Blogs

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Hipster Blog

Throughout the Hipster Project, we have documented parts of our research journey to help us reflect on our progress and to share the lessons we have learnt along the way with the wider research community.

From insights into our research process, to impact cases from companies we have worked with, take a look at our blog posts to find out more about what we do.

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A Hipster Impact Case: Spark

Through our workshops, we've empowered multiple companies and software developers to enhance their security and privacy decision making. In this blog, we're excited to share some real-life experiences, including our collaboration with Spark—a cutting-edge data-led mental health platform who we helped on their journey to better security in their product.

Read more here.

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Cyber Risk Management is an Innovation Process

In a world transformed by technology, businesses have thrived, but so have potential dangers. In this blog, Dan Prince delves into the dynamic landscape of digital innovation, exploring its profound impact on prosperity, efficiency, and the emergence of new commercial sectors. He discusses the crucial concept of Absorptive Capacity—the key to recognizing, assimilating, and leveraging new information for commercial success and shows us how we can begin to think about this model in relation to cyber risk management.

Read the full article here.

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Why Agile Fails

Discover insights about our 'agile' journey in research and its unexpected twist! In this blog, Charles Weir explores the pros and cons of applying an agile method to a research project and unravels the story of a year-long endeavor organized into 'sprints,' meticulous planning, and Trello boards.

Read more here.

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Making Sense of Open Codes

In the Hipster project, we faced the challenge of making sense of an extensive list of open codes generated from our analysis of interviews with experts. In this blog, Anna Dyson dives into the world of dual open coding and explores the secret to taming the chaos of code-overload. Armed with Post-it notes and NVivo, our Qualitative Data Analysis tool, we held a focused workshop session to help us and we share our key insights and top tips.

Read the full article here.

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Using Teamwork for Open Coding

Discover the power of dual open coding in research. In this blog, Charles Weir explores the benefits and challenges of using this approach. By independently coding a corpus, merging insights, and refining codes, this approach can minimize the risk of overlooking sophisticated concepts, maintains research focus, sparks creativity, and enhances comprehensibility. Learn how to embrace the advantages of dual open coding, despite its challenges.

Learn more.

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Experiences from the Dark Side of Participant Recruitment

Embarking on the daunting task of cold calling for research purposes can be an uncomfortable experience. However, it is possible to navigate this challenge successfully. In this blog, Anna Dyson shares her firsthand insights and strategies for cold calling to broaden your network of research participants. By curating a tailored list of contacts, establishing an online presence for your project, researching the companies you intend to call, and crafting a compelling pitch, you can engage with potential participants and demonstrate the value of your research.

Read the full blog here

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How to Do Agile Research

The Hipster project is all about working with Agile developers. We wondered if we could develop an Agile Research process to compliment the main ethos of our work. Embracing the malleable nature of software development, Agile methodology proves valuable in research practices as well. In this blog, Charles Weir explores the possibility of implementing an Agile Research process and highlights the flexibility and success of Agile practices. From fixed sprints to self-organizing teams and Kanban boards, learn how to manage and track research activities effectively. Explore the world of Agile Research and unlock new possibilities for your own projects.

Read the full post here.

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Research as It Happens: Bootstrapping Into a New Project

When faced with the challenge of venturing into a new area of expertise, a literature survey becomes the key to success. Charles Weir explores the challenges and solutions to tackling a literature survey where clear objective criteria are difficult to specify. He delves into various ways to find relevant publications, from keyword searches in curated online libraries, and Google's "related articles" search feature, to exploring automated processes to make searches more efficient.

Read more here.

Gallery

Take a look at some of our Hipster Activities over the last 18 months