When it’s time for your nonprofit to redesign its website or refresh key content, it can be tempting to rely on gut instinct and skip over user research altogether. But shortcuts like these often come at a cost, especially for the communities you most want to include and serve.
Without ethical, human-centered user research, you risk creating digital experiences that fail to meet the real needs of your audience. In this edition of Constructively Curated, we’re sharing resources to help your organization strengthen its research practices centered on people and grounded in ethics.
1. Get An Overview of Ethical User Testing & Research
Wondering what ethical user testing and research is all about? Before you dive into user interviews or usability tests, it’s important to understand the foundation of ethical research. This article from Indeed Design breaks down the history of the practice (starting with The Belmont Report) and what it means for design today. And this overview from the UX Design Institute outlines five important ethical considerations when conducting UX research: informed consent, data privacy, avoiding harm, neutrality, and accurately interpreting the results.
2. Start with a Pre-Research Ethics Checklist
Ethical user reaching and testing is so much more than just checking a box off a list. However, having a solid checklist helps make it easier to reflect on best practices and ensure that you’ve taken everything into account. This resource from User Interviews provides a thoughtful set of Ethical Guidelines for Research, accompanied by a downloadable checklist to help you plan inclusive and respectful research.
3. Don’t Let AI Replace the People You Serve
This goes without saying: human-centered research starts with humans. No AI or predictive model can replace the “aha” moments that come from direct conversations with your audience. While it may seem convenient to rely on synthetic user insights to expedite the research process, doing so risks missing the emotion and context that can only be gained from speaking with people. This article from IDEO makes the case against AI-generated users and captures what you’ll lose by not involving humans in your design research and testing.
4. Co-Design With, Not Just For, Your Community
Gathering insights from your audience to inform your website or member experience doesn’t have to feel extractive. This guide from Justice Innovation at the Stanford Legal Design Lab provides examples of how the organization uses exercises such as priority sorts, idea books, and over-the-shoulder observations to support early testing and ongoing feedback directly with the community. While this use case applies to the justice system, the methods used can inspire any nonprofit working toward inclusive, community-driven solutions. Their short book Ethical Design Engagement With Your Community is a helpful read for anyone looking to follow their lead.
5. Build Respect Into the Design Process
Respect is the foundation of ethical research and user testing. This includes valuing your participants’ time, protecting their privacy, and creating safe, inclusive spaces, especially when working with marginalized communities. We recommend listening to this episode of the User Interviews’ podcast to hear more about ethical design and respectful UX research with Kat Zhou. “When we’re looking at the practices that we’re employing to design and research, we’re doing these things with utmost consideration and respect for people, especially marginalized communities. It also means designing in teams that are inclusive and safe, where you feel included and safe no matter what your background is.” Kat has plenty of book recommendations on this topic.
6. Find the Best Testing Tools for Your Budget
You don’t need a big budget to do UX research that aligns with your mission and values. Even without user interviews or focus groups, you can still uncover valuable insights that enhance your site’s experience and better serve your community. At Constructive, we often use tools like CrazyEgg to track how real-life users interact with clients’ websites through heat maps, click tracking, and scroll behavior. Tools like FigJam or Miro are great for running workshops and collaborative sessions. With the right tools, you can run lightweight tests that surface impactful insights without compromising your values or budget.
To Wrap Up
So, why should your nonprofit prioritize user research and testing? You’ll uncover valuable hidden insights into your audience that could otherwise be overlooked—and, with them, find opportunities to deliver a more meaningful brand experience. These resources serve as a starting point for making your research ethical, actionable, and inclusive. And when you’re ready to get started, we’re here to help!
