A sample is a portion of the larger population that you are researching.
There isn't one, “standard” sample size that applies to all primary research projects.
A sample size that is too large may present issues regarding time and money, while a sample size that is too small may invalidate your results.
Use your best judgment when determining your sample size.
For more information, see: Chapter 1 of The Handbook for Market Research for Life Sciences Companies.
Leveraging your network of friends and family is probably a safe option for starters.
You need to take precautions if you want to ask vulnerable populations to participate in your research. Vulnerable populations include: children, prisoners, pregnant women, cognitively impaired individuals, and students, employees, or faculty. To learn more, visit UCI Office of Research: Vulnerable Populations.
Customer discovery, or finding people to talk to, can be challenging. Be creative and leverage existing communities of people such as:
Professional/trade associations- access to a network of individuals in a particular industry.
Listservs - use these email lists to disseminate surveys to a large group or solicit interview subjects.
Social media networks (e.g., LinkedIn, Facebook Groups) - find people with a particular type of role/job or a shared interest relevant to your research.
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