Ethical Research and Data Handling
Service designers gather stories, recordings and personal data from real people. Ethical research and data handling means gaining informed consent, minimising and protecting personal data, and using evidence honestly, so services earn trust rather than exploit it.
Technique Overview
Ethical Research and Data Handling Definition
Ethical research and data handling is the practice of treating research participants and their personal data with respect throughout a service design project. It means gaining freely given, informed consent; collecting only the data needed for a clear purpose; identifying a lawful basis under UK GDPR; storing and sharing data securely; anonymising or pseudonymising it during analysis; and giving participants control, including the right to withdraw.
Ethical Research and Data Handling Description *
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Business Evidence
Strengths, weaknesses and examples of Ethical Research and Data Handling *
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Business Application
Implementation, success factors and measures of Ethical Research and Data Handling *
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Professional Tools
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Further Reading
Ethical Research and Data Handling web and print resources *
Ethical Research and Data Handling references (4 of up to 20) *
- Cadwalladr, C. (2019) Facebook’s role in Brexit – and the threat to democracy. TED talk. Available at: www.ted.com/talks/carole_cadwalladr_facebook_s_role_in_brexit_and_the_threat_to_democracy
- Carey, P. (2024) Data Protection: A Practical Guide to UK Law. 6th edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Department for Education (DfE) (2024) Personal data handling in user research. Available at: user-research.education.gov.uk/standards/personal-data-handling
- Department for Education (DfE) (2025) Creating 3 principles of informed consent for user research. Available at: dfedigital.blog.gov.uk/2025/07/16/creating-3-principles-of-informed-consent-for-user-research
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