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Do you have permission for that? How to write an easy-to-understand informed consent form, plus the template we use at User Interviews.
Lizzy Burnam
True consent is informed, freely given, and able to be withdrawn.
Letting research participants know what kind of study theyâre about to participate in, how youâll use their data, and how to leave the study if they choose, helps to ensure that your studies are safe, legal, and ethical.
Obtaining (and documenting) participant consent is an important prerequisite for good user research, and should be collected with an informed consent form.Â
I know, I know. Paperwork is the least glamorous component of any research studyâbut this one is absolutely essential.Â
Below youâll find everything you need to know to nail your next consent form, including:
Hereâs a research consent form template created by our VP of User Research (and User Research Yearbook Class of â22 member), Roberta Dombrowski. This template was created specifically for moderated research studies, but can easily be adapted for unmoderated studies as well.Â
*Note: You probably know this but⌠Iâm not a lawyer, and User Interviews is not here to provide legal advice. The first thing you should do when creating an informed consent form (well, second thing, after reading this article) is to consult your legal team.
Informed consent formsâsometimes also referred to as âresearch participation agreementsââare documents that explain the details of your study, including what data youâll collect, why you need it, and the rights of participants. These forms should be distributed, reviewed, and signed by participants before you can move forward with the research.Â
Consent forms are beneficial because they:
In most cases where research involves human beings, consent forms are required by lawâespecially, for example, when doing clinical research or research with minors. However, most researchers consider them a non-negotiable component of an ethical research process regardless.Â
Plus, asking for consent and offering transparency around the research process can help you build trust with your participants, demonstrating to them that you actually care about their experience.Â
Nope! NDAs protect confidential company information and you don't always need them. Informed consent protects the participant and you always need them.
You canât really consent to something if you donât understand it. If your consent agreement uses industry jargon, legalese, or otherwise hard-to-comprehend language, youâve missed the point.
A good participant consent form is a deceptively simple document that deserves careful drafting, editing, and review. Here are a few things to keep in mind.Â
User Interviews is the fastest, easiest way to recruit and manage participants for any kind of research. Get insights from any niche within our pool of over 1 million participants through Recruit or build and manage your own panel with Research Hub, the first CRM built for researchers, with unparalleled customization, security, and scale.Â
If youâre doing research with User Interviews, you can use our Document Signing add-on feature to collect consent forms from both external participants and customer panels. Weâll send you a copy of the signed document before the session, so you can spend less time worrying about the logistics, and more time focusing on the research itself.Â
Content Marketing Manager
Marketer, writer, poet. Lizzy likes hiking, people-watching, thrift shopping, learning and sharing ideas. Her happiest memory is sitting on the shore of Lake Champlain in the summer of 2020, eating a clementine.
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