At YLabs, we’ve worked with young people, religious leaders, and government stakeholders to understand and explore issues that are typically kept quiet - so conversations about porn, safe-abortion, menstrual hygiene, and sexual pleasure are nothing new. 

We are committed to tackling the issues that matter most to young people - which can sometimes lead to talking and designing around topics that are considered taboo. We have worked with young people in 15 countries around the world on ‘taboo’ topics so we wanted to share some guiding principles, ethos, and approaches that have worked well for our team. 

Here are five design research tips that we’ve used to safely approach taboo topics in a way that puts young people at ease, elevates their voices, and amplifies their creativity.

Prepare for the impact of your questions

Your responsibilities as a researcher extend beyond the structured interview time slot. When designing new ways to learn about sexual and reproductive health - it’s helpful to understand how people learned about sex for the first time. Was it in a classroom, from an older friend, or from a sexual partner? Unfortunately, 1 in 3 women experience gender-based violence in their lifetime, so talking about sexual experiences may be triggering. When exploring taboo topics, it is important to prepare for how your questions might impact the people you are working with.

Before a project begins, we work closely with our local partners to identify resources, counseling, or mental health services and we create a plan for what to do if someone discloses abuse, sexual assault, or rape. 

Next, practice and prepare. We practice safeguarding scenarios with our research team to make sure everyone is prepared to handle potentially unfamiliar situations. Our number one goal is to help people feel safe and supported - and this includes the people on your research and design team. Consider incorporating trauma-informed care into your staff training. “It may be helpful to use grounding techniques to help reorient an anxious person to the here-and-now,” said Senior Designer Caroline Wong. “You can help someone move through anxiety and come back to the present moment by asking them to name the objects in the room, state the date and time, or inviting them to feel their in and out-breath.”  

Having an action plan in place before entering the interview about how you will offer care and support after the session is key when interviewing participants who may have experienced trauma around the taboo topic.  Make sure that everyone on your team is prepared to listen and respond to potentially stressful situations in a calm way that respects participants and gives them concrete, appropriate support.

Don’t force stories

When you are discussing stigmatizing topics, you may uncover traumatic memories or feelings. At YLabs, we always begin design research sessions by reminding participants that they have the right to not answer a question, not participate in an activity, or even leave at any point. However, because of the power dynamics present between a researcher and participants, they may feel uncomfortable or unable to exercise this right, so it is your job to be aware of their nonverbal cues. 

If this happens, we simply stop and change the subject. “Talk about something that is easy: who their favorite celebrity is, what they do for fun, or how they use social media,” suggested YLabs’ Technical Lead, Nicole Ippoliti. “These questions are still very relevant to your research - and conversations that were sparked from more surface-level questions like these have turned out to be pivotal in coming up with potential solutions for our projects.”

If a participant is looking down at the floor, struggling to make eye contact, or fidgeting in their seat, they may be feeling uncomfortable and want the interview to end. Stop the conversation in a way that feels natural and doesn’t place blame on the participant. Remember, the wellbeing of the person in front of you comes before your research objectives.

Encourage movement, action, and role-play

As we all know from our own experiences, talking taboo topics is difficult, which means that a typical Q&A format can be limiting. We have found that role-playing is a great tool to engage participants, get them moving around the room, and create a sense of safety. When you’re role-playing, you can pretend to be someone else, so it can become easier to start a discussion about topics that you might not feel comfortable saying as yourself.

“During one session with a group of girls in Rwanda, we were trying to understand the experience of purchasing contraceptive methods from a provider, and the group was becoming shy,” said Wong. “We pivoted away from the direct questioning, and instead asked, ‘What would you do if a close friend needed to buy the morning after pill and wanted you to go to the pharmacist with her?’ We assigned characters, including the pharmacist and suddenly the room sprang to life. The group was laughing, acting, and adding extra drama to amplify the experiences they were imagining. This exercise was not only much more fun for the girls, it helped us understand their experiences, perceptions, and barriers to care.”

Create a safe physical space

Creating a safe physical space for young people should be prioritized in your project budget, timeline, and work plan. When you are arranging interviews, find private, quiet, and comfortable spaces where participants will feel safe and unstigmatized. Remember, the physical and mental safety of your participants is your responsibility. A location that seems quiet and safe to you might not be safe for your participants because of community violence or religious beliefs. Work with your local partner to understand these limitations. 

Before others arrive, take extra steps to decorate! We often bring colorful tablecloths, stickers, and snacks to make the space feel friendly, fun, and warm. When your participants arrive, it’s important to let participants pick where they want to sit. Some might feel uncomfortable with their back to the door, while others may be uncomfortable when someone is between them and the doorway. 

During the interview, be aware of the physical space and what your participants might need to stay present and calm when discussing sensitive topics. We always bring objects that people can play with as they talk or design research activities that include getting participants to make things with their hands. This is a somatic trick that helps ground participants in the present moment in order to minimize risks of feeling overwhelmed when they recall potentially traumatic memories.

Be aware of power and extraction

As researchers and designers, we hold a great deal of power and privilege when conducting interviews. Young people may share some of the most intimate aspects of their lives with researchers; oftentimes revealing things they haven't shared with anyone else.

Don’t ask questions that you yourself would be unwilling to answer. In practice, this might mean leaving time at the end of the session for participants to ask questions about your life or your experiences with the topic. “During a project in El Salvador that explored the possibility of taking a pleasure-based approach to sex education, we invited young people to drop questions about sex and relationships into a hat at the end of a session,” said Ippoliti. “They scribbled furiously and added question after question, and we answered every single one. Our team aligned in advance to decide how much to share and how to frame our answers since we were older and coming from different cultural contexts. After all - talking about taboo topics is hard for all of us!”

Finally, build dissemination into your project timelines, budgets, and procedures. “We work hard to share back findings to participants and their communities in a timely, accessible, and actionable way,” said YLabs Marketing and Communications Lead Lauryn Claassen. “It’s ‘extra’ work but is always worth it.”

Whether you’re working with people to understand how they use a product, access a health service, or interact with their peers, remember that their individual and interpersonal actions exist within a larger societal context. Understanding and preparing to work through taboo topics rather than avoid them will help your designs to be more effective and sustainable and your research methods to be more ethical and compassionate. 

Next month, we’ll share tips and tricks for designing products and services around taboo topics. Be sure to follow us on social media @YLabsGlobal or sign up for our email newsletter to stay in the loop.