The 80/20 rule, also described as the Pareto Principle, is an assertion that 80% of outcomes stem from 20% of the effort. Put, it’s about creating the most impact and influence with the minimum amount of work. This can be applied to productivity and time management, economics, finance, psychology, and almost any industry. To find the 20%, you may rely on methods like usability testing and analytics.
What are examples of the 80/20 rule in UX?
1. 80% of your conversion rate success results from improving only 20% of your most important pages
2. 80% of your users only like, or use, 20% of your product’s features
3. 80% of your users’ attention is spent on 20% of your website
4. 80% of users have repetitive complaints about 20% of the errors
5. 20% of users generate 80% of the revenue
What are the benefits of the 80/20 rule?
When it comes to your team and product decisions, following the 80/20 rule will likely bring better awareness of your most frequently used features, an evaluation of what needs improvement or what could be removed, an uncovering of blind spots, and more decisiveness when it comes to priorities. This is especially useful if you’re working with limited headcount or a smaller budget.
What are the misconceptions of the 80/20 rule?
Keep in mind that the 80/20 rule isn’t a mathematical formula and isn’t set in stone. The numbers 80 and 20 will vary depending on the circ*mstance. For you, what could make more sense would be 90/10 or 70/30. Additionally, the units don’t have to add up to 100%. Another misconception is that if the top 20% of causes get priority, then it’s okay for the remaining 80% to be neglected.
