The Tension Between Story Collecting and Story Telling in Research
Summary
How do we draw and navigate the boundaries around the ethics of story collecting and telling? As UX researchers, we collect stories through interviews—stories that connect us with others and communicate the core humanistic values of integrity, empathy, and respect. At the crux of the matter, is that these stories are not our own—they belong to our interlocutors. As we collect data, we are not passive listeners either—we also leave our imprint on these stories through interpretation and subjective insights.
Key Insights
-
•
The ethical dilemma in story collecting extends beyond ownership to who controls and legitimizes the narrative—the participant or the researcher.
-
•
Stories are fundamental to human identity and meaning-making, as emphasized by Pam LaRutledge and Thomas King.
-
•
Storytelling has the power to disrupt dominant narratives, especially for marginalized communities whose histories have been silenced.
-
•
Listening in storytelling activates mirror neurons, fostering empathy through shared commonalities.
-
•
Researchers and participants often occupy different power positions, leading to divergent stories during interviews.
-
•
Anthropology’s colonial roots and the colonial gaze influence how stories have been historically collected, necessitating reflexivity.
-
•
Positionality is fluid, relational, and multifaceted, affecting access and power throughout the research process.
-
•
Co-creation during interviews can share power through mutual storytelling and authentic listening.
-
•
Normative research principles like researcher neutrality and confidentiality can obscure participant agency and may not serve all participants equally.
-
•
Using invitational language and allowing participants choice encourages richer, participant-led narratives and challenges rigid research scripts.
Notable Quotes
"Whose story gets told, the participant or the researcher, is also a question of knowledge production."
"Stories are how we make meaning of life, explain how things work, and justify our decisions."
"The truth about stories is that is all that we are – Thomas King."
"Storytelling has the power to disrupt hegemonic narratives and open space for people to be authors of their own stories."
"Mirror neurons are triggered when we listen to a story, allowing us to empathize by identifying shared commonalities."
"Researchers and participants cannot tell the same story because they occupy different locations of power."
"Reflexivity lets us examine our beliefs and practices during research to understand how we show up."
"Awareness of positionality is the first step toward ethical change in research."
"Instead of pretending neutrality, be open and transparent about the research agenda with participants."
"Invitational language allows participants to be in charge of a part of the interview, making the exchange authentic."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"No matter what your contract says, once your data is in the cloud connected to an LLM, you have to accept the risk it could be exposed."
Kate Towsey Basel Fakhoury Oren Friedman Graham GardnerParticipant Recruitment and Management Tools
March 12, 2026
"We saw documentation time reduced by 64% after six months of using the AI tool."
Jennifer KongJourneying toward AI-assisted documentation in healthcare
June 5, 2024
"When product leaders ask for research just to validate ideas, the best response is to say, ‘fuck this group,’ then do real user interviews."
Kevin M. HoffmanTheme 2: Enterprise Team Journey
June 3, 2019
"We use Alexa’s personification for good, fun, and delight, but we don’t advertise, especially because there may be kids listening."
Amy MarquezINVEST: Discussion
June 15, 2018
"Pair design is about two perspectives coming together as peers to quickly try and evaluate ideas."
Gretchen AndersonScaling the Human Center
June 8, 2017
"Design ops professionals are already futurists in disguise because they constantly manage risks and plan capacity."
April ReaganLook, Think, Act: The Futures-Smart Design Organization
October 1, 2021
"The pandemic flipped the equation, and IBM became the place that design talent left."
Dante GuintuHow to Crush the Talent Crunch
September 8, 2022
"Iteration is the golden rule of design, including iterating on your design system rules themselves."
Jaime CreixemsBest Practices when Creating and Maintaining a Design System
June 7, 2023
"Low fidelity design lets you try things quickly and learn so much before you get too detailed."
Billy CarlsonPrinciples of Team Wireframing
October 2, 2023
