CSC 360

Ethics for involving human participants in user research

Unless observing public behavior without interaction and without recording, user research should be conducted with the following considerations:

• Informed consent
• Minimal risk
• Minimal deception (generally not needed)
• Participant may withdraw at any time
• Participant's data is kept confidential
• Participant may withdraw his or her data from the study or test

The informed consent process should provide the following information:

• Purpose of the study
• What the participants will be doing
• That the participant may withdraw at any time
• How the results (and possible recording) will be used and how the participant's data will remain confidential
• That the participant may decide that his or her results will not be used

Issues for discussion

• Documenting consent
• Difference between anonymous and confidential data
• Ways of ensuring informed consent