A Brief History Of The Magic Number 5 In Usability Testing
By Jeff Sauro, PhD . July 21, 2010 . Tags: Five, Sample Size
Wondering about the origins of the sample size controversy in the usability profession? Here is an annotated timeline of the major events and papers which continue to shape this topic. The Pre-Cambrian Era (Up to 1982) It's the dawn of Usability Evaluation and the first indications of diminishing returns in problem discovery are emerging. 1981: Alphonse Chapanis and colleagues suggest that observing about five to