Overview

To do user research, it is important to assess and understand the risks associated with that research topic and the individuals you will be engaging with. Some user groups may be vulnerable and/or particularly affected by the research topic. This means we need to understand the impacts research can have and design it in a way that makes sure we are considerate of the user group.

To ensure that a research participant understands the research and agrees to take part you must provide a consent form. This provides fundamental information regarding what will happen during the session, how Somerset Council handles data and individual questions to capture the participant’s consent.

We have created a Somerset Council-specific consent form which can be used as a template for your research. There will be sections that will need to be edited to make it specific to your research. Below is a breakdown of the amendable sections and what you will need to include:

Why are Somerset Council doing this research?

• Outline if the project is just Somerset Council or if there are other organisations involved
• Describe the project in one sentence and outline what it is trying to achieve

Why have you been invited to take part?

• Outline what makes them relevant to the research
  • For example – You have been invited to take part in this research because you are a Somerset resident who is over 65

Do I have to take part?

This section should not be changed.

What will happen if I take part in this research?

• Outline the plan for the research session. This should include:
  • Who will be facilitating the session
  • What platform will be used for example, Microsoft Teams
  • How long it will last
  • If there are going to be any additional people on the call
• Depending on the project, compensation may or may not be offered for the participant’s time. This needs to be clarified at this stage to ensure the participant understands.

Are there any potential risks in taking part?

• If you foresee any risks to participants, this should be outlined here. Typically, there will not be any risks to the individual however if talking about emotional issues then this may cause them stress and should be outlined here.

What happens to the data provided?

This section should not be changed.

Data Protection

This section should not be changed. Before each project, it is recommended you check with Information Governance in case anything has changed with the process and legislation.

Contact information

Include a contact name and email here for people to send any queries to.

Consent Questions

Within the consent form template, there are questions included which break down consent into different options. The first section of consent typically requires the participant to agree to each question in order for them to take part in the research. If they disagree with a question within that section, this will mean they do not consent.

The second section includes ‘Optional Details’ for consent and includes other demographic questions. These optional questions are usually around video recording and other aspects that are not fundamental to the delivery of research but are ‘nice to haves’.

The demographic questions have been provided by the Equalities team and so should not be changed. However, only include questions where the data will impact your research. Do not gather data when you have no use for it.

To access the template version for you to copy please use our template forms. We recommend creating a digital version of this form using a forms package such as Microsoft Forms.