Short answer

Design teams must acknowledge and plan for the emotional labour inherent in their work, especially when dealing with sensitive user needs or challenging research contexts, to ensure researcher well-being and research integrity.

Field: User-Centred Design
Source: SSM - Qualitative Research in Health (2023)
Method: Collaborative Autoethnography
Evidence: Strong effect

Qualitative researchers undertaking sensitive design projects can experience significant, unforeseen emotional labour due to participant distress, the nature of the subject matter, and contextual pressures, necessitating proactive support structures. This user-centred design research insight is drawn from a 2023 study published in SSM - Qualitative Research in Health. Using Collaborative autoethnography, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Design teams must acknowledge and plan for the emotional labour inherent in their work, especially when dealing with sensitive user needs or challenging research contexts, to ensure researcher well-being and research integrity.

Study

User-Centred DesignRecentStrong effect

Emotional Labour in Research: Unforeseen Challenges Impacting Design Practice

SSM - Qualitative Research in Health · 2023

Key Findings

01Emotional labour in this research context was largely unforeseen and intensified by the socio-political climate, the novelty and severity of Long COVID, and participant distress.
02Researchers employed various emotion management strategies including strategic emotion work, emotional reflexivity, coping with emotive dissonance, and managing relationships.
03Remote working conditions and methods impeded the provision and reception of support among researchers and with participants.

Application

Design takeaway

How to apply

When planning a design project, especially one involving sensitive user research, build in regular team check-ins, opportunities for debriefing, and access to mental health support resources.

Project actions

01Consider the emotional impact of your research topic on yourself and your team.
02Plan for how you will manage stress and seek support during your design project.

Method & Evidence

AimTo explore and understand the nature, intensity, and impact of unforeseen emotional labour experienced by qualitative researchers working on a longitudinal study of healthcare workers with Long COVID during the pandemic.

MethodCollaborative Autoethnography

ProcedureResearchers collaboratively reflected on and documented their personal experiences of emotional labour throughout a longitudinal research project, analysing the types of emotion management employed and their impacts.

ContextQualitative research on Long COVID in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Variables

IVNature of research topic, socio-political context, participant distress, remote working conditions.

DVEmotional labour experienced by researchers, types of emotion management strategies used, impact of emotional labour.

Strengths & Limitations

Strengths

+Utilizes a deeply personal and reflective research method (autoethnography).
+Addresses a critical, under-researched area of researcher well-being in qualitative research.

Limitations

The emotional experiences of researchers are subjective and can vary greatly, making it difficult to generalize findings.

Reliability & validity

The validity of autoethnography lies in its depth of insight and reflexivity, while reliability is enhanced through collaborative autoethnography where multiple perspectives are synthesized.

Think critically

How might the design of research tools and methodologies themselves contribute to or alleviate emotional labour for researchers?

Design Principles

"Prioritize researcher well-being through structured emotional support and reflective practices to maintain research quality and ethical conduct."

Understanding the emotional toll on researchers is crucial for fostering sustainable and ethical design practices. Neglecting this aspect can lead to burnout, reduced research quality, and hinder the development of user-centred solutions, particularly in fields involving vulnerable populations or sensitive topics.

What This Means for Your Design

Doing research, especially on difficult topics like long-term illness, can be emotionally draining for the researchers. This study shows that we need to be prepared for this and have ways to support the researchers, just like we support the people we are researching.

How to use in your project

1.Discuss the emotional labour involved in your user research and how you managed it.
2.Explain how you ensured the well-being of your research team.

Add to My Project

Quick Cite

Paragraph starter

During this design project, the sensitive nature of user interviews regarding [mention topic] led to unforeseen emotional labour. To manage this, regular team debriefs were implemented, and a conscious effort was made to practice emotional reflexivity, acknowledging and processing any emotional responses that arose, ensuring both researcher well-being and research integrity.

Source

SSM - Qualitative Research in Health

Unforeseen emotional labour: A collaborative autoethnography exploring researcher experiences of studying Long COVID in health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

journal · 2023

View source

Questions About This Research

What does the research say about emotional labour in research: unforeseen challenges impacting design practice?: Design teams must acknowledge and plan for the emotional labour inherent in their work, especially when dealing with sensitive user needs or challenging research contexts, to ensure researcher well-being and research integrity. Evidence: SSM - Qualitative Research in Health (2023).
Why does "Emotional Labour in Research: Unforeseen Challenges Impacting Design Practice" matter for design?: Understanding the emotional toll on researchers is crucial for fostering sustainable and ethical design practices. Neglecting this aspect can lead to burnout, reduced research quality, and hinder the development of user-centred solutions, particularly in fields involving vulnerable populations or sensitive topics.
How can designers apply this research?: Design teams must acknowledge and plan for the emotional labour inherent in their work, especially when dealing with sensitive user needs or challenging research contexts, to ensure researcher well-being and research integrity.
What were the main findings?: Emotional labour in this research context was largely unforeseen and intensified by the socio-political climate, the novelty and severity of Long COVID, and participant distress.. Researchers employed various emotion management strategies including strategic emotion work, emotional reflexivity, coping with emotive dissonance, and managing relationships.. Remote working conditions and methods impeded the provision and reception of support among researchers and with participants.
What research method was used?: Collaborative Autoethnography.
How strong is the evidence?: Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2023 journal from SSM - Qualitative Research in Health.
What should I do differently in my next project?: When planning a design project, especially one involving sensitive user research, build in regular team check-ins, opportunities for debriefing, and access to mental health support resources.
What are the limitations?: The findings are specific to the unique context of researching Long COVID during a global pandemic and may not be directly generalizable to all research settings.