HCD research and evidence plan

Purpose

When to use this plan

Use it after intake identifies a meaningful evidence need and before recruitment, data access, fieldwork, analysis, or AI-assisted transformation begins. It is especially useful when a decision affects access, service outcomes, policy, delivery commitments, or people who may experience unequal burdens.

Keep the first version proportional to the decision and risk. This template supports planning and review; it does not replace applicable legal, privacy, records, security, ethics, or accessibility authority.

Decision framing

Define what the evidence must change

1. Name the decision, accountable owner, and decision date.
2. State the uncertainty, assumption, or material risk.
3. Record what is already known and where it came from.
4. Identify evidence that could change or stop the direction.
5. Set boundaries so collection does not expand without review.

Connected planning

Apply five principles together

Inclusive research

Plan participation without treating access as an exception

• Identify who is affected, missing, or likely to carry additional burden.
• Provide accessible recruitment, consent, materials, activities, and communication modes.
• Budget time and resources for accommodations and participant support.
• Record sampling limitations instead of generalizing beyond the evidence.
• Offer safe ways to decline, withdraw, or avoid disclosing sensitive information.

Responsible evidence

Set stewardship rules before collection

Document the minimum information needed, permitted systems, access roles, retention and deletion rules, and escalation path. If AI or automation will transform evidence, state the approved use, prohibited data, human review, source-preservation method, and how unsupported interpretations will be detected.

Reusable artifact

Copy the Markdown plan

Adapt this structure in an authorized, governed environment. Do not place participant data, credentials, sensitive operational details, or restricted evidence in an unsuitable system.

# HCD research and evidence plan

## Plan control
- Effort or request:
- Accountable decision owner:
- Research or evidence lead:
- Contributors and reviewers:
- Version and status:
- Decision deadline:
- Next review date:

## Decision and learning questions
- Decision this evidence must inform:
- Current uncertainty or risk:
- Primary learning questions:
- What is already known and from which sources:
- Evidence that could change or stop the planned direction:
- Questions explicitly outside this plan:

## People and participation
- People affected by the decision:
- Groups at risk of exclusion or disproportionate burden:
- Accessibility-inclusive recruitment and participation needs:
- Sampling approach and known limitations:
- Compensation, consent, and withdrawal approach:
- Accommodations, communication modes, and support:

## Evidence and methods
For each learning question:
- Method or permitted evidence source:
- Why it is appropriate:
- Participants, records, or other inputs:
- Collection or review procedure:
- Accessibility and usability of the research activity:
- Known bias, limitation, or competing explanation:
- Validation or triangulation approach:

## Privacy, safety, and stewardship
- Data minimization:
- Sensitive or restricted information:
- Authorized collection and processing environment:
- Access roles:
- Retention and deletion rule:
- De-identification or redaction:
- Incident or participant-harm escalation:
- AI or automation use, human review, and prohibited uses:

## Traceability and interpretation
- Source and evidence identifiers:
- Observation record:
- Interpretation and rationale:
- Confidence and supporting evidence:
- Contradictory evidence or disagreement:
- Validation status and reviewer:
- Unresolved evidence gaps:

## Decision and delivery handoff
- Synthesis output and owner:
- Decision record and approving authority:
- Requirements, acceptance criteria, or delivery checkpoint affected:
- Accessibility finding or exception path:
- Reusable knowledge and permitted audience:
- Action owner and due date:
- Follow-up evidence or measurement needed:

Readiness review

Check the plan before research begins

• Is the decision owner prepared to act on the evidence?
• Are affected and frequently excluded people represented appropriately?
• Are participation activities and materials accessible?
• Are consent, privacy, security, retention, and access requirements approved?
• Can observations be distinguished from interpretation and recommendation?
• Will contradictory evidence and disagreement remain visible?
• Are limitations and acceptable confidence explicit?
• Does the plan end in a named decision, delivery, and knowledge handoff?