Terms and conditions

1. About us and these terms

UX Lab is owned and run by El Capitan Digital Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales under company number 10977108, with its registered office at [registered office address]. Our VAT number is [VAT number].

In these terms, “we”, “us” and “our” mean El Capitan Digital Ltd. “You” means the business or organisation booking our services. “Services” means lab-only hire, full usability studies and any extras set out in your quote.

These terms apply to business customers only. By accepting a quote or paying a deposit, you agree to them. If anything in your quote is different from these terms, the quote applies.

2. Quotes and bookings

• Every booking starts with a quote. Quotes are valid for [30 days].
• A booking is confirmed when you accept the quote in writing and we receive your deposit.
• We hold dates for [5 working days] while you confirm. After that, we may release them.
• Lab-only hire is booked by the [half day / full day]. The lab is available from [9am to 5pm], Monday to Friday, unless we agree otherwise.

3. Prices and payment

• Prices are in pounds sterling and exclude VAT, which we add at the current rate.
• “From” prices on our website are for studies with broad recruitment criteria. Niche, specialist or business-to-business audiences cost more to recruit, and your quote will reflect this.
• Participant incentives are [included in / charged on top of] the price, as set out in your quote.
• We ask for a deposit of [50%] of the total when you book. We invoice the balance [after the final session / when we deliver the report].
• Invoices must be paid within [30 days] of the invoice date.
• We may charge interest on late payments at [8]% a year above the Bank of England base rate, as allowed by the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.

4. Changes and cancellations

Plans change. If you need to move or cancel a booking, tell us in writing as early as you can.

Lab-only hire

• More than [14 days] before the booking: you can move it once for free, or cancel for a full refund of your deposit.
• [7 to 14 days] before: we keep [50%] of the hire fee.
• Less than [7 days] before: the full hire fee is payable.

Full studies

• Before recruitment starts: we refund your deposit, less any work already done (such as planning), charged at [our day rate].
• After recruitment starts: recruitment costs, incentives already committed and work already done are non-refundable.
• Less than [5 working days] before the sessions: [the full price is payable].

If we have to cancel or move a booking, for example because the lab is unavailable, we will offer you new dates. If they don’t work for you, we will refund everything you have paid for the part of the service we couldn’t deliver.

5. Participants and no-shows

• When we recruit for you, we work with a specialist recruitment partner and book [a standby participant] for each study to reduce the impact of no-shows.
• If a participant we recruited doesn’t turn up and no standby is available, we will [recruit a replacement at no extra cost / credit the cost of that session].
• If you recruit your own participants, you are responsible for their attendance and incentives, and for getting any consent you need.
• Participants can stop a session at any time. Their incentive is still paid.

6. What we need from you

• Clear information about what you want to test, and access to it (for example a live site, prototype link or test account) at least [3 working days] before the first session.
• Test accounts, devices and data that don’t contain real customer information, unless we have agreed how it will be handled.
• The names of everyone attending or observing, at least [2 working days] before the sessions.
• Prompt feedback on the research plan, screener and discussion guide, so we can keep to the agreed timeline.

If delays on your side mean we can’t keep to the plan, we may need to move dates and charge for any extra time or costs.

7. Using the lab

• The lab is inside The Sharp Project. All visitors must follow the building’s rules and sign in at reception.
• Observers must treat participants with respect and must not contact them outside the session.
• You must not make your own recordings of participants unless we have agreed it and the participant has consented.
• Please tell us about any access or dietary needs in advance so we can prepare.
• You are responsible for any damage to the lab or equipment caused by you, your team or participants you recruit, apart from normal wear and tear.
• Up to [number] observers can use the viewing room. Live streaming to remote observers is available on request.

8. Recordings, data and confidentiality

• For full studies, we are the controller of participant data. We share recordings, clips and eye-tracking outputs with you so you can use the findings. You agree to use them only for internal research, keep them secure, not share them outside your organisation, and delete them after [12 months] or when we ask.
• For lab-only hire, you are the controller of the data collected in your sessions. We process any recordings we store for you only on your instructions, and we will sign a data processing agreement if you need one.
• You must not publish or share footage in which a participant can be identified unless they have given specific consent.
• We keep your product, plans and findings confidential, and we will sign your NDA if you need one.
• Full details of how we handle personal information are in our Privacy policy.

9. Reports and intellectual property

• You own your materials, products and designs. We only use them to provide the services.
• Once you have paid in full, you own the report and deliverables we create for you, and can use them however you like within your organisation.
• We keep the rights to our own methods, templates, tools and know-how, and may reuse them for other work.
• We will only name you as a client, or publish a case study about your project, with your written permission.
• [Founding-client studies: if you book a founding-client study at a reduced rate, you agree to provide a case study and testimonial, as set out in your quote. We will agree the wording with you before anything is published.]

10. Our responsibility to you

• We will provide the services with reasonable skill and care.
• Research shows how a small group of people used your product on the day. We can’t guarantee specific business results from acting on the findings.
• Our total liability to you under or in connection with a booking is limited to the total price paid for that booking.
• We are not liable for any loss of profit, revenue, business or data, or for any indirect or consequential loss.
• Nothing in these terms limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or for anything else that can’t be limited by law.
• We hold [public liability and professional indemnity] insurance.

11. Events outside our control

We are not responsible for delays or failures caused by events outside our reasonable control, such as power cuts, building closures, severe weather or illness. If this happens we will tell you as soon as possible and offer new dates, or a refund for anything we couldn’t deliver.

12. Complaints

If you are unhappy with anything, please tell us at [hello@uxlab.co.uk] and we will do our best to put it right quickly.

13. Using our website

The information on uxlab.co.uk is for general information only. We try to keep it accurate and up to date, but prices and availability can change and are confirmed in your quote. Links to other websites are there for convenience and we are not responsible for their content. Everything on this website belongs to us or our licensors and may not be copied without permission.

14. General

• These terms and your quote make up the whole agreement between us.
• If any part of these terms is found to be unenforceable, the rest still applies.
• We may update these terms from time to time. The version that applies to your booking is the one in place when you accepted your quote.
• These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction.

Questions about these terms? Email [hello@uxlab.co.uk] or call [phone number].