User Research Consent Form

Research Study: Fawkes Platform User Experience Research

Study Information

Research Title: Fawkes Internal Platform User Research Conducting Organization: Fawkes Product Team Principal Researcher: [Researcher Name] Contact Email: product-team@fawkes.local Study Period: December 2025 - Ongoing

Purpose of the Study

We are conducting user research to understand how people use the Fawkes Internal Platform and identify ways to improve the developer experience. Your participation will help us:

Understand user workflows, challenges, and needs
Identify pain points and areas for improvement
Validate platform features and capabilities
Make data-informed decisions about platform development

What Participation Involves

Interview Details

Duration: Approximately 45-60 minutes

Format:

[ ] Remote video call (Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams)
[ ] In-person meeting
[ ] Phone call

Activities:

Answer questions about your experience with the platform
Share examples of your workflows and processes
Demonstrate how you use platform tools (optional)
Provide feedback on platform features and capabilities
Discuss challenges and improvement suggestions

What We'll Collect

[ ] Audio recording
[ ] Video recording
[ ] Screen recording (if demonstrating platform usage)
[ ] Written notes from the interview
[ ] Your role, experience level, and team context (anonymized)

How Your Information Will Be Used

Data Usage

Your responses will be used to:

Identify patterns and themes across multiple interviews
Inform platform feature development and prioritization
Create user personas and journey maps
Share insights with product and engineering teams
Measure and improve user experience

Anonymization and Privacy

All data will be anonymized before sharing
Your name will be replaced with a role descriptor (e.g., "Senior Platform Engineer")
Team-specific or project-specific details will be generalized
Quotes may be used but will not be attributed to you by name
Raw recordings will be stored securely and accessed only by the research team

Anonymized insights will be shared with:

Product team for feature prioritization
Engineering team for platform improvements
Design team for user experience enhancements
Leadership for strategic planning

Raw data (with your identity) will NOT be shared beyond the immediate research team.

Data Storage and Retention

Storage

Recordings: Stored in secure, access-controlled cloud storage (not in public repositories)
Transcripts: Anonymized and stored in research repository
Insights: Synthesized findings stored in product documentation

Access

Research team: Full access to recordings and transcripts
Product and engineering teams: Access to anonymized insights only
Leadership: Access to summary reports and key findings only

Retention Period

Audio/video recordings: Deleted after 3 months (or after transcription)
Anonymized transcripts: Retained indefinitely for research purposes
Research insights: Retained indefinitely

Security

All data encrypted in transit and at rest
Access logs maintained
Regular security audits conducted
Compliance with company data protection policies

Your Rights as a Participant

Voluntary Participation

Your participation is completely voluntary
You may decline to participate without any consequences
There is no penalty for choosing not to participate

Right to Withdraw

You may stop the interview at any time
You may decline to answer any question
You may withdraw your consent after the interview (within 7 days)
Withdrawal will result in deletion of all your data

Right to Review

You may request a copy of your interview transcript
You may request corrections to any inaccuracies
You may request deletion of specific statements

Right to Ask Questions

You may ask questions before, during, or after the interview
You may request clarification about how your data will be used
You may contact the research team at any time

Potential Risks and Benefits

Minimal Risks

Participation in this research involves minimal risk:

Time commitment of 45-60 minutes
Potential minor discomfort discussing challenges or frustrations
No anticipated physical, psychological, or professional risks

Benefits

Opportunity to influence platform improvements
Chance to voice your opinions and experiences
Contribution to better developer experience for your colleagues
[Optional] Incentive: $[amount] gift card or company swag

Audio Recording

I consent to audio recording of this interview:

[ ] Yes, I consent to audio recording
[ ] No, I do not consent to audio recording

Video Recording

I consent to video recording of this interview:

[ ] Yes, I consent to video recording
[ ] No, I do not consent to video recording

Screen Recording

I consent to screen recording if I demonstrate platform usage:

[ ] Yes, I consent to screen recording
[ ] No, I do not consent to screen recording

Note: If you decline recording, the researcher will take written notes only. This does not affect your ability to participate.

Use of Quotes

Anonymized Quotes

I consent to the use of my anonymized quotes in research reports, presentations, and documentation:

[ ] Yes, you may use my anonymized quotes
[ ] No, please do not use my quotes

Example of anonymized quote:

"The deployment process is stressful because I never know if it's going to work on the first try." — Senior Application Developer, 5 years experience

Follow-Up Research

Future Participation

I am willing to be contacted for follow-up interviews or usability testing:

[ ] Yes, you may contact me for future research
[ ] No, please do not contact me again

If yes, preferred contact method:

[ ] Email: ******__******
[ ] Slack: ******__******
[ ] Other: ******__******

Incentive Information

Incentive (if applicable):

[ ] $[amount] gift card to [retailer]
[ ] Company swag (t-shirt, mug, etc.)
[ ] No incentive offered

Incentive Distribution:

Incentive will be provided within [timeframe] after interview completion
Delivered via [email / mail / in-person]

Questions or Concerns

If you have questions or concerns about this research, please contact:

Primary Researcher: [Researcher Name] Email: [researcher-email] Slack: @[researcher-username]

Product Team Lead: [Product Lead Name] Email: product-team@fawkes.local

Privacy Officer (for privacy concerns): [Privacy Officer Name] Email: privacy@company.com

By signing below, I acknowledge that:

I have read and understood this consent form
I have had the opportunity to ask questions
I understand that my participation is voluntary
I understand how my data will be used and protected
I understand I can withdraw at any time
I consent to participate in this research study

Participant Information

Date: _ / _ / **_**

Participant Name (printed): **********___**********

Participant Signature: **********___**********

Role/Title: **********___**********

Email (optional, for incentive delivery): **********___**********

Researcher Information

Researcher Name (printed): **********___**********

Researcher Signature: **********___**********

Date: _ / _ / **_**

If this interview is conducted remotely, verbal consent is acceptable:

Verbal Consent Statement (read by researcher):

"Before we begin, I want to confirm that you've received and reviewed the consent form. Do you consent to participate in this research interview? Do you consent to [audio/video/screen] recording?"

Participant Response:

[ ] Yes, I consent to participate and to recording as indicated above
[ ] No, I do not consent

Researcher Notes:

Participant verbally consented: Yes / No
Time of consent: _ : _ [AM/PM]
Recording started at: _ : _ [AM/PM]