Ethics

Question 1

What is ethics?

Answer 1

Ethics are principles of right and wrong that individuals can use to guide their behaviours. It is also a process that guides them in making decisions in a situation with conflicting goals.

Question 2

Why ethics?

Answer 2

Ethics is important because human behaviour is examined, personal information is collected and the results of human behaviour is examined.

Question 3

What are the candidate ethical principles?

Answer 3

1. Golden Rule
   Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
2. Kant’s Categorical Imperative
   If an action is not right for everyone to take, no one should take it.
3. Descarte’s Rule of Change
   If an action cannot be taken repeatedly, it is not right to take at all.
4. Utilitarianism
   Take the action that achieves the greatest benefit.
5. Risk Aversion Principle
   Take the action that produces the least harm.
6. Ethical “No Free Lunch” Rule
   Assume virtually all tangible or non-tangible objects are owned by someone unless there is a specific declaration otherwise.

Question 4

What are the main ethical principles?

Answer 4

The first main ethical principle is Respect for Persons. We should protest the freedom and capacity of participants, protect the vulnerable and obtain informed consent from participants. Secondly, beneficence. We should secure the well-being of participants and minimise all possible harm. Third, justice. We should ensure fairness in the distribution of risks and benefits across participants.

Question 5

What are the main ethical responsibilities when conducting a user study?

Answer 5

Firstly, safety. There should be no physical or psychological harm brought to participants.

Secondly, privacy. Prevent unauthorised access to the information collected and do not collect any unnecessary data. Use data only for the purpose participant gave consent for. Destroy data after no longer needed. Ensure anonymity and privacy.

Thirdly, informed consent. Provide these information: goals and procedures of the study, what information will be recorded, how the results will be used. Get informed consent from them for recordings, observations and data collection. They should know what will happen and be in the situation voluntarily.

Question 6

Give one example for each ethical responsibility during a user study.

Answer 6

For safety, ensure that the setting is in a quiet environment with no one else around to ensure that it is a safe space for the participant to share their thoughts.

For privacy, make sure all information is encrypted and no one can have unauthorised access to them. Make sure their face or name is not in the video.

For informed consent, before starting the study, inform the participant that a recording will be done and get their consent for it.

Question 7

Based on general ethical responsibilities, what are the guidelines you should apply when doing a direct observation with users?

Answer 7

Safety: No obstruction or distractions of users

Privacy: Recordings, notes or sketches should be locked or encrypted, anonymise any recordings, remove name and face, don’t collect unnecessary data, destroy recordings after use

Informed consent: Inform the participant if being filmed or observed (put a sign), participant should have a say to stop participating at any point

Question 8

What is informed consent? How do you apply informed consent when doing an interview with users?

Answer 8

Informed consent refers to the process of obtaining permission from a participant before engaging in any activity or procedure that may affect their rights, well-being or privacy.

To apply this when doing an interview, you should ask for their permission to proceed with the interview, ask for their permission to record the interview and inform them what the data will be used for and what purpose.