University of Twente Behavioral Science

INFORMED CONSENT FORM

Before agreeing to participate in this research study, it is important that you read the
following explanation of this study. This statement describes the purpose, procedures, risks,
discomforts, and precautions of the study. If you encounter a term or expression that you do not
understand please ask the researcher for clarification. Before accepting to participate in this study,
you are free to consult with anyone to feel comfortable about this research. You will be given a copy
of this full Informed Consent Form.

Title of research: Consumers online shopping experience

Researcher: Robert Florentin Muster, e-mail: r.muster@student.utwente.nl; Phone: 06 33869940
Purpose of the research
The purpose of this exploratory research is to observe a typical online shopping session. The
main area of interest is to understand the processes and the judgments consumers made while using
a web-shop for buying goods online.
Explanation of the procedures
Before the start of the study you will complete a short questionnaire to provide some
demographic information and some information about your decision making style and online
purchasing behavior. Then you will receive a task to purchase a typical consumer goods product
within a reasonable budget limit. For this you can use any web-shop you prefer.
Please bear in mind that the purpose of the study is to see how you would actually do the task
if you would really have to purchase that product. As such, please act as natural as possible. For
instance, like in real life, if you dont find a product that meets your criteria, or if for any other reason
you cannot decide which one to choose, then you can quit the web-shop as you would do in a real
situation. Remember, the study is not testing you whether you can or cannot find the product,
therefore there is no success or failure of the task.
The study ends either when you get to the payment page or on the place an order page, or if
you decide to quit the web-shop. If the website requests personal data from you in order to allow you
to advance in the purchase process, use the following data:
Name: John/Jane Doe,
Address: Enchedestraat 1, Enschede, Zip code: 1234, The Netherlands.
E-mail: john (jane) doe@email.com
Phone number: 612345678.
At the end of the study you will complete a short questionnaire.
During the whole procedure you will be asked to think out loud, meaning that you will need
to say what you do, why you are doing it, how do you feel about what you do, what you are looking
on the screen, and what are you thinking regarding all the actions that you perform. A short practice
session will take place before the actual study. The study will be recorded audio and video; also the
screen and mouse/keyboard activity will be recorded.
Duration
The whole study, including questionnaires filling and the practice session, should last around
40 minutes. However, there is no problem if you need more time. Also, you can ask for breaks at any
time.
Risks
This study is based on present knowledge of the researcher in charge and is safe for the
participants. By participating in this study you do not undergo any specific risks, and there are no
side effects reported.

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Withdrawal without prejudice
Participation in this study is voluntary; refusal to participate will involve no penalty. You are
free to withdraw consent and discontinue participation in this project at any time, also during the
study, without prejudice from this institution. Moreover, you can withdraw your participation within
a timeframe of 24 hours after performing the study and any data collected from you will be destroyed
and not used further.
Privacy and Confidentiality
During the study all your mouse and keyboard activity will be recorded. Also the entire study
will be audio-visually recorded. All the recorded data and the results of the measurements may be
used for research and publications. The video recorded material will be anonymized (by inserting
dark overlays over the eyes and other distinctive marks) and may be made public for research
purposes. All the plausible efforts will be made and all the plausible cautions will be taken so that
your privacy will be protected. I guarantee that at any point there will be no chance that certain
materials or measurements can be traced back to you as an individual person.
Costs and payments
There will be no costs for participating in this research. Your participation in this research
will not be paid. However, if you want you can receive the results of the data analysis and the
conclusions of the study when they will be ready.
Questions
Any questions concerning the research project and/or in the case of issues due to the project
you can address them via email at the address: r.muster@student.utwente.nl or by calling
+31 63 3869940.

I have read the foregoing information, or it has been read to me. I have had the
opportunity to ask questions about it and any questions I have been asked have been
answered to my satisfaction. I consent voluntarily to be a participant in this study.

Participant name:

Participant signature:

Place and date of signing: Enschede, //2015

I confirm that the participant was given the opportunity to ask questions about the
study, and all the questions asked by the participant have been answered correctly and to
the best of my ability. I confirm that the individual has not been coerced into giving consent,
and the consent has been given freely and voluntarily. A copy of this ICF has been provided
to the participant.

Researcher name:

Researcher signature:

Place and date of signing: Enschede, //2015

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