Control Consent in a Research Repository
Design consent controls that keep research recordings, transcripts, clips, and findings aligned with each participant's permissions.
The brief
Understand the problem
Background
A research repository may hold recordings and derived artifacts long after a study ends. Consent can differ by artifact, audience, purpose, and retention period, so a single access toggle is not enough.
User context
Lena manages a repository for a product research team. A participant has withdrawn permission to share video clips outside the study team, while anonymized findings may still be retained.
Product problem
Repository owners need to translate consent terms into enforceable access and retention actions without erasing valid research history or leaving restricted copies behind.
Objective
Design participant-level consent review, access enforcement, withdrawal handling, and audit confirmation for one repository.
What to design
Define the experience
Required experience
- Inspect consent scope across original and derived artifacts
- Change access when a consent term expires or is withdrawn
- Resolve downstream clips, notes, and shared links
- Produce a clear record of completed and outstanding actions
Screens and states
- Participant consent record
- Artifact impact review
- Withdrawal action plan
- Consent audit log
Core user flow
Follow the critical path
- 01
Lena opens the participant record and verifies the withdrawal request
- 02
The repository maps the restriction to recordings, clips, transcripts, and published findings
- 03
She revokes external links and assigns review of two derived clips
- 04
An authorized researcher confirms that the retained findings meet the consent terms
- 05
The repository records completed actions and one pending deletion from an archive
Product rules
Requirements and constraints
Requirements
- Represent consent by artifact type, audience, purpose, and retention period
- Show the source agreement beside any interpreted repository rule
- Trace derived artifacts back to the participant material they use
- Require confirmation for deletion, redaction, or continued retention
- Keep a tamper-evident record without preserving withdrawn media in the audit view
Constraints
- Only designated repository administrators can change consent enforcement
- A withdrawn recording may exist in controlled backups until a documented purge window
- Search previews must respect the same restrictions as full artifacts
Reality check
States worth considering
Finish line
What to deliver
- Four desktop screens showing a partial consent withdrawal and downstream remediation
If you want more
Optional extensions
Optional direction
Visual resources
Use these as a starting constraint if you want one. They are not part of the required solution.
Quattrocento & Quattrocento Sans
Clear interface writing gives people the confidence to understand what changed and decide what to do next.
Quattrocento & Quattrocento Sans
Clear interface writing gives people the confidence to understand what changed and decide what to do next.