{"id":318,"date":"2016-08-23T22:30:39","date_gmt":"2016-08-23T22:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/measuringu.com\/samplesize-start\/"},"modified":"2021-01-28T06:30:15","modified_gmt":"2021-01-28T06:30:15","slug":"samplesize-start","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/measuringu.com\/samplesize-start\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting Started Finding the Right Sample Size"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>Most methods in UX<\/a> rely on collecting data (behavioral and attitudinal<\/a>) from a sample of participants. <\/p>\n

But knowing how many participants you should use is not a simple question. <\/p>\n

What’s particularly difficult about learning how to compute the right sample size for a study is that books and articles can get overly technical; it’s hard to know whether the advice is relevant to an applied research setting. In general, it can be hard to know where to start. <\/p>\n

Here are five steps to help you start computing the right sample size for your study.<\/p>\n

1. The Sample Size Matters<\/h2>\n

The sample size you use for your research does matter. You may hear people dismiss the whole question of what sample size you need as irrelevant. It is very relevant. This is an unfortunate consequence where I believe people get confusing and conflicting advice. <\/p>\n

When you can’t measure all your users, you have to deal with the very real consequences of sampling error<\/a>. The number of participants you test has an impact on how generalizable your findings are. This applies to both qualitative<\/a> and quantitative research<\/a> as well as generative and evaluative research.<\/p>\n

2. One Size Does NOT Fit All<\/h2>\n

There’s not a one-size-fits-all answer. The sample size you need is not always 5, 30, 100, or 1,000. <\/p>\n

Instead, the sample size you need depends on the goals and type of study. In general, most UX research falls into one of three study types, each with a different sample size computation.<\/p>\n