Insights & Analysis

✨What is the significance of informed consent?

Your guide to getting the very basics of user research right.

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“Designing products with real people in mind helps us make sure that technology integrates our lives in a human way. It’s a voice of reason, arguing that products and technology can support and even enrich our fundamental humanity.” 

- Leah Buley, Senior Director of Consumer Insights and User Research at Lovevery. 

This quote succinctly encapsulates what I’ve come to love the most about user research - it always puts people first in the pursuit of creating meaningful, human-centric experiences. 

Research participants create the foundation for thoughtful user research and I firmly believe that the key to conducting effective research is building a relationship based on trust and open dialogue. 

The first step towards cultivating that trust is being completely transparent and receiving informed consent from our participants. Consent is a vital cornerstone for any research endeavour, and its importance is not limited to ethical or legal compliance measures.

What is informed consent? 

In simple terms, informed consent is the voluntary and explicit agreement provided by a respondent, after receiving clear and comprehensive information about the purpose, procedures, potential risks, and benefits of participating in a study. It’s also crucial to inform participants about how research results will ultimately be used, who they will be shared with, and how much (if any) personal information will be collected and shared with other parties. 

The top priority for any researcher worth their salt is respecting participants’ autonomy and protecting their rights at every stage of the study, and informed consent allows you to make sure that you’re doing just that.

Consent comes in many forms; it may be written, verbal, or simply implied, depending on the type of work that you’re trying to do. Regardless of the form it takes, consent is a big step towards ensuring transparency, which ultimately builds credibility and leads to trust among all research stakeholders.

Why does consent matter? 

  1. It ensures that participants are safe and comfortable

Receiving consent from research participants enables them to draw boundaries, ask questions, and express any and all concerns that they may have. This is a crucial process as it can also allow you to identify and mitigate potential risks associated with your study, and design it in such a way that the participant comes first. This creates an environment of honesty and trust, which allows participants to feel completely at ease while participating in your big research project. 

  1. It leads to more honest insights 

By telling your participants exactly what is expected of them, guaranteeing anonymity, and guaranteeing that there will be no nasty surprises coming their way all go a long way towards ensuring that you get more accurate and honest responses from them. Creating an atmosphere wherein respondents can be 100% open about their thoughts, feelings, and experiences, not only makes them feel comfortable, it also helps you parse more accurate, higher quality, and richer user data. It’s a win-win! 

  1. It helps you build long-term relationships

Establishing trust and transparency with participants, and creating a fulfilling research experience for them, creates potential for a long-term collaborative relationship. By receiving their consent, you are explicitly prioritising participant comfort. People who feel like they were well taken care of are far more likely to come back and take part in your future research endeavours, empowering you to create a research community of your own. 

Here is an example of what a consent script might look like: 

While the ethical (and often legal) standards of research that mandate participant consent are reason enough on their own, unearthing richer insights and building a research network are like the cherry on top, bonus perks that you get for doing the right thing, and for doing it the right way. So good luck out there, and remember that consent is key! 

Cover Photo by cottonbro studio

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SPOTLIGHT
Insights from the most recent consumer transcript added to our database
Last question, which apps on your smartphone do you think you can’t live without?
In my life there are different priorities currently...usually my social media is very active , but since I am thinking about my career right now, I’ve turned off my notifications... I like Facebook, Instagram, and a bit of Whatsapp...for shopping I use Myntra, Flipkart, Amazon, Meesho...in games, there is a game called Beach war, and Pubg of course...I joined Facebook in 2012, but 2013 is when I started coming on more actively. Facebook has news feed...what is happening around us...those things, pages that tell you what all is happening...I look at those.
Can you take me through your schooling and college experience a little in-depth?
If I talk about my study schedule as to how I was, I was in another school till class 3 in a Hindi medium school (Adarsh Shiksha Niketan school), I was not at all into studying - wouldn’t study at all. Then, in 2006 my father enrolled me in an English medium school....there were exams in every term... I came first in all three terms. Everyone supported me a lot... my father, my teachers...because to change from a Hindi medium school to an English was a very hard thing to do. I really struggled...I did a lot of labour work, as i became a success...my confidence level rose as well. In 11th and 12th, there wasn’t an option for English medium school, so I had to enrol in a Hindi medium school, and took English coaching on the side, studied and gave my exam I got 66 percent  .  Then there was an option for B.Sc (Bachelors in Science), but I knew I wouldn’t understand much of it... so its better if I do BCA (Bachelors in Computer Applications). I did 3 years of college for BCA...I did a lot of coding which I really liked, so I came back and I did but there were some parts of coding which I didn’t want to do...so in the 2 years I realised that it wasn’t for me. After completing 2 years of it, I wanted to get into teaching which is why I did Diploma in education Elementary education. I decided that I don’t want to teach in a private school, I want to teach in a government college for unprivileged kids. Either I am able to do this or turn to having my own start-up.
What else do you get up to online?
I love watching web-series and movies, so when any new movie or web-series comes, I first read about the what the movie is based on then I watch the movie. For example , there is a movie or a web-series , I search the name on google and it shows the cast, the story...so I read the whole thing. Then I get to know and understand what the motto is to make the movie. If I like what I read only then I go and watch it. Also no matter how good the start is or the story , If I don’t vibe with it in the beginning...then I don’t vibe with the movie as a whole. ...have you always done this, or just with movies and web-series ? I have started doing this for 3 years and at first I would watch movies through the day, but then work would come to me out of the blue therefore there would be distractions... so my system is that If you ever watch a movie , watch it with full dedication and only then would you have fun. ...so after that do you download it, or do you watch it online on a platform?  I watch online if it is available... the rest I haven’t gotten the subscription. The thing is that I’m a student right now, can’t afford to spend, I have to save up. When you start earning only then I can think to spend... I don’t have the money right now , when i do have it then i will surely do it, when I earn well.
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