Clients & Projects: Research & Analysis

Our research and analysis work involves two key features. On the one hand, extensive interviews with stakeholders across our client's business, to ensure that our research and conclusions are informed by the deepest possible understanding of their business needs. On the other, bespoke research into specific problems, informed by our continuous critical engagement with the subjects that matter to us. Here are some clients we have recently helped in this area.

BBC logo

BBC Future Media
Analysis of social media and accountability

I already knew that the people at Unthinkable had some of the quickest brains around. The work they did for me was timely, smart, well presented, intellectually cogent and accessible. It gave me some fresh angles on some hitherto intractable problems. 
— Nick Reynolds, Social Media Executive, BBC Online

We were commissioned in late 2009 to produce a report assessing the impact of social media on the BBC's accountability mandate, with a particular focus on its use of blogs for this purpose. This involved us in a wide-ranging and fascinating series of interviews with senior BBC and external figures, as well as research into both the general landscape around social media and accountability, and the very well-established debates that have been conducted in public online over several years by the BBC in particular, its executives and its audience. Our report, delivered in spring 2010, drew from all of that material, challenged and interrogated some of the central concepts involved, and made a series of recommendations about the ways in which the BBC should shape its offer in this area.

The BBC has blogged about our work, and published this executive summary of the report's recommendations.

Analysis of moderation complaints process

In the autumn of 2011 we embarked on our second major piece of strategic consultancy for the BBC's Future Media division. Again through a combination of interviews and extensive desk research, we delivered a paper reviewing the efficiency with which the organisation deals with complaints made about online moderation decisions.

image from Second Life of office inside the Institute of Digital Innovation, University of Teessideimage by Taran Rampersad - some rights reserved (Creative Commons 2.0)

Institute of Digital Innovation, University of Teesside
Technology horizon scan

"Double Shot understood our requirements and delivered beyond our expectations: their lucid and insightful analysis of the latest trends in technology and media, along with a thorough understanding of the implications of these trends for academia and business alike, both identified high growth opportunities and pulled no punches when it came to over-invested areas." 
— Dr Jim TerKeurst, Director: Institute of Digital Innovation

IDI is a department of the University of Teesside, in the North East of England. Sited in its own cutting-edge facility, it strives to bring together local tech businesses and academia, acting at once as a research centre, a technology incubator and home to postgraduate education. In the winter of 2007/2008 IDI asked us (in our previous incarnation as Double Shot) to prepare a report on the state of the digital industries in Britain, helping them to identify areas to target in their research, teaching and investment. Following a series of detailed briefings from the report's commissioner, we wrote a long and detailed survey of the UK digital media arena, and made some typically forthright observations and recommendations.