Data Prototypes
The Visual Statistics Studio designs, textbooks, guides, and manuals are conceptualized around the method of smallest possible data sets. The key methods of the general linear model are as follows
| Method | Minimum Set of Variables | Minimum n | Limiting Conditions | Data Prototypes |
| Descriptive Statistics | X | 2 | Data, Univariate Prototypes | |
| Correlation | X Y | 3 | For n equal to 2 r is either -1 or +1 | Data, Bivariate Prototypes |
| Regression | X1 Y | 3 | For n equal to 2 R equals 1 | Data, Bivariate Prototypes |
| Multiple Regression | X1 X2 Y | 4 | For n equal to number of variables R equals 1 | Data, Multivariate Prototypes |
| Canonical Analysis | X1 X2 Y1 Y2 | 5 | For n equal to number of variables rho equals 1 | Data, Multivariate Prototypes |
Thus the minimum n for data sets of the general linear model is 5 with the basic data prototype X [1 2 3 4 5] and variations of the numbers 1 2 3 4 5 as [3 1 2 4 5], [2 3 1 5 4], etc. All basic data prototypes have mean equal to 3 and true variance equal to 2. Data prototypes for specific methods of the general linear model are located under the Designs menu and on the (Project, Open Project Files) menu. Data for distributions and function are stored under the Arguments menu.