Ethical Encounters: HCI Research in Sensitive and Complex Settings

Ethics is emerging as a key issue for HCI researchers working in increasingly sensitive and complex settings. New technologies are now designed and evaluated in settings with vulnerable or marginalised participants, which can be emotionally challenging for researchers and give rise to complex ethical dilemmas that are highly contextualized and difficult to plan for. Further, discrepancies may arise between the structured processes of formal ethics approval in universities and other organisations and the realities of HCI fieldwork 'in the wild'. This workshop builds on our CHI 2015 workshop, providing an opportunity for HCI researchers and others to communally reflect on ethical encounters in HCI research. We particularly focus on situational ethics, researcher wellbeing, maintaining boundaries around the research, issues of consent and participation, and ethical issues arising from the disruption that new technologies cause. We aim to develop a handbook of practical lessons arising from ethical issues encountered in HCI research in sensitive and complex settings.