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15.3 Care and handling of research participants 473

• Duration: How long will each participant be involved in the study? This should
tell the user how much time will be involved. If there are multiple sessions, the
number of sessions, the length of each session, and the elapsed interval required
should all be specified.
• Risks: What risks might be involved in participation? Medical trials may
involve the risks of unknown drug side-effects, but the risks are generally less
severe in HCI studies. Fatigue, boredom, and perhaps slight discomfort due to
repetitive motion are possible risks for studies involving desktop computers.
Virtual-reality systems may involve some risk of nausea or disorientation.
Studies involving mobile devices, computers in cars, or other interfaces in
nontraditional settings may involve additional health or safety risks. Evaluation
of the potential distractions caused by computing devices in cars should
probably not be conducted in cars driving on public roads! Other interfaces
involving social interactions may pose emotional risks, if tasks or content
may prove upsetting to participants (see Milgram's Experiment sidebar). The
privacy risks of photography and video or audio recording are discussed above;
projects involving online conferencing or ongoing use of online chat systems
may present similar concerns. Experimenters should, of course, design studies
to minimize all risks. Any remaining risks should be described in detail in
informed consent forms and then discussed honestly and thoroughly with study
participants.
• Benefits: What are the benefits of participation? Some researchers may provide
participants with ongoing access to software that is being evaluated. In other
cases, financial or material compensation is the main benefit.
• Alternatives to Participation: What other options are available? For most HCI
studies common alternatives include simply not participating, opting out of the
study at any point in time, and continuing to use the software that was being
used before the study.
• Confidentiality: Participants' privacy should be respected. This section of
the form generally includes comments indicating that personally identifying
information will not be used or published in any way. Confidentiality is
a particularly important issue for HCI research involving observation of
user behavior such as search or information use activity. Web search, email
organization, and other activities may reveal sensitive personal information
that could compromise confidentiality. Proper protection of participant privacy
involves limiting the use, disclosure, and retention of data; taking appropriate
measures to protect data, including encryption and secure storage; openly
describing policies and practices; providing avenues for challenging compliance
with data protection procedures; and providing for training and related measures
to ensure accountability (Patrick, 2007b).
• Costs/Additional Expenses: Are there any financial expenses or other costs
associated with participation? Although such costs may not be inappropriate,
they may discourage some users from participating. If you are going to ask
participants to make costly trips to travel to your location, to purchase software