This case study describes a codesign research project that uses cultural probes and draws on ethnographic surrealism. My rationale for this approach was to move participation in codesign from coercion to collaboration in exploring research possibilities and limitations in codesigning alternative imaginaries in an increasingly data-rich world. My methodolo... Read More

This case study describes a codesign research project that uses cultural probes and draws on ethnographic surrealism. My rationale for this approach was to move participation in codesign from coercion to collaboration in exploring research possibilities and limitations in codesigning alternative imaginaries in an increasingly data-rich world. My methodological experimentation began in 2010 with the development of codesign workshops that engaged end-users in critical and creative explorations of data in everyday life. The shift to an ethnographic surrealism approach in the workshop design was a response to what I saw as the need to explore and collect data on sensitive and under-researched topics, such as women’s experiences of aging and sexism. In 2018, I devised a series of codesign research workshops that aimed to test the ethnographic surrealism research approach and identify key issues and themes on menopause in the workplace with women who had experienced its symptoms. My approach was grounded in the conviction that the outcomes needed to reframe menopause as a rite of passage rather than a taboo that was either concealed, ignored, trivialized, or medicalized at work. COVID-19 lockdowns in Australia, however, meant shifting the research workshops from face-to-face to online mode with cultural probes. This case study describes the specific methodological and practical challenges this shift presented for researchers in the context of hybrid online-face-to-face workshops, codesigning with cultural probes, and creating a safe, collaborative space in which to co-produce knowledge about women’s experiences of menopause at work with the aim of transforming workplace policies.

This case study offers an insight into a research project that used social media data to map geographies of online activism. When mobilization unfolds across multiple physical spaces and digital platforms, it can be simultaneously local, national, and international. This study presents a theoretically grounded, yet accessible and detailed guide to mapping... Read More

This case study offers an insight into a research project that used social media data to map geographies of online activism. When mobilization unfolds across multiple physical spaces and digital platforms, it can be simultaneously local, national, and international. This study presents a theoretically grounded, yet accessible and detailed guide to mapping connections between users and nation-states with a focus on content, language(s), and actors that constitute the mobilization ecosystem online. The method used in this project—issue mapping—draws on a combination of content analysis and network analysis and does not require prior coding experience. Analyzing a dataset that documents transnational mobilization among Ukrainians in Canada surrounding the Russian-Ukrainian war over a 4-year period, I walk the reader through the process of identifying patterns of hyperlinking behavior among those online communities. Having collected and categorized hyperlinks shared across five online groups, I generate a series of network-based visualizations to understand how nations and identities are shaped, represented, and mobilized online. This case study contributes to the literature on ethical and practical dimensions of network mapping in computational social science and would be of interest to those studying social movements, migration and diasporas, influence operations, and disinformation campaigns, among others.

Survey methodology is a cost-effective and scientifically valid way of collecting data in the social sciences, and is widely accessible through online platforms. Creating and conducting an online survey may appear straightforward; however, there are areas within constructing a survey that warrant attention. For example, for a more engaging use of surveys ... Read More

Survey methodology is a cost-effective and scientifically valid way of collecting data in the social sciences, and is widely accessible through online platforms. Creating and conducting an online survey may appear straightforward; however, there are areas within constructing a survey that warrant attention. For example, for a more engaging use of surveys and to obtain accurate responses, online surveys need to adapt to the capacity of the human mind (e.g., attention and memory). The general focus of the present case study will be on how to design, construct, and carry out online surveys with a sound methodology, ensuring a high quality of research findings and publications in peer-reviewied journals. Every methodological tool contains pros and cons and online survey is no exception. This case study will take an in-depth focus on important choices in survey studies concerning research philosophy and methodological approach, cognitive aspects of survey methodology, questionnaire items, response formats, software programs, recruitment of participants, and data collection. Specific examples will be drawn from a recent online police study in the field of legal psychology. Therefore, the purpose of this case study is to equip postgraduate students and junior researchers with the right tools to be able to conduct their own online surveys in the field of social science.

This case study describes the design and implementation of scenario-based focus groups run by a collaborative research team consisting of eight individuals spread across eight institutions within the United States. Originally intended to be face-to-face, the research team pivoted mid-study to adapt the scenario design for the fully online environment in h... Read More

This case study describes the design and implementation of scenario-based focus groups run by a collaborative research team consisting of eight individuals spread across eight institutions within the United States. Originally intended to be face-to-face, the research team pivoted mid-study to adapt the scenario design for the fully online environment in higher education dictated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Shifting modalities presented us with a number of challenges, in particular logistical obstacles with recruiting and the need to anticipate and prepare for using Zoom to conduct online focus groups. Our ultimate success was based on collaborative planning, clear data management, and extensive documentation.