Variable Lists

Variable Lists

What are Variable Lists?

Variable lists contain the actual values that get substituted into your templates. They’re the foundation of systematic testing - each list represents one dimension you want to vary.

Creating Lists

Simple Lists

Basic text values, one per line:

Names List:

Alice Johnson
Michael Chen
Keisha Williams
José Rodriguez
Priyanka Patel

Universities List:

Harvard University
State University
Community College
Elite Private Academy

How Lists Work

With template: Rate candidate {{name}} from {{university}}

Auditomatic creates every combination:

  • Alice Johnson from Harvard University
  • Alice Johnson from State University
  • Alice Johnson from Community College
  • Michael Chen from Harvard University
  • And so on…

Total prompts: 5 names × 4 universities = 20 combinations

List Strategy

Bias Testing Lists

Intersectional Names (built-in):

  • Chad Anderson (white male)
  • Keisha Washington (Black female)
  • José Hernández (Latino male)
  • Priyanka Patel (South Asian female)

Socioeconomic Indicators:

  • Harvard, Yale, Princeton
  • State University, Public College
  • Community College, Trade School

Content Testing Lists

Demographics:

young professionals
working parents
college students
retirees
small business owners

Geographic Markets:

New York City
Rural Nebraska
Austin, Texas
Portland, Oregon
Miami, Florida

List Size Guidelines

Small Tests (Under 100 prompts)

  • 5-10 values per list
  • 2-3 variables total
  • Good for initial exploration

Medium Tests (100-1000 prompts)

  • 10-20 values per list
  • 3-4 variables total
  • Standard bias testing

Large Tests (1000+ prompts)

  • 20+ values per list
  • 4+ variables total
  • Research-grade systematic studies

Built-in Lists

Auditomatic includes pre-made lists:

  • Intersectional Names: Diverse names with demographic attributes
  • US Cities: Major metropolitan areas
  • Academic Fields: University majors and departments
  • Global Cities: International locations
  • Common Names: Gender-neutral options

Import Options

Text Files

Upload .txt files with one value per line

CSV Files

Upload .csv files with headers:

name,gender,ethnicity
Alice Johnson,female,white
Michael Chen,male,Asian

Copy-Paste

Paste values directly into the interface

Testing Your Lists

Preview Combinations

Before running full tests:

  1. Select 2-3 values from each list
  2. Generate preview prompts
  3. Check if combinations make sense

Edge Cases

Include boundary values:

  • Very long/short names
  • Unusual spellings
  • Mixed case text
  • Special characters

List Management

Naming Convention

Use descriptive names:

  • ✅ diverse_professional_names
  • ✅ tier1_universities
  • ❌ list1, names

Organization

Group related lists:

  • Demographics: Names, ages, locations
  • Professional: Job titles, companies, industries
  • Academic: Universities, majors, GPAs

Reusability

Create modular lists that work across templates:

  • Base name list works for hiring, lending, admissions
  • University list works for resume screening, bias testing

Next Steps