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SYLVIA, DESIGN RESEARCHER
Responsibility in practice
We routinely remove names and other
formal identifiers from data, but we
need to remain vigilant when sharing
it beyond our team. Information that
appears to be anonymous may not
be, especially when it comes from
a population known closely by
our audience.
As part of a cultural transformation project for a large tech firm, we conducted an initial benchmarking survey across its business units. We were exploring attitudes towards creative thinking, knowledge-sharing, and empowerment within the organization; and gathering biographical details such as business function, tenure, and department. While responses were anonymous, biographical details combined with language preferences for taking the survey would have
“outed” respondents in smaller departments. Because of our commitment to protect respondents’ anonymity, we did not share the full data set with the client, sharing only aggregate data and selected representative comments.
ALISA, RESEARCH RECRUITER
Responsibility in practice
Sometimes participants say or do things
that communicate powerfully the value
of our approach—iconic moments we
wish to publish more widely. Careful
recordkeeping ensures we can maintain
participants’ rights regarding
public stories we want to tell
years into the future.
Back in our early days, our team was exploring how new digital technologies could better support small businesses.
We arranged to observe our travel agent at work in her office.
She had no patience with the user-manual for her phone system and showed us her unique method of handling conference calls.
We photographed her physically assembling phones on her desk, calling each person separately, and then arranging the handsets to facilitate a group conversation. This workaround helped her keep track of how callers were connected—clearly a design opportunity. Long after our project was over, she gave us her blessing to share this story in print. It became one of our most cherished research vignettes. We still show the photos and talk about it today—without divulging her real name.
PETE, INTERACTION DESIGNER
Honesty in practice
Being straightforward about
communication extends beyond
gathering information to include
how we represent our methods
and approach.
Our project was about the experience of purchasing newly built homes. We conducted three interviews in-context, each with a very different kind of buyer; and visited several show-houses ourselves to experience the process. Our client was happy with the insights, but with a big presentation looming, she feared her colleagues might not take the work seriously because of the size of the research sample. Could we somehow bolster our findings? We obviously weren’t comfortable with the idea of exaggerating the scale of our research, but we didn’t have the time or budget to gather more data. We recommended presenting the study as it was and, if there were doubts about the validity of our insights, we could later adjust the budget to cover additional research. During the presentation, we were quizzed about our approach. When we said we had interviewed three people, the CEO congratulated us, saying, “Well, evidently, you picked the right three.”
DAVID, DESIGN STRATEGIST
Closing Thoughts
Explore and Evolve
Reflections
Explore and Evolve
he Little Book of IDEO talks about balancing grown-upness Twith childlike wonder—the value of placing “some boundary conditions and expectations on one another so that we can still keep the excited part of ourselves but contain the craziness.”
Here we have those conditions: Ethical practices for design research.
A touchstone for our conduct that has real-world implications for the quality of our insights, our design output, and the access to private lives afforded to us—now and in the future.
We’ve worked to make it feel just right, not too tight or too loose, too assertive or too apologetic. Through numerous internal discussions, we’ve balanced curiosity and the relentless search for good data and insight, with the interests of clients, participants, and collaborators.
Respect, responsibility, and honesty are timeless principles—criteria against which we will always measure our actions. Precisely how we uphold these principles in practice is likely to evolve over time in response to new conditions, new contexts, and new challenges.
But this is IDEO, so we’ll continue to break new ground and learn from the challenges we meet.
Keep exploring, stay connected, and we’ll evolve as we must.
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Reflections
Further thoughts on design research ethics and IDEO
“ This is a good moment to be reminded what a human-centered design culture is about. I see a future in which design research will increasingly rely on data for insight, whether generated real-time through sensors attached to people, or from existing digital data streams. It’s harder to take people into account when we never actually meet them. This book creates a foundation to support human-centeredness in that future.
— Tim Brown CEO, IDEO
“ ‘ It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.’ — Pablo Picasso
As new contexts, situations, and problems appear every day at IDEO, our ability to understand the formal lines we want to color inside and outside of is critical. Learning these rules and understanding them deeply gives us permission to play, abstract, and modify them accordingly and, of course, respectfully.
— Paul Bennett Chief Creative Officer, IDEO
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“ Every day, design research at IDEO continues to help more people get inspired by learning about other’s experiences and cultures. As we open up opportunities, we need to be mindful of unintended consequences, from making others uncomfortable to putting people at serious risk. Based on decades of collective experience, these guidelines and principles form a foundation for our practice at IDEO and far beyond.
— Suzanne Gibbs Howard Dean of IDEO U
“ I strive to balance the needs and desires of my team and clients with those of people we study. IDEO’s explicit attention to ethics allows me to find the best research participants, and have confidence that all will be treated with dignity and respect.
— Dorinda von Stroheim Global Design Research Recruiting, IDEO
“ In the increasingly complex legal and regulatory worlds of privacy and data protection, this Little Book of Design Research Ethics gives researchers real stories, high aspirations, and clear guidelines for dealing with situations that regulations rarely, if ever, explain.
— Rochael Soper Adranly General Counsel, IDEO
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“ The ethics we bring to design research are about more than standard practice. They are how we communicate our values out in the world, from New York to Nairobi.
— Patrice Martin Co-Lead & Creative Director, IDEO.org
“ At first glance, it appears that ethics and creativity have nothing in common; one is constrained and the other unbridled. And yet, ethics is the insider handshake to a world of unexpected delights and creative starting points. The secret to getting others to share their secrets is to conduct yourself with the utmost respect.
— Coe Leta Stafford Design Director, IDEO Palo Alto
“ In a region as big as Asia, you run the gamut of cities/countries that are ultra sensitive and respectful around privacy, and those who don’t understand why there would even be a concern in the first place. As a firm deeply rooted in uncovering stories of inspiration from around the world, I could not think of anything more important than having a shared credo that helps all of us (our colleagues, clients, and participants) feel and
exhibit respect, responsibility, and honesty.
— Mike Peng Managing Director, IDEO Tokyo 53
“ At its best, ethics is about what’s possible. It’s about creativity, justice, transparency, respect, honesty, trust. The Little Book reinforces these virtues, reminding each of us about what is important in work and in relationships with colleagues and clients. It’s a valuable resource; encouraging us to be the best we can, learning about other’s experiences—all towards a mutual goal of ethical sensitivity and reflection. Action expresses priority: IDEO shows clearly and pragmatically that ethics is a fundamental priority.
— Elizabeth Buchanan Endowed Chair & Director, Center for Applied Ethics, University of Wisconsin-Stout
“ This is the most accessible document of its kind that I have seen.
It is built on absolutely solid ethical foundations, and at the same time is immediately practical in the best senses of the word: it can be quickly referred to for examples of guiding principles that are both easy to understand and apply in practice. In these ways, the document should serve IDEO—both clients and employees—very well indeed. Moreover it is a model, certainly for design, research, academic, and other communities concerned with practical ethics.
— Charles Ess Author of “Digital Media Ethics” and Professor in Media Studies, University of Oslo 54
About IDEO
IDEO is a global design firm that takes a human-centered, design-based approach to helping organizations innovate and grow.
We work closely alongside our clients—start-ups, leading brands, private, public and social sectors—to shape key opportunities and unlock their creative potential.
ideo.com
Document Outline
Welcome
About This Book
Respect
Responsibility
Honesty
Planning and Preparation
Gathering Information
Using and Sharing
Guidelines at a Glance
Explore and Evolve
Reflections