Tester Confidentiality & Ethical Research Agreement
This Tester Confidentiality & Ethical Research Agreement ("Agreement") governs your participation in user experience (UX) evaluation sessions, prototype testing, software trials, physical hardware evaluations, or research interviews conducted by the Innovation Lab at AM Digital Designs ("Studio", "we", "us") on behalf of our studio and commercial B2B clients ("Clients").
1. Non-Disclosure & Intellectual Property Protection
As a participant, you will receive access to confidential, unreleased software applications, proprietary branding, spatial interface concepts, robotics firmware, design wireframes, and AI tools ("Confidential Information"):
- Strict Non-Disclosure: You agree to keep all Confidential Information strictly secret. You shall not discuss, publish, disclose, or demonstrate any aspect of the testing materials to any third party, including social media platforms, public forums, or news outlets.
- Prohibition of Media Capture: Taking screenshots, screen recordings, photographs, audio recordings, or external video captures of testing environments using secondary devices is strictly prohibited.
- Ownership Rights: All intellectual property rights in prototypes, software code, concepts, and designs remain the exclusive property of AM Digital Designs and its Clients. Your participation does not grant any license or ownership right to any material tested.
2. Ethical UX Research Framework & Participant Rights
AM Digital Designs is founded on human-centered, ethical UX design principles. We treat research participants with dignity, honesty, and full transparency:
- No Deceptive Design or Dark Patterns: We do not employ manipulative UI tactics, dark patterns, hidden consent traps, or psychological coercion during research sessions. All task scenarios evaluate authentic usability.
- Voluntary Participation & Right to Withdraw: Your participation is completely voluntary. You reserve the absolute right to pause, skip tasks, or end your evaluation session at any time without financial penalty or loss of earned compensation.
- Informed Consent: Prior to beginning any session, you will be informed of the research objectives, the types of data recorded (e.g., audio, screen movement, clickstreams), and how that data will be utilized.
3. Physical Hardware, Robotics & Spatial Safety Waiver
When participating in testing sessions involving physical hardware, humanoids, embodied AI agents, spatial computing, or in-person commercial business environments:
- Assumption of Risk: You acknowledge that evaluating physical hardware or robotic prototypes carries inherent operational risks. You agree to exercise reasonable care and remain alert to your physical surroundings at all times.
- Safety Protocol Compliance: You agree to strictly adhere to all safety instructions, spatial boundaries, equipment guidelines, and emergency stop procedures communicated by our research team or local commercial hosts.
- Liability Release: Except in cases of gross negligence or willful misconduct by the Studio, you voluntarily release and hold harmless AM Digital Designs, its Innovation Lab, and commercial clients from any claims for personal injury or property damage arising out of physical hardware evaluations.
4. Data Handling, Anonymization & Feedback Transfer
In exchange for your participation and any agreed compensation, you grant AM Digital Designs an exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to analyze, transform, and utilize all verbal feedback, usability ratings, telemetry, and interaction data produced during the session. All Personal Identifiable Information (PII) is anonymized prior to presenting findings to B2B Clients.
5. Remedies & Violations
You acknowledge that any unauthorized leak, media exposure, or distribution of unreleased Client materials will cause irreparable commercial harm to the Studio and its Clients. Violations of this Agreement will result in immediate termination from the research panel, forfeiture of pending compensation, and potential legal action for breach of confidentiality.
6. Contact & Support
If you have questions regarding an upcoming testing session or wish to withdraw your research consent, please contact our research team directly at: anam.cardenes@amdigitaldesigns.com