The Pareto principle states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.
Takeaways
- Inputs and outputs are often not evenly distributed.
- A large group may contain only a few meaningful contributors to the desired outcome.
- Focus the majority of effort on the areas that will bring the largest benefits to the most users.
Origins
Its origins stem back to Vilfredo Pareto, an economist who noticed 80% of Italy’s land was owned by 20% of the population. Though it might seem vague, the 80/20 way of thinking can provide insightful and endlessly applicable analysis of lopsided systems, including user experience strategy.