World Inclusion Day: 7 tips for conducting inclusive research

Today is World Inclusion Day 2023! It’s a day to come together in celebration for individuals of all races, genders, groups and abilities in the hope of creating a more compassionate society where all feel included.

For the User Research industry (UR), it’s an opportunity to reflect on our progress and set industry goals to strive for more inclusive research for future.

At People for Research (PFR), we believe that inclusion in research is an essential practice. It goes beyond just having a mix of participants sharing their feedback with you. Instead, it is the foundation of research done well.

And while there are no set rules for when it comes to conducting inclusive research, we’ve come up with a list of things for you to consider when embarking on research of your own to help make your study as open as possible.

🔤 Language 

As with any information, the way something is delivered can have a significant impact on the way something is received – and the same goes with the language used in your research. Approach a topic the wrong way and you could end up misrepresenting your participants and hinder the validity of your insights.

Sarah Freitag, the Director of User Experience at Openfield describes this perfectly in her blog on inclusion in research. Here, she talks about the use of ‘asset’ and ‘deficit-based language.’ The latter – and the one to avoid – highlights an issue without considering its context.

In user research, an example of this ‘would be describing someone as “homeless,” instead of “someone experiencing homelessness,”‘ she writes. The former holds the person accountable for their situation, rather than any extenuating circumstances – the cost-of-living, housing shortages – that might have forced the individual into this position in the first place.

By adopting more asset-based language, you help mitigate any risk of alienating your participants or limiting your responses.

❓Avoid jargon

Every industry, company and even team have their own lingo, but it’s important to consider that many of the participants you’re looking to recruit for your study might not be familiar with the terminologies that you are accustomed to using.

Even if you’re targeting a specific pool of individuals or profile, for example, engineers with experience working with ‘CI’ or ‘CD tools,’ (the industry terms for continuous delivery or deployment tools), it is important that you spell it out for any applicants filling out your questionnaire. Avoid acronyms and make sure that your questions are as clear and cogent for those answering them as possible.

📂 Keep your questions open

While you may have an idea of the type of individuals or groups you want to target for your research, be it a range of ages or a specific mix of ethnicities, it is important that you leave it to the participants to describe their tribe.

Avoid terms like ‘BAME’ and ‘other’ as options when it comes to questions about ethnicity, as for many individuals, this can be extremely limiting. Instead, use open text box questions where possible or provide ample options to give applicants more autonomy over their answers.

More often than not, demographic-based questions are not as simple as a one option answer. By giving participants the opportunity to self-describe in more detail, you will help make your research questions more inclusive and participant insights, more genuine

🚀 Accessibility

When it comes to usability testing, for example, of a new product or website, it is vital that you ensure that your product can be used by everyone. If you are conducting research online, be forward thinking about the digital gap. Not everyone will have the same abilities when it comes to using everyday technology.

Similarly, when hosting questionnaires online, it is important that you use specific question formatting to make your forms readable across all tech platforms and devices. Avoid using drop-downs as these questions are not compatible with screen readers, which are often used by those with disability or access needs! For more information, check out this blog about making research more accessible!

A short while ago, we asked our Accessibility Collective about their thoughts and experiences when it comes to navigating the online world in the context of participating in user research. The resounding answers? Make text bigger and simpler with clearer layouts and contrasting backgrounds. Simple enough right?

By incorporating these elements into your online forms, not only will this help make your questionnaire more readable and usable for all individuals, particularly for those with visual impairments, but in turn, help ensure more honest responses.

💡 Be transparent

Conduct your research process with the participant in mind. If you are recruiting for a project with disabled participants, consider offering in-home research sessions rather than asking participants to travel to your offices. If this isn’t possible, you could offer to cover any travel expenses that participants will make on their way to the research.

The same goes for your sessions. Make sure you offer a range of set-ups for participants to choose from, allowing them to take part by phone, video call or in-person and refrain from making any last-minute changes without the participants’ agreement.

If you’re planning on working with a user recruitment specialist like PFR to help conduct your research, it is important that you be specific about your recruitment needs from the get-go. Inclusive research starts from the beginning of the recruitment process, so make sure you have a firm grasp of your objectives and the types of people you want to gain insights from, so we know how best to help you!

🧑🏻‍🤝‍🧑🏾 Demographics

Be deliberate in your criteria when selecting participants for your study. Think about population groups who would typically be left out from research and target them. Inclusion in research is about giving room to underrepresented groups so that their voices can be heard and their experiences go towards shaping a better approach to research in future.

🤸‍♀️ Go the extra mile

Go beyond just simply recruiting individuals for your study. Work with organisations that champion underrepresented groups and build partnerships for future work. Adapt your research to ensure their participation and that their insights are heard!

These are just some of the many steps you can take to help ensure more inclusive user research. If you are looking to conduct research of your own and need help or advice with your recruitment journey, why not get in touch or find out more about our accessibility recruitment services here.