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482 CHAPTER 15 Working with human subjects

Given the concern over the safety and security of children, these differences in
consent and study design may lead to greater scrutiny of proposed studies by IRBs.
Discussing your projects with your local IRB and modeling your materials on previ-
ous studies where possible might help ensure appropriate safeguards for underage
participants and facilitate the approval process.
An understanding of childhood cognitive development can be invaluable for
building a early understanding of what children of various ages can be expected to
know and how they might view the world. Juan-Pablo Hourcade’s book on Child-
Computer Interaction (Hourcade, 2015) provides an invaluable overview. When
possible, you might also consider including a child development expert on your
research team.
15.3.6.4 Populations with specific concerns
Children are not the only research participants who may need special care and han-
dling. Many HCI research projects involve needs assessments, tool development,
and evaluation for projects that either specifically focus on certain groups of users,
or aim for universal usability across broad ranges of ability, expertise, and technolo-
gies (Lazar, 2007). These populations might include older individuals, members of
specific ethnic groups, patients with specific health concerns, families, and many
other groups. Working with these “nontraditional” research participants can be both
rewarding and challenging, requiring both flexibility and creativity.
Recruitment is often the first struggle, particularly for academic researchers who
have traditionally relied on readily available pools of undergraduates as study par-
ticipants. Finding participants for these more specific studies might require interact-
ing with community organizations (as suggested for working with participants with
disabilities, Chapter 16), reaching out via online and print resources, encouraging
word of mouth and referrals from friends, and numerous other creative approaches.
Experience indicates that there is no “silver bullet”: many studies rely on a combina-
tion of approaches to meet enrollment goals. Perhaps the only consistent observation
is that recruitment will often take longer and cost more than expected, making real-
istic plans necessary for success.
Finding appropriate subjects from these groups is only a part of the chal-
lenge. Scheduling and transportation can be difficult for families, elders, and oth-
ers, just as they are for individuals with disabilities (Chapter 16). Flexibility is
key— anything that you might be able to do to accommodate diverse schedules
and living arrangements will be helpful. Consider your experimental design and
data collection requirements—lab-based studies that work for some subjects might
be inappropriate for studies with diverse user populations. Designs that simplify
data collection—preferably simple enough to run on a laptop—will enable the en-
rollment of participants in participant homes, community centers, and libraries,
potentially removing or reducing logistical barriers that might discourage some
participants.
Studies involving these user populations should also give careful consideration to
specific needs and limitations that might impact participants’ ability to meaningfully