Research that respects the people behind the data.
Rubikn exists to help teams make defensible, proof-backed decisions — especially when competitive claims are loud, vague, or exaggerated. When our work involves talking to real people, we follow the ethics principles below to protect participants and ensure insights are credible, usable, and responsibly gathered.
What this policy applies to.
This policy covers human-participant research conducted by Rubikn, including:
Customer & prospect interviews
Win / loss interviews
Messaging or positioning tests
Short calls or surveys
Any other research involving individual participants
Separate policies apply to website analytics, cookies, and general site privacy.
Three principles that govern every conversation.
We do not collect research data from people without clear, informed, voluntary consent. Participation is always optional. Participants can skip any question or stop at any time without penalty.
We treat participant identity as confidential by default. Findings are reported as themes and patterns, not individual stories. Quotes are sanitized. Contact details are never shared.
Trust requires independence. We disclose conflicts of interest. We do not reuse confidential information from one client to benefit another. If we cannot provide a fair analysis, we decline the project.
What participants know before they start.
Before participation, we explain in plain language — not legal boilerplate:
If anything changes materially — purpose, recording method, data sharing — we re-consent.
How we protect identity.
De-identification
We remove names, emails, and direct identifiers from notes and insights wherever possible. Findings are reported as themes and patterns.
Quote sanitization
If we use quotes, we remove details that could reasonably identify a person or company. Named attribution requires explicit opt-in permission.
Small sample transparency
In narrow markets or small groups, complete anonymity cannot always be guaranteed. If that risk exists, we tell participants upfront and adjust what we collect and share.
Fair pay, no strings.
When compensation is offered for research participation:
We avoid compensation amounts or recruiting practices that could be coercive or manipulative.
We don’t trick people into talking.
No misrepresentation
We do not misrepresent who we are, who we work for, or what the research is for. Ever.
No extraction
We do not use trick questions to extract confidential information. We do not ask participants to share trade secrets, NDA-protected information, or anything they’re not authorized to share.
No dark patterns
We do not use dark patterns to pressure participation. If limited concealment is ever required, we disclose the approach and reasoning to the client — and to participants after the session.
Trust requires independence.
When the conversation gets personal.
We aim to keep research respectful and appropriately scoped. We avoid sensitive personal topics unless they are essential to the research purpose. If a participant becomes uncomfortable, we pause, change direction, or end the session.
Skip anything
Participants can skip any question or stop at any time. No explanation required.
No personal data fishing
We actively discourage sharing personal data or confidential company details that fall outside the research scope.
Accidental collection
If we accidentally collect sensitive information that should not be retained, we delete or redact it from notes and reporting.
How we store and protect your data.
Access control
Access is restricted to the minimum number of people required to do the work. No exceptions.
Secure storage
Files are stored in secure systems with controlled access. We separate identifying information from research notes where possible.
Retention limits
Recordings and raw transcripts: retained for up to 12 months for verification, then deleted. De-identified insights: may be retained longer for quality improvement and historical comparison.
Your rights as a participant.
If you participate in a Rubikn research activity, you can:
Questions about how we handle research ethics.
If you’re a participant with questions about how your data was used — or a prospective client who wants to review our ethics process before engaging — we’re happy to walk through it.