Rosenverse

This video is only accessible to Gold members. Log in or register for a free Gold Trial Account to watch.

Log in Register

Most conference talks are accessible to Gold members, while community videos are generally available to all logged-in members.

Lessening the Research Burden on Vulnerable Communities
Gold
Monday, March 30, 2020 • Advancing Research 2020
Share the love for this talk
Lessening the Research Burden on Vulnerable Communities
Speakers: Sarah Fathallah
Link:

Summary

This talk covers specific approaches to employ when working with vulnerable populations, starting with a definition of vulnerability, then discussing how to ensure that researchers remain safe, respectful, fair, and culturally appropriate. This includes: choosing the right research methods for the participants, topic, and context at hand; recruiting and compensating research participants; ensuring research participants are aware of their rights and potential risks for participating in the research; conducting research in a trauma-informed way; managing participant data by ensuring collected information doesn’t put them at risk; communicating design research findings in a respectful manner.

Key Insights

  • Long, in-depth interviews may be inappropriate or harmful when working with vulnerable populations.

  • Vulnerability is multidimensional and often invisible; appearances can be deceiving.

  • Recruitment through cultural brokers and local leaders fosters trust and fairness.

  • Offering collective or in-kind compensation can be more culturally appropriate than individual cash payments.

  • Using local proverbs can improve participant understanding of informed consent in low literacy contexts.

  • Researchers must establish referral pathways to address trauma or crises uncovered during studies.

  • Minimizing collected data and avoiding identifiable photos reduces privacy risks.

  • Giving participants control over their data and imagery enhances ethical research partnerships.

  • Community advisory boards can validate research findings and ensure accurate representation.

  • Embedding research within community-led processes reduces the extractive nature of typical methods.

Notable Quotes

"Naming is an exercise in power when what is being named has been historically erased."

"Vulnerable communities aren't always carrying signs with the word vulnerability spelled out on their forehead."

"You cannot force a dog to run — illustrating that participants have the liberty to stop or skip uncomfortable questions."

"We structured the research around helping them fill out their housing application at the same time, so we were mindful of their time and they would also get something out of it."

"Compensation in cash or something as close to cash as possible is the best way to go, but sometimes collective donations work better."

"Researchers are not trained mental health professionals, so having referral paths is essential when issues arise."

"It's unwise for us to intervene when we're not equipped to close the doors that would be opened in doing so."

"We allowed participants to look at all the photos taken and decide which ones to keep or delete."

"Community advisory boards were elected by their peers to review findings and ensure accuracy."

"Ways to reduce extraction in research is by embedding community-led practices rather than holding the keys to knowledge ourselves."

Ask the Rosenbot
Jennifer Strickland
Adopting a "Design By" Method
2021 • Civic Design 2021
Gold
Adam Thomas
Survival Metrics – Making Change in a Fast, Data-Informed, and Politically Safe Way
2022 • Design in Product 2022
Gold
Dem Gerolemou
Climate technology fundamentals
2024 • Climate UX Interest Group
Tanya Snook
Designing the team experience: Building culture through onboarding
2021 • Enterprise Community
Angy Peterson
More Than Technology: Personalized Public Sector Experiences
2021 • Civic Design 2021
Gold
Louis Rosenfeld
Welcome / Housekeeping
2023 • Enterprise UX 2023
Gold
Dan Hill
Strategic design, slowdown, and the infrastructures of everyday life
2022 • Enterprise Community
Robin Beers
How to create actionable insight in the face of politics and silos [Advancing Research Community Workshop Series]
2023 • Advancing Research Community
Dave Malouf
The Future of DesignOps
2024 • DesignOps Summit 2020
Gold
Jim Kalbach
Jazz Improvisation as a Model for Team Collaboration
2017 • DesignOps Summit 2017
Gold
Erin Weigel
Failure Friday #6: 90% of Everything I Do is Either Broken or Pointless
2025 • Rosenfeld Community
Aras Bilgen
Who does the math: A designer’s journey in building an AI-based tutoring app
2025 • Designing with AI 2025
Gold
Brigette Metzler
Scaling ResearchOps: Helping Researchers do Their Best Work
2020 • Advancing Research 2020
Gold
Deanna Mitchell
Designing with culture: Unlocking impactful insights for Product and UX
2025 • Advancing Research 2025
Gold
Nathan Curtis
Design Systems for Us: How Many One-Source(s)-of-Truth Are Enough?
2019 • DesignOps Community
Libby Maurer
Treating Diversity & Inclusion in Hiring as a Design Problem
2019 • Enterprise Community

More Videos

Doug Powell

"When the whole team is trained in design thinking, they are measurably more aligned, more efficient, and more agile."

Doug Powell

Closing Keynote: Design at Scale

November 8, 2018

Mila Kuznetsova

"Power dynamics exist in every session. People don’t want to be embarrassed or feel put on the spot."

Mila Kuznetsova Lucy Denton

How Lessons Learned from Our Youngest Users Can Help Us Evolve our Practices

March 9, 2022

Sarah Gallimore

"Every parent we talked to had some variation of the question: this exists, can I use it right now? Where was this when I needed to apply?"

Sarah Gallimore

Inspire Progress with Artifacts from the Future

November 18, 2022

Lada Gorlenko

"We can’t complain about not having a seat at the table if we don’t offer one of our own."

Lada Gorlenko Sharbani Dhar Sébastien Malo Rob Mitzel Ivana Ng Michal Anne Rogondino

Theme 1: Discussion

January 8, 2024

Alnie Figueroa

"AI is just a better version of the tools you’re already using to refine ideas and express thoughts."

Alnie Figueroa

The Future of Design Operations: Transforming Our Craft

September 10, 2025

Landon Barnes

"Meaningfulness is linked directly to what your organization cares about in terms of goals and priorities."

Landon Barnes

Are My Research Findings Actually Meaningful?

March 10, 2022

Emily Eagle

"Truly listening can push us beyond empathy to respect and reflection."

Emily Eagle

Can't Rewind: Radio and Retail

June 3, 2019

Malini Rao

"Re-platforming is transformative not just for the product but also for the people, teams, and organization."

Malini Rao

Lessons Learned from a 4-year Product Re-platforming Journey

June 9, 2021

Asia Hoe

"Accessibility isn’t just a checklist; it changes moment to moment for any individual."

Asia Hoe

Partnering with Product: A Journey from Junior to Senior Design

November 29, 2023