UX Sampling: Convenience vs. Probability
Convenience sampling is fast and cheap—ask whoever is easy to reach. Probability sampling is rigorous—ask a random slice of your population. Use convenience for quick usability tests, but probability for high-stakes decisions.
Convenience sampling recruits participants based on easy access—it's fast and cheap. Probability sampling is more rigorous, giving every user in your target population a known, random chance of being selected. Use convenience for finding major usability issues quickly. For high-stakes findings you must generalize with confidence, probability sampling is essential to ensure your sample truly represents the broader population. The biggest footgun: thinking quotas (e.g., 5 users per age group) make a convenience sample random.
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