Thank you for your interest in taking part in this survey!

 

Before you decide whether to participate it is important for you to understand why the research is being done and what it will involve. Please take time to read the following information carefully.

 

Project Title: Understanding the role of technology in supporting gender identity development
 

Department: UCL Interaction Centre
 

Contact Information:

Leya George (UCL Interaction Centre): leya.george.14@ucl.ac.uk

Dr Aneesha Singh (UCL Interaction Centre): aneesha.singh@ucl.ac.uk
 

What is the Project’s Purpose? This study aims to help us understand how people use technology to think about/explore their gender identity, to identify how the design of technology can be improved and in what ways this development can be supported.
 

Why have I been chosen? We are looking for participants who have thought about, explored and/or questioned their gender identity, regardless of how they identify now.
 

Gender identity refers to a person’s sense of themselves as a man, woman, both, neither etc., which may or may not be the same as the gender they were assigned at birth. People can have unique and personal journeys as they explore and come to understand their gender identity (whether they are trans/gender diverse including non-binary, agender, questioning and/or cisgender).
 

Sometimes, technology can play a role in this journey; some people intentionally use certain platforms to help them develop and/or express their gender identity (for example, finding online communities and resources, blogging etc.); exploration and reflection of gender identity can also happen as a result of using technology (for example, reading other people’s accounts online, playing a game as another character etc.). If you consider yourself to have experience in thinking about your own identity, we would love to hear your thoughts!

You must also be over the age of 18.
 

Do I have to take part? Taking part is entirely voluntary. You are free to withdraw from the study at any time without explaining why. Refusal or withdrawal from the study will involve no penalty or loss, now or in the future. All survey responses are anonymous. By submitting your survey response, you consent to participate in the study. It is not possible to withdraw your answers once they have been submitted.

What will this study involve?
This study involves completing an online questionnaire that should take approximately 15 minutes (but this depends on how much information you want to provide).

We will ask some questions about you – to help us get an idea of who is completing the questionnaire. This will also provide important information that will allow us to assess people’s unique needs and experiences depending on their background. You will not be asked for any identifiable information (e.g. real names/locations).
 

Next, you will be asked about types of technology you have used that may have played a role in helping you understand/explore your gender identity, and to give a few examples. You may give additional details regarding in what way they played a role if you wish.
 

How will this information I provide be collected and stored? Survey responses will be collected and securely stored in an encrypted drive (any identifiable information will be deleted before it is stored).
 

What are the possible disadvantages and risks of taking part? We have identified no notable risks to you for taking part in the study. It is possible that being asked to reflect on your use of technology for exploring/understanding your gender identity may be uncomfortable. We encourage you to only disclose experiences that you are comfortable disclosing,  In the event that participating causes you any distress, you are free to withdraw from the study at any time without giving a reason. In addition, we have provided a list of resources at the end of the survey that you might find helpful.

What are the possible benefits of taking part? While there are no direct benefits to taking part, we hope that you will find this research interesting. We aim to use the findings to provide a better understanding of the kinds of technology that help to promote understanding of identity and to identify areas for support. The responses from the survey will be used to inform future studies and will ultimately help us to identify any gaps in the current provision of technology.
 

What if something goes wrong? If you have a complaint or have any concerns, you can contact the Principal Researcher, Dr Aneesha Singh (aneesha.singh@ucl.ac.uk). Should you feel your complaint has not been handled to your satisfaction, you can contact the Chair of the UCL Research Ethics Committee – ethics@ucl.ac.uk.

Will my taking part in this project be kept confidential? All the information that we collect about you during the course of the research will be kept strictly confidential. You will not be able to be identified in any reports or publications – as will remove any details that may have been used to identify you. To help with this, in your responses, please do not refer to any identifiable information (i.e. information that could be used to directly identify yourself or another person e.g. names of people of places).
 

What will happen to the results of the research project? The data collected will be analysed and presented as part of a PhD thesis and in relevant academic outlets, including public engagement/research talks as well as research publications –you will not be identifiable in any of these.

Local Data Protection Privacy Notice

Notice:

The controller for this project will be University College London (UCL). The UCL Data Protection Officer provides oversight of UCL activities involving the processing of personal data, and can be contacted at data-protection@ucl.ac.uk.
 

This ‘local’ privacy notice sets out the information that applies to this particular study. Further information on how UCL uses participant information can be found in our ‘general’ privacy notice:
 

For participants in research studies, click here
 

The information that is required to be provided to participants under data protection legislation (GDPR and DPA 2018) is provided across both the ‘local’ and ‘general’ privacy notices.
 

The lawful basis that will be used to process your personal data are: ‘Public task’ for personal data and’ Research purposes’ for special category data.
 

Your personal data will be processed so long as it is required for the research project. If we are able to anonymise or pseudonymise the personal data you provide, we will undertake this and will endeavour to minimise the processing of personal data wherever possible.

If you are concerned about how your personal data is being processed, or if you would like to contact us about your rights, please contact UCL in the first instance at data-protection@ucl.ac.uk.
 

Who is organising and funding the research?

This research is sponsored by the EPSRC.

 

Informed Consent: