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Inclusive Research
Go beyond traditional user research with inclusive practices
What is user research?
User research is the cornerstone of informed decision-making for product teams, researchers and UX professionals. A deep understanding of the people impacted by your digital solutions is essential to help you determine your future direction.
Effective research helps understand market trends and opportunities, as well as customer and user needs and preferences. Research is required to design products and services that will gain traction, serve pressing needs, and solve real world problems. Seeing feedback from your users and key stakeholders brings benefits at all stages across the , from finding initial product market fit, to designing new features and testing new user experiences.
However, to truly unlock power of user research, an inclusive approach is essential.
This process may be called different things such as user research, market research, experience reseach, UX research or public engagement. The principles for inclusion that follow, apply to all forms of research that involve understanding people.
Why take an inclusive approach?
86% of of participants of the believe diversity, equity, and inclusion are vital considerations for experience research.
Inclusive user experience research goes beyond the conventional methods and looks to engage and understand diverse voices, perspectives, and experiences. By embracing inclusion, organisations can gain a more comprehensive understanding of their target audiences and create products and services that resonate with a wider range of customers. Inclusive research can lead to:
In this rapidly evolving world, taking an inclusive approach to market research is not just an option, it's a necessity for staying ahead of the curve and making a positive impact.
As the term "inclusive research" becomes increasingly popular, there is a risk of it being misused or diluted to simply appear socially responsible, without truly prioritising inclusivity and equity in research practices. Inclusive research is not a buzzword, but rather a genuine commitment to social responsibility and ethical research practices.
Primary and secondary research
Generally, market research can be categorised into two broad practices:
It is important to integrate insights from primary research with secondary sources to develop a more comprehensive and inclusive view of your target audience and market landscape.This section focusses on conducting primary research inclusively, as it provides more opportunities to amplify diverse voices.
Key Principles for Inclusive Research
In order to ensure you adopt an inclusive approach apply the following guiding principles to both your primary and secondary research practices:
In addition when engaging with participants directly to conduct primary research be sure to follow these ‘’.
Embedding inclusion at each stage of the research process
At each stage of the research process, there are a number of key considerations to ensure your research process is inclusive.
Click on the expandable triangles below to learn more about how to embed inclusion throughout the research lifecycle, and what can go wrong if you don’t take an inclusive approach.
Stage 1 - Research Design
This stage involves planning, clarifying your objectives and desired outcomes, and defining your approach, research assets and activities.
🤔 Defining your research goals
It is key to have a clear end goal for the research process and to define the key questions the research should answer. You should identify:
Further questions can help you refine the areas of focus for your research; for example:
Defining your research goals will help you embed diversity and avoid uncertainty and wasted time. Being intentional from the outset to consider diversity, equity and inclusion will ensure this is baked in, rather than an after thought. Jumping straight into stakeholder research processes without an end goal in mind will cause trouble down the line. Those involved may find the process confusing, and the task of analysing poorly guided discussions and data later on will be far more time consuming, if effective at all.
🗓️ Creating your research plan
When engaging with diverse participants to conduct research, up-front planning will help you maximise the value of your interactions. Stage one is about outlining a plan for all five stages. Be sure to consider the when creating your plan.
Remember: Failing to plan is planning to fail!
Stage 2 - Participant Recruitment
This stage involves recruiting participants to participate in your research. It involves outreach, selling the benefits of getting involved, building relationships and trust, and setting expectations about what will be involved.
👥 Who to recruit as research participants
Developing an inclusive research plan requires involving all parties with a stake in the process – both internal stakeholders and potential product or service users or other parties that might be impacted by your innovations. Key to inclusive research is diverse participation.
The research process must involve expertise from across your organisation. Whilst the product team may take the lead, the legal team may help ensure regulatory compliance when recruiting research participants, the marketing team may help with wording public-facing documents about the project, human resources with recruitment best practices, finance with budgeting, and so on. By asking who needs to be involved? you have the chance to identify potential partners throughout your organisation and coordinate the research process with them. The approach you take will of course depend on the size and make up of your organisation.
Potential product or service users will be the majority of research participants. Key to ensuring inclusivity in the research process will be seeking out diversity when identifying research participants.
Consider who your ideal participants would be and the range of characteristics you want to be represented within your participant group. Remember to consider intersectionality at this stage. For example a group of white, middle class, 40 year old cis gender, straight women will not represent the needs of all women.
Further questions can help you identify target participants; for example:
Careful consideration on who to invite to participate in your research will help you ensure your research gathers a wide range of inputs that are reflective of your target audience as well as engage appropriate support internally. It will also help you establish the expected number of research participants, which will be important when planning how best to engage your participants.
Not reflecting on who is to be involved – with an emphasis of inclusivity – risks hampering innovation, suppressing the voices of those who can most gain from your products and services, and developing products and services that cater to a powerful minority.
🤝 How to recruit diverse research participants
Recruiting diverse participants for market research requires a deliberate and thoughtful approach to ensure a representative sample that captures a wide range of perspectives and experiences. Here's how to effectively engage diverse participants and maximise the insights gained:
1. Diverse Outreach Channels:
Utilise a variety of communication channels to reach potential participants, such as emails, social media platforms, and even traditional methods like letters. By offering multiple modes of communication, you increase the likelihood of engaging a diverse range of individuals from different demographics.
2. Avoiding Personal Bias:
To ensure impartiality and unbiased research outcomes, refrain from inviting friends or family members of yourself or your colleagues to participate. This ensures that the recruited participants are unbiased and provide authentic insights.
3. Leveraging External Partners:
Consider collaborating with external partners, experts, or community organisations that have connections to specific groups you aim to reach. These partnerships can enhance your outreach efforts and enable you to engage participants who may be less accessible through traditional channels.
4. Inclusive Outreach Language:
Craft outreach messages using inclusive language that resonates with diverse audiences. This helps create a welcoming environment and demonstrates your commitment to valuing all perspectives.
5. Highlighting Benefits:
Clearly communicate the benefits of participation to potential respondents. Explain how their input will contribute to improve products and services, showing that their insights are valued and will have a direct impact.
6. Emphasise Diverse Viewpoints:
Express your intention to include a wide range of viewpoints and experiences in the research. This assurance can encourage individuals from different backgrounds to participate, knowing their voices will be heard and valued.
7. Accommodation Awareness:
Ask particpants if they require any special accoodations or suppoprt in order to participate effectively. This demonstrates your commitment to creating an inclusive and accessible research process.
8. Intentional Effort for Diversity:
Acknowledge that recruiting a diverse group of participants requires intentional effort. This may mean paying participants so that you’re financially inclusive and allowing more time. Without deliberate outreach, your research may only capture insights from your dominant customer profile, limiting the perspective and relevance of the findings.
By following these guidelines, you can ensure that your market research engages a diverse pool of participants, leading to richer insights and a more holistic understanding of your target audience's needs, preferences, and behaviours.
ℹ️ Creating participant information
A fundamental aspect of the research process is to engender trust with your research participants. This requires transparency and communication of essential information about the research process with your target participants.
Clear guidance as to the sort of data being collected, where it is stored and for how long, for example, will help not only demonstrate that you are trustworthy to participants, but also comply with the law. However, it goes beyond that – it's about making participants feel welcome, valued, and motivated to take part.
To ensure an inclusive approach here’s what to include in the information you share with your participants.
1. Cultivate a Welcoming Environment:
Make participants feel valued and welcomed by providing an introduction to your company and the research project. This not only contextualises the study but also humanises the process, fostering a sense of connection. Be explicit about welcoming diverse perspectives, accommodations you are able to make and how you intend to make the process inclusive for all.
2. Explain the Research Process:
Offer participants a clear understanding of the research process. Detail what they can expect – from interviews to follow-up communications – allowing them to prepare mentally and emotionally for their involvement. Empower your participants though the information you share with them for a more engaged and meaningful experience. Remember that someone who faces additional challenges in life may need a little extra support to participate.
3. Data Collection:
Start by creating a data collection plan. This is a formal document that outlines all aspects the data you intend to use, how they will be gathered, where they will be stored, for how long and under what conditions. Be fully transparent with your users on how you intend to use their data. This clarity not only demonstrates your trustworthiness but also helps participants understand the parameters of their involvement and data usage.
4. Compensation and follow-ups:
Provide clarity on compensation and any follow-up steps after participation. Reflect on how you'll recognise and appreciate all forms of input. This can be done through acknowledgments, credits, or even compensation. Particularly when engaging with marginalised participants, acknowledge the time and perspectives they are contributing and ensure they are compensated fairly for their insights and efforts. This ensures participants know what to expect and feel valued.
5. Informed consent and participant rights:
Obtain informed consent from participants. Clearly articulate their rights as participants and ensure they are fully aware of the potential risks, benefits, and implications of their involvement, allowing them to make an informed decision. Include a consent form to provide a space for participants to sign, signifying their informed consent to participate. Participants should have the right to refuse participation or withdraw from the research process at any time. Be mindful that in some circumstances written consent may put participants at risk and then verbal consent should be allowed. e.g. in an authoritarian state where participants may lack freedom of speech.
Ensuring the thoroughness of participant information is more than an ethical obligation; it's a pivotal factor in the quality and credibility of your research outcomes. Inadequate participant information can lead to misaligned expectations, data integrity issues, and even legal complications. By crafting participant information that is clear, comprehensive, and empathetic, you establish a foundation of trust and collaboration, which ultimately enriches the value of your research findings and their real-world impact.
Stage 3 - Inquiry & Observation
This stage involves asking questions, observing, gathering information, and exploring the perspectives, challenges and experiences of all participants.
🌟 Creating an engaging and inclusive participant experience
Engaging participants effectively is a cornerstone of successful research, shaping the quality and depth of insights you gain. Here's how to orchestrate an inclusive inquiry process that maximises participation and yields rich, diverse, authentic and meaningful insights:
1. Multiple Modes of Feedback:
Recognise that different people have different preferences for providing feedback. Offering various modes such as in-person sessions, online surveys, or focus groups allows participants to choose what suits them best. For instance, in-person sessions may foster rich discussions but might be challenging for some due to caring responsibilities or mobility constraints, while online surveys provide convenience but may lack the depth of qualitative insights. Additionally, consider providing the ability for anonymous feedback during live sessions to encourage more sensitive feedback to be shared.
2. Participatory research:
Consider how you can make research participants drivers, not recipients of design. A participatory approach strives to involve participants as equal partners, rather than passive respondents. Instead of predefining all the research activities, involve participants in co-creating the research agenda and some of the research activities or tasks. Seek their input on the topics or areas they consider important and would like to discuss or explore further. Offer opportunities for participants to ask questions and critique your thinking and designs.
By giving participants a voice in determining the focal areas, methods and activities used during the research, you can ensure that the process resonates with their needs and interests and ensure that their perspectives and priorities are adequately represented.
3. Expert facilitators:
Engage skilled facilitators who are experienced in creating inclusive spaces and avoiding bias. They can employ techniques like active listening, impartial moderation, and encouraging quieter voices, ensuring that all participants feel valued and heard. They can also frame the discussion in a neutral fashion to reduce bias and skewing of participant responses.
4. Fostering a welcoming and safe space:
Craft a welcoming atmosphere where participants feel comfortable sharing their perspectives. Encouraging a non-judgmental, open exchange of ideas promotes authentic insights. It is essential to build rapport with participants and reduce power dynamics so people feel meaningfully engaged. Consider factors such as timezones, refreshments choices and dress code to accommodate your participants. Create a clear code of conduct that emphasises respectful and inclusive interactions among all participants and staff. An explicit code sets the tone for a safe and open environment, encouraging diverse voices to be heard.
5. Consider neurodiversity and accessibility:
Ensure your research design is accessible and accommodating to neurodiverse participants and participants with disabilities. This is relevant for both survey design and interactions, whether they are virtual interviews or in-person sessions. See the for some tips.
6. Cultural sensitivity:
Be mindful of cultural differences in communication styles and norms. Create an environment where participants from various backgrounds feel respected and understood, ensuring that their contributions are encouraged and valued.
7. Creating space for less dominant voices:
Actively foster an environment that encourages input from voices that may be less dominant. Utilise inclusive facilitation techniques that ensure all participants have the opportunity to contribute. For example "Round Robin" discussions, give each participant an equal chance to speak before anyone speaks a second time. This ensures that quieter voices aren't drowned out, leading to more diverse perspectives being shared.
8. Observation:
Observation in user research provides valuable insights beyond direct questioning, shedding light on user behaviors and unspoken needs. This can occur in a staged research environment or through ethnographic fieldwork (on or offline). Observation helps identify patterns, usability issues, and emotional responses, essential for designing user-centric solutions. However, it's crucial to ensure this process is inclusive by considering accessibility concerns, cultural sensitivities, and the potential for bias in observation techniques, making certain that all user experiences are adequately represented and addressed in the research findings.
Failure to foster inclusivity may result skewed insights, or an inadequate understanding of the needs and preferences of minority or marginalised groups. Incomplete or biased data could lead to ill-informed decisions that fail to resonate with diverse audiences.
By addressing these key points, you'll create a participant experience that encourages authentic participation and maximises insights.
Stage 4 - Analysis
This stage involves analysing the information and data collected, and synthesising the insights and findings.
🔎 Conducting inclusive analysis
The analysis stage is the heart of your research, where raw data transforms into actionable insights. To ensure your analysis is inclusive, consider these key strategies to harness the diversity of your data and glean meaningful findings:
1. Break down data by different groups and segments:
Segment your data by various demographic factors such as age, gender, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. This approach helps unveil nuanced patterns and trends that might be obscured when viewing the data as a whole. Analysing these segments enables you to identify disparities and differences in experiences.
2. Challenge assumptions and hypotheses:
While analysing, critically examine the assumptions and hypotheses you held before the research. Determine if the insights support or challenge these assumptions, enabling you to adjust strategies accordingly. An inclusive approach involves openness to changing directions based on what the data reveals.
3. Uncover bias:
For example, be vigilant about confirmation bias, a tendency to interpret data in a way that aligns with preconceived notions. Actively seek out opposing viewpoints and data that might challenge your initial assumptions.
4. Reflect with participants:
Involve participants in the analysis and reflection process. Conduct co-analysis sessions where participants collaboratively interpret insights and contribute additional context. By sharing their perspectives, participants provide a deeper layer of understanding that can lead to more actionable and meaningful findings.
5. Prioritise minority voices:
Balancing insights from minority voices is crucial for innovation. Relying solely on the preferences of the majority or quantitative data can lead to missing out on unique perspectives that drive breakthrough ideas. Including underrepresented viewpoints ensures comprehensive insights, fostering innovation that resonates with diverse audiences and propels your organisation forward.
Neglecting diversity can lead to incomplete or biased findings, limiting your ability to innovate effectively. Inclusive analysis amplifies the potential of your research outcomes. By considering different groups, challenging assumptions, involving participants, and guarding against bias, you pave the way for insights that will guide your roadmap to cater to diverse audiences and create better solutions. Remember, prioritising only the majority can sideline critical minority voices, hindering innovation and progress.
Stage 5 - Action
This stage centres on translating research insights into tangible actions and implementing solutions that encapsulate the diverse perspectives and experiences of participants.
✅ Taking inclusive action
Ultimately, your research should lead to actionable insights. This final action stage involves actively engaging with the findings to drive change, making inclusive innovation a part of your organisation's DNA. Here's how to make the most of this crucial phase:
1. Commit and Execute:
Make commitments to develop new features, services or products that will create more equitable outcomes.
2. Transparency in Feedback:
Maintain an open line of communication with research participants and other stakeholders, ensuring they are kept in the loop about progress and manage their expectations effectively.
3. Sustain Momentum:
Despite competing priorities, ensure that inclusive initiatives remain a consistent focus rather than being overshadowed by other demands. Taking a holistic approach and and adopting inclusion as a strategic priority is essential, rather than determining priorities on a feature by feature basis.
4. Advocate for Minority Voices:
The natural flow of progress may not inherently favour minority voices. Their perspectives and needs will require dedicated advocacy to ensure they are considered and prioritised.
5. Regularly Assess and Reassess:
Regularly assess and reassess the changes, adaptations, or new features introduced to foster diversity, equity and inclusion. This ensures that your efforts stay aligned with your goals and continue to meet the evolving needs of your diverse audience.
Additional Resources
Best Practices for Inclusive LGBTQIA+ Research
The Hidden Costs of Deprioritizing Diversity in User Research
Digital Literacy: A Must For Inclusive Research
Guides for Conducting Research through an Anti-Racism Lens
The user researchers guide to data privacy regulations from User Interviews
Bridging the Research Gap: A Toolkit on Inclusive Research and Development Practices
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