HD·R1·07 Research
Research Ethics & Human Subjects in Design
The obligations that don't disappear because the research is design, not medicine.
Design research involving real people carries the same core ethical obligations as any human-subjects research, informed consent, privacy, minimised harm, even though design research is rarely reviewed by a formal ethics board. This course covers those obligations at scholarly rigour.
In Development
This course's full module content is being written. The outline below is final, subscribe for updates when it publishes.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
- 01 Apply informed consent principles appropriately across different research methods
- 02 Evaluate power dynamics between researcher and participant
- 03 Protect participant privacy and data appropriately throughout a research study
- 04 Identify vulnerable populations requiring heightened ethical care
- 05 Navigate research ethics in commercial design contexts without a formal review board
- 06 Disclose conflicts of interest and funding sources transparently
- Genuine understanding, not signature alone, constitutes informed consent
- Consent language should match the actual complexity of the study
- Power imbalance is the default condition, not an exceptional case
- Ethical research design should actively account for this imbalance
- Data protection responsibility extends beyond the collection phase
- Anonymisation and secure storage are ongoing obligations, not one-time steps
- Standard consent procedures are often insufficient for vulnerable populations
- Heightened care should be planned for, not improvised if concerns arise mid-study
- Absence of a formal review board increases, not decreases, individual ethical responsibility
- Organisations should still apply ethics principles even without a mandating body
- Funding disclosure is a rigour and trust requirement, not an optional courtesy
- Undisclosed conflicts of interest undermine the credibility of otherwise sound research