Why should research questions not be leading?

Research questions should not be leading primarily to avoid biasing the research results. Leading questions are those that suggest a particular answer or contain assumptions that may influence the respondents' responses. This can skew the data and invalidate the findings, as participants may feel pressured to respond in line with the implied direction of the question rather than sharing their genuine thoughts and feelings.

Non-leading questions allow for more open, honest, and diverse responses, which enhances the integrity of the data collected. This results in more reliable insights that can better inform design decisions and ultimately lead to creating user-centered solutions. Keeping questions neutral helps to accurately capture the entire range of user perspectives, making the research more robust and valuable.