Trauma awareness in user research

User research often involves hearing people’s real-life experiences, which may include moments of distress, vulnerability, or past trauma. Even if participants do not explicitly share these experiences, you must always consider this as a possibility and always be respectful and empathetic.

People need to interact with government services at all points in their lives, including when they are suffering hardship and trauma. As user researchers, we need to talk to people who have experienced or who are experiencing difficult and sometimes devastating circumstances. This is essential to understanding their needs and designing services that support them in their time of need.

Discussing traumatic experiences can be very distressing for both user researchers and participants. It is important for user researchers to be aware of trauma, and how to approach these conversations with care and sensitivity.

What is trauma?

In guidance published in 2022, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities provided this definition of trauma:

Trauma results from an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual as harmful or life threatening. While unique to the individual, generally the experience of trauma can cause lasting adverse effects, limiting the ability to function and achieve mental, physical, social, emotional or spiritual well-being.

Trauma can affect how people respond to user research situations, especially when they are asked to speak about their traumatic experiences. If participants feel unsafe, pressured, or emotionally triggered, it can lead to harm, distress, or even retraumatisation, which could have serious implications for their health and wellbeing.

Trauma-informed user research

As a government user researcher, it is crucial you understand that you are not a medical professional or therapist. Your role is to engage with users to understand their needs and help design services, not to offer counselling or treatment.

Not everyone will have experienced the same kind of trauma. For example, not everyone has lost a child or a parent, or suffered from a serious injury or debilitating illness, or experienced abuse, addiction, or homelessness. When you encounter people who have experienced trauma, you have a duty of care to them. You are not expected to have had the same experiences of your participants, but you must still understand how to create a safe space, engage sensitively and compassionately, and respect emotional boundaries.

Some user researchers may feel inclined to share their own experiences in an effort to show empathy. However, this is not best practice. Sharing your own story can unintentionally shift the focus away from the participant. It can influence how they tell their story or even make them feel as though they are in a competition for who has had the worst experience, which can add to their distress. Instead, focus on listening, validating, and creating a supportive environment.

You will build confidence in this area as you gain experience, but it is not enough to rely solely on what you learn in sessions. Take time to learn about different life experiences, so that you can better understand what others may have been through, even if you have not experienced them yourself.

A helpful mindset is to consider how you would want to be treated if the roles were reversed. If you were sharing something painful or traumatic, how would you wanted to be treated and listened to in that scenario? Thinking like this can help guide your approach with empathy and care.

This kind of awareness and empathy is at the heart of a trauma-informed or trauma-aware approach. In the next step, we will explore some of the principles involved in trauma-informed research practice.