In this episode, Carol and Erin dive into all things research sample sizes with Lauren Stern. No matter your experience with user research, you'll need to recruit folks, making this an evergreen topic. Lauren has coached both new-to-research and junior UXRs on this critical topic and she shares some of her best advice.
Lauren shares importance considerations and nuances around different types of studies and even analysis approaches. She also unpacks her approach for international samples, the impact of drop-off rates, and participant compensation strategies.
Going beyond sample sizes, we conclude with a discussion of how to better engage with stakeholders when advocating sample sizes, making these conversations about "how many to recruit" more informed. She also shares resources to use when making the case to stakeholders.
Episode Highlights
About Our Guest
Lauren Stern is a mixed-methods research leader focused on creating the most human-centered technology possible. Over the last ten years her work has explored how perception and social cognition shape our experiences with automated systems from military zones to living rooms. Whether exploring individual experiences in the field or looking at large-scale data collections, she loves the puzzle of study design and coaching new researchers through the process.
Resources on Sample Sizes
#146 - Building a UX Research Team From Scratch with Julian Della Mattia of the180
#145 - Kick-Start Creativity Using Desk Research with Victoria Sakal of Wonder
#143 - Harnessing AI For Better Insights with George Whitfield of MIT and FindOurView
#142 - Quantifying Research Impact with Ruby Pryor of Rex
#141 - The Chaos Theory of Event Networking with Bryan Dosono of eBay
#140 - Should You Leave Academia? Advice for Researchers with Joe Stubenrauch
#139 - Content Design and the Power of Simple Language with Erica Jorgensen
#138 - Designers as Change Agents with Maria Giudice
#137 - Practical Strategies to Foster Customer Obsession with Prayag Narula, CEO and Co-Founder of Marvin
#136 - Designing Generative AI at Notion with Linus Lee
#135 - How to Influence Stakeholders with Strategic Research with Andrea Amorós, Associate Principal Researcher at ADP
#134 - The End of an Era: A Fond Farewell to JH
#133 - Driving Actionable Decisions from Insights with Pejman Mirza-Babaei, UX Research Consultant
#132 - Unveiling UX Insights with Competitive Research with Rachel Miles, Research Lead at IBM
#131 - Designing Beyond the Product: Systems Thinking with Sheryl Cababa, Chief Strategy Officer at Substantial
#130 - The Art of Great Facilitation for Better Collaboration with Marsha Acker, Founder and CEO of TeamCatapult
#129 - How to Upskill Product Teams in UX Research with Helen Devine, UX Research Manager at The Economist
#128 - The Value of “Scrappy” Research with Varun Murugesan, Co-Founder of Apple and Banana
#127 - The Power of Failure with Kevin Kelly, Publisher and Founding Editor of Wired
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