I'm one of those guys that changes pads often in a detail.
The more paint you are removing, the more that debris loads up in the pad and affects its performance (for the worse), so yes, when compounding, I change out pads more often than when doing final polishing.
Add to this the longer you use the pad before switching it out, the more heat builds up in the pad and this also causes problems because polishes will tend to dry out and cause dusting, and may cause separation issues with the velcro backing, or actual pad failure.
So by switching out to a fresh pad often, it puts less strain on each pad meaning they will last longer, and delivers better results in the process
Some people may purchase lesser quantities and a pad washer, and 'cycle' the pads but I prefer to just be able to reach for a clean and completely dry pad after every 4 sections [fresh pad for section 1, clean on fly, do section 2, clean on fly, do section 3, clean on fly, do section 4 and retire pad].
To use say a VW golf 5/6/7 sized car as an example I'd probably use the following for the initial cutting
Hood 2x6.5" hybrids, 2x5" hybrids
Roof x 2x6.5" hybrids, 2x5" hybrids
Front fenders 1x5" hybrid
Front bumper 1x5" hybrid (or maybe even a smaller pad)
Rear fenders 1x5" hybrid
Rear bumper 1x5" hybrid (or maybe even a smaller pad)
Bootlid 1x5" hybrid
Doors 2x6.5" hybrids, 2x5" hybrids
B-pillars + tail lights 2x5" hybrids
Then where I'd do say 4 sections with a pad before switching it out when cutting, I'd do 6 sections with final polishing, and for applying LSP's you can generally get away with one. I don't do a lot of AIO type details so don't know what 'typical' for me would be, but as you generally use an AIO more 'wet' than a normal polish I'd imagine you'd still need to change fairly often or you'd get a very 'soggy' pad...?
Of course there will be many other approaches adopted by many other detailers... the above is just mine.
