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Summary
Exposure to others’ trauma is toxic. This is known as 'vicarious trauma' and it's what happens to people who hear harrowing stories as part of their work. User researchers are often faced with situations where they need to conduct repeated in-depth interviews with people who’ve had traumatic experiences and who have developed PSTD, mental health issues, chronic illness, addiction, self-harm, eating disorders and suicidal thoughts. We believe this repeated exposure puts the psychological safety of user researchers at risk. Training to equip people with the right skills and confidence to prepare for and handle these situations is often absent from user research training.
Key Insights
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85% of user researchers experience mental health issues linked to their work, with 70% reporting impacts on job performance.
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User researchers often lack formal training and professional support for managing emotional risks and self-care.
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Repeated exposure to traumatic content, especially in an agile environment with high interview volumes, increases risks of burnout and vicarious trauma.
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Self-care preparation for researchers is as essential as logistical and safety planning for research participants.
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Crossing professional boundaries, such as offering personal help to participants, is common but can harm both parties and should be avoided.
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Transference of emotions from participants to researchers can occur unconsciously and should be managed through reflection and supervision.
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Effective research requires training on handling difficult disclosures, including opening and closing sensitive conversations respectfully and safely.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated trauma and vulnerability among research participants, requiring even more care in user research.
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User researchers working with sensitive topics need ongoing reflection or supervision akin to clinical supervision to maintain psychological safety.
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Organizations must embed mental health commitment and self-care into their culture to ensure researcher wellbeing and the integrity of research outcomes.
Notable Quotes
"Nearly 85% of user researchers have suffered mental health issues, and 70% say it affected their work."
"We prepare intensively for the logistics and safety of participants but rarely prepare ourselves for the emotional impacts."
"Sometimes researchers end interviews feeling like their head is going to burst from pressure and trauma."
"If you’re not okay as a researcher, the interview won’t be okay."
"Offering participants food or shelter crosses professional boundaries and can create unsafe expectations."
"The biggest risk is bottling up emotions until you’re about to explode."
"Emotional responses to research participants are human but must be balanced with maintaining professional boundaries."
"There’s no regulated professional support for user researchers dealing with trauma, which is deeply worrying."
"It’s okay to be honest with participants that you’re not the right person to help them and to signpost support respectfully."
"Accept that in research with vulnerable groups, you will always encounter the unknown and you can prepare to handle that uncertainty."
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