In a world rife with cut-throat competition, many organisations utilize immoral and unethical practices to usurp competition.
However, when it comes to user research, not maintaining a moral compass while interacting with users or observing their actions might lead to misinterpretation and poor insights that do not serve your purpose. Therefore, you must be highly responsible and understanding while conducting user research.
Ethical Considerations for User Researchers
- Ensure that no harm is done to the participants through your research
- Understand that your clients and teammates have rights
- Honour what the client feels is important (to share)
- Protect the respondents’ personally identifiable information (PII) and protected health information (PHI)
- Make everything as easy and efficient as possible for the respondents
- Respect people’s time
As researchers and PMs, you must make your users feel comfortable in sharing their insights about your product or idea. As mentioned above, this will help you unearth useful insights and provide clarity on the user’s psyche.