinations, calculate required runs, and estimate statistical power for detecting main effects and interactions. Perfect for industrial experiments, agricultural trials, and any study examining multiple factors simultaneously.
Tips
- Start with a 2-level factorial design (2^k) as it’s most efficient for screening experiments
- Full factorial designs give complete information but grow exponentially - a 2^5 design requires 32 runs
- Use fractional factorial designs when you have many factors but limited resources
- Interactions are often more important than main effects - don’t ignore them in your analysis
- Replicate your design to estimate experimental error and increase power
- Randomize the run order to protect against time-related confounding
- For 3+ factors, consider which interactions are scientifically plausible before running the experiment
- Power analysis helps justify sample size to reviewers and funders
- The design matrix is your roadmap - verify it carefully before data collection