You are being invited to take part in a research project. Before you decide, it is important for you to understand why the project is being done and what it will involve. Please take time to read the following information carefully and discuss it with others if you wish. Ask us if there is anything that is not clear or if you would like more information. Take time to decide whether you wish to take part.  

1. Why is the project being conducted?
This research is being conducted as part of a PhD project at Liverpool John Moores University. The study investigates how people respond physically and psychologically to different interior design features and room arrangements presented in virtual reality (VR). We want to understand whether spatial design affects wellbeing in ways that can be measured objectively, beyond personal preferences. People spend about one third of their lives sleeping and a significant portion of their waking hours at work, which means that the design of bedrooms and workplaces is particularly important for wellbeing and productivity. The findings will contribute to evidence-based approaches to designing healthier living and working environments.

2. Why have I been invited to take part?
You have been identified as a potential participant because you responded to a recruitment poster, online advertisement, email, or the Sona research participation system.
I aim to recruit approximately 50-60 participants for this study.

You should only take part if the following conditions apply to you:

Eligibility Requirements – you must NOT take part if the following conditions apply to you:

These criteria are in place to minimise risks associated with VR exposure and physiological monitoring, and to ensure participant safety. 

3. Do I have to take part?
No. It is up to you to decide whether to take part. You can ask questions about the project before deciding. You can stop being part of the project at any time, without giving a reason. You may leave the project by informing the researcher at any point during the session. If you wish to withdraw after the session, you may contact the Principal Investigator using the details provided below. Participation is voluntary, and we respect your decision.

4. What will happen to me if I take part?
The study involves a single laboratory visit lasting approximately 45 to 60 minutes (in exceptional circumstances, sessions may extend up to 110 minutes if additional recovery time is needed for your safety). The session will take place at the Psychophysiology Laboratory in the Tom Reilly Building at LJMU.

During your visit, the following will occur:

5. Are there any possible disadvantages or risks in taking part?
The main risks associated with this study are:

All procedures are structured to minimise risk and burden. Your safety is our priority. If you wish to stop at any point, you are free to do so and will still receive the full £15 compensation and, if applicable, research participation points. If you notice any symptoms that persist or worsen after leaving the laboratory (for example, sustained dizziness, nausea, headache, or unusual discomfort at sensor sites), you should contact your GP or NHS 111 for advice. LJMU students may also contact the LJMU Student Wellbeing service.

6. Are there any benefits in taking part?
While there are no immediate personal benefits, your involvement is crucial in guiding the development of approaches to designing better workplaces and bedrooms. You will also gain first-hand experience of participating in psychological research and using immersive VR and psychophysiology in a controlled setting.

7. Information withheld until debriefing
During this study, you will be told that you are evaluating different room layouts and spatial arrangements. This is accurate. However, the specific theoretical framework guiding the design of the rooms will not be disclosed until after your VR exposures are complete. This approach is necessary to ensure your responses are not influenced by prior expectations or knowledge. All information provided to you before and during the session is accurate and complete regarding what you will do and experience, and nothing is hidden about potential risks or procedures. Full disclosure of the theoretical framework will occur during the debriefing session at the end, and you will have the opportunity at that point, and in the short period immediately afterwards before your data are anonymised, to ask questions or choose to withdraw your data if you wish.

8. Will I receive any payment or reward?
Financial payment: All participants will receive a £15 shopping voucher (Amazon or M&S) as reimbursement for taking part in one laboratory session lasting around 50–75 minutes. The voucher will be provided immediately after the session during laboratory checkout.
Research participation points (psychology students only): If you are an eligible psychology student taking part through the Sona system, you will also receive the research participation points required for your degree. The exact number of points will be shown on Sona when you sign up.

If you decide to stop early for any reason, you will still receive the full £15 voucher and, if applicable, research participation points. Payment and points are not linked to performance or to completing all VR exposures.

9. What personal data will be collected and what will happen to this?
The information you give us, or that we collect from you, from which you can be identified (for example, from identifiers such as your name, date of birth, email address or contact details) is known as personal data. Taking part in this project will involve the collection/use of your personal data. We will keep all information about you safe and secure. The investigator and supervisor will have access to some or all of your personal data. You can object to our processing of your data and have the right to ask us to access, remove, change or delete data we hold about you for the purposes of the study. We might not always be able to do this if it means we cannot use your data to do the project. If so, we will tell you why we cannot do this. Further information about how Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) uses personal data can be found in the LJMU Privacy Notice for Research Participants: https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/legal/privacy

The personal data collected will include:
• Contact details. We will collect your contact details (for example, your email address) so that we can send you booking confirmations or contact you about your appointment if needed. Your contact details will be stored separately from the research data and will not be stored together with the project data collected from you.
• A record of consent (which will include your name). This will be your signed consent form confirming that you have agreed to take part.
• Project data. We will use a code/pseudonym so that you cannot be directly identified from the project data. In this study, the project data include physiological recordings (skin conductance, heart rate, heart rate variability, facial muscle activity and eye tracking), your questionnaire responses, and basic demographic information (for example, age band, gender, ethnicity and level of familiarity with feng shui). Some of the information we collect will be more sensitive categories of personal data (special category personal data), in particular information about your health (for example, motion sickness, epilepsy or other conditions that affect your ability to use virtual reality safely).

Identifiable project data will be stored securely for the duration of the project, unless there is no need for the data to be identifiable, at which point it will be made anonymous. Other data (including consent forms and the linking document that connects your name to your participant ID code) or project data that needs to be identifiable will be stored securely at LJMU for twelve months after thesis submission and then destroyed. Pseudonymised research data, where your identity has been replaced by an ID code, will be stored securely at LJMU for seven years in line with LJMU policy. After the linking document has been deleted, the research data will be fully anonymous and it will no longer be possible to remove your data because it cannot be linked back to you.

Questionnaire responses and physiological data will be transferred from the laboratory computers to secure LJMU OneDrive using the university network and will not be stored on personal computers, USB drives or portable hard drives. Backup copies will be stored on LJMU OneDrive only, where files are automatically encrypted at rest. Routine IT security monitoring is carried out by LJMU in line with university policy.

No external collaborators, commercial entities or international partners will have access to your identifiable data. Anonymised, non-identifiable research data may be stored on the Open Science Framework (OSF, an open science data repository) if you have given consent for this. Any data shared on OSF will not contain your name or contact details and will not allow you to be identified.

10. Will the project be published? Could I be identified from any publications or other outputs?
The findings from this project will be written up in a PhD thesis and may be published in academic journals or presented at conferences. All reports will be written in a way that no one can identify you as a participant. Only anonymised, aggregated data will be presented.

11. Data Protection
Liverpool John Moores University is the data controller with respect to your personal data and as such will determine how your personal data is used in the project. The University will process your personal data for the purpose of the project outlined above. Research is a task that is performed in the public interest. Further information about your rights with respect to your personal data is available from the LJMU Privacy Notice for Research Participants:
https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/legal/privacy-notice-and-cookies/external-stakeholders-privacy-policy/research-participants-privacy-notice
The LJMU Data Protection Officer can be contacted via email: DPO@ljmu.ac.uk

12. Who has reviewed this project?
This project has received a favourable ethics opinion from the LJMU Research Ethics Committee.
Research Ethics Committee Reference Number: 260114LJMUREC289

13. Whom do I contact if I have a concern about the project or I wish to complain?
If you have a concern about any aspect of this project, please contact Dr Michael Richter (M.Richter@ljmu.ac.uk), and we will do our best to answer your query.  You should expect a reply within 10 working days.  If you remain unhappy or wish to make a formal complaint, please contact the Chair of the Research Ethics Committee at Liverpool John Moores University who will seek to resolve the matter as soon as possible:
Chair, Liverpool John Moores University Research Ethics Committee; Email: FullReviewUREC@ljmu.ac.uk;
Tel: 0151 231 2121; Research Innovation Services, Liverpool John Moores University, Exchange Station, Liverpool L2 2QP

Contact Information
If you have any questions or concerns about this project, please contact:
Principal Investigator: Mr Jan Cisek  Email: J.Cisek@2022.ljmu.ac.uk / Mobile/WhatsApp: 07956 288574
Academic Supervisor: Dr Michael Richter  Email: M.Richter@ljmu.ac.uk

If you have any concerns about the way this study has been conducted, you may contact the Chair of the LJMU Research Ethics Committee at researchethics@ljmu.ac.uk

Thank you for taking the time to read this information sheet.