💡 Why Participant Experience Really Matters

1. Experience Shapes Expression

When a participant feels rushed, judged, or ignored, they don’t just feel frustrated—they share less.
Emotionally. Subtly. Honestly.
Comfort is the gateway to insight.

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2. The Interview Is the Data

We act like the data begins when the recorder starts.
But the interview itself is the instrument.
If the experience is flawed, the data is flawed.

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3. Trust Isn’t Earned with Money

Incentives bring people in.
But trust is what gets them to open up.
To share the hard stuff. The weird stuff. The unguarded stuff.

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4. People Remember How They Were Treated

Participants talk.
With the database company. With peers. Online, in reddit channels.
A good experience becomes reputational capital.
A bad one travels faster.

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5. Repair Starts Here

Research has historically excluded or harmed many groups.
Prioritizing participant experience isn’t fluff—it’s a form of repair.
It says: you matter before the insights do.

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🎯 What to Highlight Instead

• Psychological safety
• Interviewer match & comfort
• Respect for emotional labour
• Consent & choice at every stage
• A sense of being heard—not just observed

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