Skip contents

When to gather consent

Gathering informed consent is an ongoing process. You must consider it before, during and after your research takes place.

There are no right or wrong ways to do this. The guidance on this page is best practice for most circumstances, but you should adjust your approach to the specific context of your participants and research.

To understand the best ways of communicating and gathering consent from your participants you could do desk research about them, talk to other researchers who have done research with similar people, and use these resources created by the informed consent working group:

For most user research methods, you should send participants the consent form before the date of the research. Do this as early as possible.

This gives the participant time to read the information about the research and consider any potential risks and benefits of taking part. It reduces the risk of them feeling rushed or coerced.

This is particularly important when an individual may struggle to quickly read and understand the information (for example children, people with a mental disability, people with low literacy). Remember that you may not always know this before the research session.

In some situations, or with some research methods, it may not be possible or reasonable to gather informed consent before the day of the research.

This could include:

  • Group sessions (e.g. focus groups, group co-design sessions) where you do not have details of all participants beforehand, or where people join unexpectedly
  • A participant drops out of your research, and you get a last-minute replacement
  • Pop-up research, and other research where recruitment happens in-the-moment
  • Surveys, card sorts, tree tests, and other unmoderated online research methods

For situations where you are present (e.g. group sessions, pop-up research) you must make time to provide clear consent information at the start of the session. You can do this with a printed hand-out or verbally.

Participants must consent before your research starts. Ask them to sign a consent form or, if this is not possible or appropriate, by recording verbal consent (as an audio or video recording), or by keeping a detailed record including their name, the information they were told, and what they consented to.

For unmoderated online research methods (including remote unmoderated usability testing, surveys, tree tests etc), consent information must be presented on a screen before the research begins.

At the start of a research session briefly restate the purpose of the research and what the participant can expect. Confirm that their participation is voluntary and remind them that they can pause or stop at any time. Check their understanding by asking if they have any questions and that they are still happy to proceed.

Check in with the participant throughout the research session itself, either directly or implicitly, to confirm informed consent. This is especially important for vulnerable users or sensitive subjects.

Before each new activity in the session, or if addressing sensitive topic, informally ask for verbal consent (e.g. "Would you be ok if we talk about xyz topic?", "Could I take a picture of this?")

Pay attention to non‑verbal cues that may indicate discomfort or withdrawal of consent (e.g. participant giving a one word answer and looking away). Offer a break or to stop if appropriate.

If the session is going in a different direction than planned (e.g. hearing a child in the background) pause to re‑confirm consent and/or offer a pause or to stop recording.

Check in at the end of a research session

When your research session ends, check with the participant that they are comfortable with what they shared or was recorded. Restate to them how their data will be used and confirm they still consent to its use after.

Offer the opportunity to withdraw, amend, or restrict the use of their data, making it clear this is their right.

Give them contact details (your email address and/or user.research@education.gov.uk) so they can revisit or revise their decision later if needed.

Further help and advice

Related content