Principles.

These ten principles guide how Project ECHO designs studies, interprets findings, and collaborates across disciplines.

  1. Isolate Style, Not Content. Hold information constant; vary only tone.
  2. Measure Behaviour First. Study observable signals, not inferred emotional states.
  3. Focus on Subtlety. Small stylistic cues can meaningfully shape trust, resistance or compliance.
  4. Ground in Neuroscience. Reference parasympathetic responses and bonding mechanisms carefully and non-clinically.
  5. Responsible by Design. Prioritise safety, consent, autonomy and debriefing.
  1. Social and Ethical Context. Work transparently; invite scrutiny and replication.
  2. Design Lens. Apply practical UX and interaction-design thinking.
  3. Collaboration by Default. Partner with academia, industry and practitioners.
  4. Startup-Style Agility. Move quickly, prototype, iterate — without compromising ethics.
  5. Future-Facing. Expect evolving outcomes: design frameworks, datasets, and new collaborative models.
Possible outcomes
  • Design principles & frameworks for responsible conversational AI.
  • Collaborative research across academia, startups and public institutions.
  • Shared datasets & instruments supporting replication and critique.
  • Practical toolkits for designers, strategists and policy-makers.