What Happens When Research Hurts: Safer, More Humane UX Research Practices

UX research can unintentionally harm both participants and researchers. In this session, we’ll unpack how extractive practices, emotional labour, and power dynamics shape research—and what we can do to create safer, more humane experiences for everyone involved.

Key takeaways:

Attendees will learn how to recognize when research sessions become harmful, and understand how power dynamics shape participant and researcher safety. They’ll understand why these moments are design problems, not personal failures, and leave with approaches for decompression, reflection, and conducting research in more inclusive, humane ways.

Tammy Crawford is a Senior User Experience Researcher with over eight years of experience leading design research across government, healthcare, e-commerce, legal tech, and non-profit sectors. She brings a reflective, systems-oriented lens to UX, with an emphasis on inclusion, trust, and safety — advocating for research approaches that are not only effective, but also safer, more humane, and more responsible for both participants and practitioners and the communities they serve.