
Educator Mary-Jo Hill explains how YakBit can revolutionise workplace inclusion ahead of her conference speech.

Having taught in education for 25 years and worked as an advisor, and then later as a leadership coach. Mary-Jo realised that many in the classroom have difficulty in having their voices heard. She also acknowledged that adults in the workplace, during meetings and other events do not have the courage or encouragement to express their feelings and for sure, many voices shout louder and more frequently than others. Just take a look at Amanda Blanc’s recent meeting experience at Aviva!.

## From school to work

“YakBit evolved through my observation that, in a classroom, I needed to learn what is the best way to engage all in a teaching and listening forum, and how this can be managed to better effect.”

Having completed a MBA at the UEA, and taken part in the UEA Business Enterprise Start Up week, Mary-Jo decided that she wanted to use tech to analyse speech patterns and promote inclusivity in the workplace.

## Tech to the rescue

Those who feel marginalised and are less confident will benefit from YakBit. Research shows that there is a need to measure real time inclusion. This carries through from the educational environment right through to the workplace.

By using speech analytics, AI, and machine learning to increase awareness of how people talk and listen in a meeting space. Mary-Jo stresses that YakBit is still in its infancy but is examining ways to use insight to make meetings more effective. The AI will also be able to register silences as well as speech - who is speaking, who isn’t and then analysis can assess why this is so. The aim is to “ensure that there is core participation and there are structures and systems in place so those who are less confident become more engaged.”

## Testing the methodology

YakBit is now trialling the MVP with a creative agency in Norwich, with AI expertise on the Board. Smart Grant Funding for further R&D is vital to move this forward. By talking at the conference Mary-Jo hopes that members of the tech community will contribute, with their thoughts, ideas, expertise and knowledge.

## The future

Corporations who might wish to adopt YakBit, include those early adopters, “who value equality and inclusion.”’ She is also very aware that companies that, potentially, could benefit from this programme, will be nervous. On the positive side “many industries have a mandate to report on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.” Mary-Jo values all Norfolk Networks and colleagues here to find companies interested in adopting YakBit.

To hear more about this intriguing project, come along to [Mary-Jo’s talk on the 16 June at 13.45 pm](https://nordevcon.com)


YakBit - making inclusion in the workplace matter


Ahead of her conference speech, [Katie Fisher](https://twitter.com/pandatwinkles), senior experience strategist at Norwich based, [The User Story](https://www.theuserstory.com/), talked to us about the importance of UX.

## Evidence and psychology

UX is psychology driven. Katie clarifies how user experience or rather, user experience research, is about using human behaviour and attitudes to inform design and the building of products.

> There is a reason behind anything that we design because we understand that there is a motivation behind what people want to achieve by using this website etc.

By speaking to users, Katie and her team try to understand the reasons behind why and how the public use websites. UX designers are approached by businesses that want to understand how people use their products. Without the data, the interviews and the science, it’s impossible to answer these pertinent questions.

## What the user wants

Starting from scratch Katie explained that she wants to comprehend people's problems when landing on a specific website. ”You’re not going to get very far if you’re always asking people something new” is just one of her discoveries.

Technology doesn’t always have to be new as far as the end user is concerned. It just has to work. “People thrive on familiarity, they have mental models for this, the design heuristic is recognition over recall.” You should always recognise something rather than remember. Our memory works like this. If consumers have to work too hard on your website - they’ll leave.

For example, “there are only five icons that are universally recognised by the user.” Introduce a new aspect and the public is puzzled. People don’t always recognise novelty and they’ll have to re-learn things and use a greater cognitive load. The user will have to use more thought to figure something out - they’ll leave the platform.

> To understand if people will understand something, use it and complete a task on the website, we’re looking at behaviour compared to the interview based analysis.

## Developers and UX

Katie feels that there is some misunderstanding about what people who work in UX are trying to do.

> The way that the User Story works is that whatever we’re designing from a really early stage we want to speak to the developers, who are going to have to build it, at this time.

This is the time for compromises. Discussions of time & cost are held during this period. ”This is the time to bring developers on board so they understand ‘we’re not throwing things over a fence at them.’”
“We always want to work with developers, even when they’re constructing the website, as we know that things will come up in the actual build ,that may be either design or the data driven that doesn’t quite work.” Traditionally, this type of collaboration hasn’t always been the focus of either dev’s or UX designer’s minds. Times have changed and all of The User Story projects are collaborative.

“Though some developers aren’t used to having to collaborate, front end developers are better at this way of working than some back end engineers.” Explanations from UX designers can clarify the process. Sharing snippets and video clips is an important step in the collaborative procedure.

## Learn more about UX

If you want to discover more about UX, users and the importance of understanding how and why websites work - catch up with Katie’s session at [nor(DEV):con on 17 June at 13.30 - Your users don’t care.](https://nor.dev/con).


Devs, design & users


Most job specifications deliver poor results. Why?
Below are my two top tips on how to put yourself in the lead and beat the competition. 

## 1. Know what you need from an applicant and why you need it. 

How much thought have you given it? Have you had conversations with other stakeholders and advisors to make sure you’re all singing from the same hymn sheet? Have you defined it?  Have you agreed on it?

If you don’t have a distinct idea before your hiring process starts how can you ask the right questions?  Worse still what if you hire someone but you explained a different job to the one they end up doing, and they either can’t do it effectively, or they quit! 

Perhaps you fix the problem early and just waste the first batch of CVs.  Maybe you conduct multiple interviews before finding out everyone is not on the same page, and more time is wasted.  But perhaps worst of all you actually find and interview that Unicorn Poo candidate, but your lack of preparation leads to messy interviews and delays in decision making. Whilst you are scrabbling around to pick up the pieces your perfect candidate decides they are better than this and pull out. Or your rivals swooped in and steal them from under your nose.  

You’ve wasted time and money.  Your employee brand suffers due to poor candidate experience. Hiring managers grow frustrated because their input is bearing no fruit. And if you used recruitment agencies the good agencies have flagged you as a bit of a timewaster.  

So how do you avoid these pitfalls, and what should you do before you write your spec?

- Speak to all decision makers and ensure agreement on the “must haves”
- Gather ideas on the “nice to haves” too
- Write down clearly defined requirements making sure that the must haves are genuinely 100% required
- Once you have it black and white run it past those same decision makers again for final approval. 

Now you’re ready for part 2!

## 2. Know what people want and what you offer

I recently spoke to a CTO who puts together a fantastic job spec, who said “For me it’s simple, I just try to include everything I would want to know”.  If you take just one thing away from this article, make it that.

So ask yourself  “What would I want to know? What could my future employees want?  Why would they want to work here? What can we offer them?”.

That’s what attracts people. 

Start with the basics, the stuff in the benefits package.  Holiday days, remote working, location, flexibility, salary (if you aren’t including salary, ask yourself why.  Many people will never apply if you aren’t including it). 

But that’s easy, now the real work starts. What separates you from the rest. 

Think about your culture. What really keeps your employees engaged (protip:  It’s probably not the free tea and coffee!).  The best question to ask yourself is “what would the employees say they like about working here?”

- Are you the biggest brand? Or have the highest quality products?
- Are you the fastest growing in your sector? Or most stable?
- Are engineers encouraged to create high quality solutions that are only shipped when they are ready?
- What is exciting about your product?  Is it known by the person on the street? Is it an exciting area of tech?
- Are you investing heavily in to R&D?  Or taking existing products to the next level?
- Have you recently won new major clients? Are your current clients well known?
- If you’re a startup, what experience does senior management have in startup success? What’s the funding situation?  Share options? How much runway do you have?
- Do you provide training budgets, or send your engineers to conferences?
- Perhaps one of your senior team is a world renowned authority?
- Have you won employer awards?
- Do you invest in the latest tech?
- Are employees given autonomy to solve problems their own way?
- Do you have social events?
- Do you have examples of positive structural changes based on employee feedback?
- Are you award winning?
- Career progression?  (Make sure to talk about your success stories in interview, it makes it real)
- Flexible hours and remote working?
- General employee happiness?  Can you back it up with a low staff turnover?
- Unusual benefits, like personal development days, or flexible benefits, gym memberships, free fruit  (okay fine, you can talk about free tea and coffee, but only if you have a proper coffee machine… giving people a kettle and a jar of Nescafe doesn’t count, sorry).

Sure healthcare and life insurance are nice.  But it’s the rest of it that matters. ASK PEOPLE who are already doing the job what they like about it (and what you can do to improve).  Once you’ve discovered what makes your current employees excited to come in to work, shout about it!

Tell stories that back up what you are saying, and don’t be afraid to use facts and figures.

Now you are ready to write a better job specification, and every stage of your candidate pipeline will thank you for it. 

Oh, and before I forget, if you’re hiring in to Embedded Software, C or C++ spaces, you can find Sheridan on [The Scoop](https://recruiters.thescoop.co.uk/sheridan-halls).


The 2 things you need to know before writing a job specification (and how to use them)


In a recent interview with [Alpha Inclusion & Communication’s](http://alphaic.co.uk/), Amy Eleftheriades, the importance of LEGO as a means of reducing stress was explored. As so many Norfolk Developers appear to be mildly obsessed with these vibrantly coloured building objects we decided to look at the roots of their passion.

Originally a qualified teacher, Amy also has experience of working in a residential school and has always worked with young people and adults who have problems with communication. She has also spent time in Brazil working with children and exploring means of enhancing their communication skills. 

While teaching, Amy learned about LEGO based therapy that was used in California to promote and encourage communication for those on the autistic spectrum. Following on from this training, Amy quickly appreciated that LEGO has a lot to offer anyone trying to build teamwork skills as well as enhancing communication development. Amy fully believes that “LEGO is a great tool for a logical thinker.” This has led her to apply her LEGO skills to both adults and children.

![The team went on to use their LEGO experience in their workplace.](/static/images/pages/posts/2021-03-22-looking-at-lego/communication-workshops-at-alphaic.jpg)

She’s also shared her knowledge with a group of IT professionals, “Originally, it was incredible to watch these adults behaving in a very similar way in terms of mis-communication” The team went on to use their LEGO experience in their workplace. This prowess has helped Amy in the field of mental health, many adults, find LEGO a useful way of winding down - relieving stress.

## Bussing Blocks

One of the most ingenious tools used by Amy is the block bus - a converted vehicle no less. The bus is filled with all types of games and LEGO to encourage communication and therapy, this resource is beneficial to all.

Sadly, as a result of the pandemic, Alpha Inclusion’s block bus is resting but the team still carry out their training work via - you’ve guessed it, Zoom. But the company has been on a mission to source tablets and other resources  to continue its valuable work. As a Social Enterprise, funds are always tight but Norfolk Developers’ Neil Carroll has come to the rescue by advising what equipment and tech setup was needed to improve the facilities so that clients can still use the block bus and be Covid safe.

## LEGO & Developers

We also talked to Nor Dev’s Dom Davis about why so many devs love LEGO. He agreed that LEGO definitely helps with problem solving, something that most have to do in their daily coding lives, and he added: “this is a creative process but one that doesn’t require a specific skill set, but for painting, drawing or woodwork you have to have a definite skill.”  And musing about the subject, Dom added, “with LEGO you have a predefined set of components that can be combined and with programming you also have a predefined set of components that you have to put together in an interesting way - this does require a skill.” But with some advanced LEGO you will need a skill, a Bugatti hyper realistic model is a point in question. Dom also mentioned that some with dyslexia problems can also flourish with making LEGO constructions, and gain a sense of achievement that may be lacking in other facets of their lives. During his childhood Dom occupied himself with making LEGO models and he has been constructing since he was 4 years old. 

![Dom Davis at NorDevCon2020 with Alpha Inclusion & Communication.](/static/images/pages/posts/2021-03-22-looking-at-lego/dom-davis-and-alphaic-at-nordevcon-2020.jpg)

And, Tom Haczewski of [The User Story](https://www.theuserstory.com/), is another LEGO enthusiast. He also recognises the importance of using the models in helping those with communication problems. Tom also speculated that LEGO might fill the niche in a programmer's brain that wants to build things. “They are pre dispositioned to build things, as a developer everything you do is about building things from little bits to make a larger construction.” 

## Unwinding through construction

Many Devs also use LEGO to unwind, they can take time away from the screen and find satisfaction in physically constructing something. Rockets, model towns, even pink ‘girl LEGO’ can all be made and there are many levels of technical ability to suit even the most demanding of LEGO builders - the range is huge. There is even a LEGO mindstorm, which is programmable.   

Dom also suggested that one of the many reasons programmers enjoy unwinding by constructing is that “with LEGO I use the same bits of my programmer brain but not in such an intense way.” Even looking for a missing piece of LEGO entails a logical process, but Dom does feel that the building aspect is cognitively intense whereas the search for missing pieces can prove to be cathartic. Over a week Dom can indulge his passion for up to “tens of hours.” He also stressed that this is a wonderful way of engaging with his children.

![Dom Davis demonstrates LEGO Mindstorm Spirograph.](/static/images/pages/posts/2021-03-22-looking-at-lego/dom-davis-demonstrates-lego-mindstorm-spirograph.jpg)

## The spectrum

It is widely recognised that many children on the autistic spectrum excel at coding. Carrying this skill forward to adulthood helps them find their place in a world that’s often very confusing and noisy. Talking about this to Tom, he suggested that “many on the spectrum like order and predictability and LEGO gives people the ability to be creative through using a specific set of parameters ” 

Tom also agreed with Dom that LEGO does act as a tool for relieving stress. “By following the LEGO instructions, you have to concentrate on these and then your mind is diverted from some of the problems you mightn’t necessarily want to think about.”

LEGO isn’t just a toy or plaything, it really can enrich and enhance your life..

***

Amy Eleftheriades joined us last week to discuss Emotional Regulation and her Top Tips for being ok. Catch it all on the
YouTubes, and don't forget to give us a like and subscribe whilst you're there 😉

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Looking at LEGO


## A community, for the community, by the community. That's the philosophy!

I'd like to take some time to talk about this. To get the ideas out there and share the aspiration with the community.

It's been said before, but it bears repeating: When Shaun and I grabbed the reins from Paul it was in ignorance, it took us some time to get up to speed and the Conference was a much needed deadline and a baptism of fire. It served as a very quick introduction to sourcing talks and organising events for the community.

It was stressful, but unbelievably rewarding! The feedback we received and seeing everyone, together, exchanging their stories and experience was great. The network that this community creates is phenomenal and immensely powerful, not only bringing together people working in the industry to help and learn from each other, but also inspiring those cursed with the ever present [impostor syndrome](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impostor_syndrome) to take the leap and apply for both their first role and their next!

We followed that into lockdown with another learning exercise: Virtual Events. In 2020 we've been physically distanced but we have aspired not to be socially distanced, ensuring that no-one was too far away from help, support, or a friendly face. Increasingly over the course of 2020 it became clear that Norfolk Developers could not only serve as a place to exchange knowledge but also be the watercooler around which an increasingly isolated community could come together.

Over the course of this year our idea to make the community more and more decentralised has taken fruition!

Looking forward to how we get there, you may have noticed the @nordev-event-bot yelling occasionally on Discord. Or, the fairly pre-formatted Social Media posts? We have been making strides towards the automations required.

![Let's Go Build a Bot](/static/images/pages/posts/2021-02-15-decentralise-all-the-things/lets-go-build-a-bot.jpg)

Dom spent January’s #WednesdayStreams building the foundation of @nordev-event-bot#v2. This was extended into February to kick off 2021 with a focus.

Let's build those Tools together!

Behind @nordev-event-bot is some software driving the social media posts and the bot’s occasional yells. It also holds a catalogue of our events and a schedule for posting about them. It’s a foundation. Next we need a Member system and a way of enabling those members to subscribe to custom notifications and publishing their own events. Seen something that interests you? We want you to have the autonomy and tools to bring it to the wider community.

### TL;DR: We're increasingly moving toward a self organising community. We're building the tools we need; enabling any member of the community to add an event to the calendar and automatically publishing to social channels.


Decentralise all the things!


Festive Tidings to you, one and all!

2020 has been a tough year for everyone, and one that has tested the very technology on which we rely, and the software we build. Norfolk Developers has weathered the pandemic with the mantra:

> Physically distant, not socially

Our Virtual Social Club has been a bastion for some, and a significant chunk of my life since March. On behalf of the committee and myself I’d like to say a massive thank you to all those who have contributed to the community throughout 2020. The Virtual Social Club will continue throughout December including [a Christmas](https://www.meetup.com/Norfolk-Developers-NorDev/events/pfdncsybcqbhc/) and [New Years Day](https://www.meetup.com/Norfolk-Developers-NorDev/events/pfdncsycccbcb/) special hosted by Dom Davis. All are welcome.

We’ve also run a huge number of virtual tech events this year on subjects ranging from Testing to Git, Data Science to Policing, and more. We’ve learned a tonne about streaming and virtual events and the remote aspect of the audience means Norfolk Developers has gone truly global with attendees from around the world.

On top of this we’ve introduced our regular Lean Coffee discussions, and the Wednesday Streams, where our members build something live on YouTube every month. We’ve already seen projects in [Laravel](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc8-tQY65nvVoYQcZhnRXZQSUmfsW-0_S), [Blitz.js](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc8-tQY65nvWAxfHamYQE9fhMabRkhMnL) and [Statamic](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc8-tQY65nvVBgHax3em4ywCzl4HVx5Qp), and **in January we’re continuing with GoLang.**

![#WednesdayStreams with Norfolk Developers](/static/images/pages/posts/2020-12-21-2020-retrospective-and-thanks/wednesday-streams-hero.jpg)

All this has been backed by our [Discord](https://discord.com/invite/WQwrYrS) server which opened its doors in February as a place for NorDevCon attendees to chat, and for staff to relay messages. When the Lockdown was announced in March we saw messaging increase substantially and we knew it was going to be a valuable resource, but who knew it would be so bustling with conversation over a wide range of topics, both tech and non-tech.

As for NorDevCon, wow, what an experience! For Shaun and I it was truly a baptism of fire having taken over from Paul in October. Thank you to the Speakers from across the UK and globe, who joined us to share their wisdom, exploits and stories. And thank you to the community for attending and your understanding at the lack of refreshments 😃. And to our sponsors as well ❤️, without whom Norfolk Developers wouldn’t exist!

Of course, it wouldn’t be 2020 without bad news. **In August we made the sad decision to cancel NorDevCon 2021**. Not only was this a blow to the community, but it was a massive blow to our finances. The conference is the sole source of income for Norfolk Developers and it is how we fund events and expenses throughout the year. The future of Norfolk Developers was looking bleak.

Thankfully the community stepped up.

They requested we open a [Patreon page](https://www.patreon.com/NorfolkDev) and their support so far has been staggering! We now have 16 Patrons, without whom NorDev would’ve likely been forced into closure. Our heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you.

[The User Story](https://www.theuserstory.com/) also stepped up and became our first Corporate Sponsor. They got our finances out of the red and, along with our Patrons, will help keep the lights on this winter.

We decided everyone deserves a rest in December (the Zoom fatigue is real!) and our last event of the year was a [relaxed exploration of The Webb Telescope](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ExIJzUQMJY). **It was incredible, well worth a catchup on YouTube if you missed it!** We’re still about though, so head on over to [Discord](https://discord.com/invite/WQwrYrS) if you want a chat, or join Dom on the Social Club!

Who knows what 2021 has to bring, but the NorDev calendar is already filling up. We’ll be back again with a vengeance in January, but until then stay safe, and be physically distant, not socially distant.

### TL;DR: What a year! Thank you! Really, we mean it. I look forward to seeing what you all create in 2021 and seeing you all at our first event next year.

2020: Retrospective and Thanks!


### Norfolk County Council’s (NCC)  Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) is in the news and Norfolk Developers recently had a chat with Kate de Vries,an  NCC Economic Development officer and Kurt Frary, Deputy Director of the Information Management and Technology (IMT) dept, CTO and Chair Socitm (East) to learn more.

## The background.

Kate is a passionate advocate of this technology and she explained the network’s beginnings.

> “The project started from a local community venture in 2018. Norfolk has a thriving tech community and this is evidenced from the annual Tech Nation reports. Together with Paul Foster from Microsoft, a team approached the council and this started the ball rolling with a gateway to be placed on County Hall.”

Once the local community put the idea to Kurt in the IMT department he became an enthusiast and saw that the Internet of Things, (IoT) had masses of potential for Norfolk and he could also see how far behind Europe we were and needed to catch up by using this cost effective technology.  This was when NCC decided to work in partnership with Suffolk Council and gained financial backing from the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership. £440,400 was the sum awarded in 2019.

![](/static/images/pages/posts/2020-11-25-the-best-connected-county-in-the-uk/new-anglia-lep-innovation-network.jpeg)

## What is LoRaWAN?

Launched in Norfolk in September 2020, the Norfolk and Suffolk Innovation network is the largest free to use LoRaWAN in the UK. This ambitious project aims to connect LoRaWAN with 220 gateways, 110 in Norfolk and 110 in Suffolk.

And it’s not simply the network itself that’s important, the sensors that are connected to LoRaWAN play a crucial part in improving connectivity throughout Norfolk. These are the ‘things’ that comprise the IoT. The sensors collect data in a variety of situations, that data is fed into LoRaWAN where it can be monitored, assessed, managed and reported.

Working in partnership with Capita, the company has supplied Norfolk with 130 gateways in order to speed up the council's IoT. And, in February 2020, Capita received a £6 million contract to upgrade Norfolk’s fragmented network to full fibre connectivity.

When asked about the project, Kurt Frary said, “it’s going to be better than we ever thought.” There are two main facets to the project, the first of which is getting the innovation project out and about across Norfolk and Suffolk and we already have 50 gateways across Norfolk alone”.

“Ultimately this project will allow us to use IoT devices/sensors wherever you go in the counties.”

“The second part of the project is expanding the use of the network. It’s not just for the county council’s use, it’s for the public to use, for businesses, and start-ups if people want to innovate.”

## "Practical applications"

Kurt went on to explain that one very vital use of the technology can be applied to the perennial problem of gritting the roads and making sure the actual grit can be deployed on time and where necessary.

As he said, “Before the introduction of the network, NCC normally had sensors/weather stations around the county, they cost around £30,000- they tell you the temperature and give out a whole plethora of scientific  information.”

“However, the sensors that we’re now using as a result of the IoT innovation network cost about £120. So where previously we had five or six of the expensive sensors around the county, we can put five in a single area costing us £hundreds rather than £thousands.”

## Local tech involvement


Local tech company, Uniotec, deployed a number of bespoke sensors around Great Yarmouth to measure the road surface temperature. The firm’s dev team created a visualisation platform that gives realtime analysis of road temperatures together with an API that feeds both metadata and accurate road temperatures to NCC.

> As a result of this we’ve been able to double the data we’re receiving at a marginal cost. Interestingly the data we’re getting from the cheaper sensors measures up to the previous information from the expensive sensors.

And with over 6,200 miles of road across the county that need monitoring the innovation network can produce savings of £8,000  per grit run as the information received from the sensors will be up to date and provide crucial information for when a road needs gritting.

<div class="iframe"><iframe width="768" height="432" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AiWyeG03t6w" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>

## Innovative uses

Kate is also excited about future possibilities for the project. “We aspire to support our local business communities, and we hope they’ll develop new possibilities that will be created in Norfolk and sold to the world.” NCC developed its own network, despite the existence of many fee charging others, because the council has always intended that the network is free to use.

Another use of the sensors is in the field of social care. The sensors are unobtrusive and can be  placed in a vulnerable person’s house to allow a carer to check remotely whether the client or relative has got up in the morning. By building up a record of usual activities a carer will easily be able to see if something unusual is happening.

## Endless possibilities

By talking to both Kurt and Kate it’s easy to see that the possibilities for this project are immense. Local agricultural machinery supplier, Ben Burgess, uses the field weather station sensors to monitor the effect of weather conditions on crops. The data is fed into the network and gives a farmer an accurate and contemporaneous record helping the agricultural industry create risk models  for potential diseases. This practice has already cut down the use of chemical sprays and fungicides.

<div class="iframe"><iframe width="768" height="432" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P8GEkm_jMo0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>

## Doing differently

Kurt highlighted how, by using a LoRaWAN on other projects can save money. Uniotec has also worked with NCC at Gressenhall museum. As the museum is outside it’s difficult to monitor exhibit popularity, how long does the public stay at the museum, and numerous related questions. NCC installed a LoRaWAN GPS tracker to be used by the staff and the general public in a bid to answer these questions.

Talking about the network Kurt stressed, “the joy about this project  is that the sensors are cheap - very cheap and easy to use.”  He added that “the network is about small packets of data, you can’t use the network to make calls, even though it’s radio, or browse the internet. You can collect a lot of data from small centres that send different pieces of information.”

The limitless potential of LoRaWAN using the IoT marks a new era of innovation across Norfolk. And, this fits in well with NCC’s ambition to improve its services through the use of technology.

The best connected rural county in the UK - Norfolk


## We've been exploring a range of new formats with our community, in part this has come with the new virtual requirements but it also comes as part of a drive to make our events more accessible and engaging. We're here announcing one of those new formats today:

Norfolk Developers would like to explore the stacks that drive our fine county. We’d like to explore your process and
how you go from A to B.

In short, we’re looking at how you:

- Analyse business/user requirements & translate those into user stories (or similar)
- Project manage the delivery of those requirements
- Deliver them
- And, Test/QA & gather feedback

The format for this will be a 15min lightning talks and we invite organisations (or makers) to join us and talk us
through their process. We'll invite 2-3 organisations to each event, and will then bring them together at the end as a
panel for Q&A.

These events will (can) also tie directly into a directory we will establish here, where we will list those
organisations and the stack they use.

## Suggested Talking Points

- What tools and/or methods do you use to gather user requirements?
  - Do you have “user groups”?
  - Regular meetings with customers?
  - Accept enhancement requests via GitHub, or with a product like Uservoice?
  - Dogfooding?
- What tools and/or methods do you use to translate user requirements into actions or user stories? And what methods do you use to prioritize these?
  - Regular meetings with account managers, support teams, or tech teams to explore user requirements, and or their own requests?
- What tools and/or methods do you use to manage the delivery?
  - Are you using PM tools (e.g. Jira, Trello etc)?
  - Methodologies like:- Agile, Scrum, Shape Up?
  - What aspects of the methodology do you find work best, and, perhaps what do you think is unique about your own version?
  - Is your team remote? Office based? Are you using standups?
- How are you delivering?
  - What’s your tech stack? (from back to front, or from schematic to consumer hardware)
  - What’s your local dev environment look like?
  - Are you using a UAT or staging environment?
  - VMs, Docker, Kubernetes?
  - Monorepo? Private package repositories?
  - Continuous Integration, Continuous deployment?
  - What’s your strategy for deployments (release branches, tagging, artifacts?)
- How are you testing, gathering QAs, or user feedback
  - This may be answered in part within the first question if relevant.
  - Do you operate unit, feature, e2e, or integration tests?
  - Live Chat for Customers?
  - Metrics (New Relic etc)

## Join Us?

If you're an organisation (or maker) and would like to show us your process and the tools of your trade please get in
touch, we'll get you booked into the next cohort.

<p>
  <a href="/static/images/pages/posts/2020-10-04-introducing-whats-the-stack/norfolk-developers-whats-the-stack.pdf" download>
    Download the PDF
  </a>
  <br />
  <a href="mailto:alex@norfolkdevelopers.com">
    Email Alex
  </a>
</p>



Introducing "What's the Stack?"


We're glad you're here! We've been working on this for a few weeks just to get the basics in place, but now we want to invite you to come and help us build.

This website is built with [Next.js](https://nextjs.org/) & Hosted with [Vercel](https://vercel.com/), but to contribute to the development of the website a basic understanding of [React](https://reactjs.org/) will suffice.

We're also very keen to receive contributions to our Posts, and whilst this may seem a little overwhelming the process is actually quite simple:

![A quick video of adding an article to Norfolk Developers](/static/images/pages/posts/2020-07-01-welcome-to-the-new-norfolk-developers-website/peek-nordev-post-an-article.gif)

We're also happy to take your contributions in whichever format you prefer, [email us](mailto:info@norfolkdevelopers.com) your articles and we'll get it up on the site asap.

If you'd like to get involved and are unsure how to then reach out to us, we'd be happy to help onboard you. Give us a hola on [Discord](https://discord.gg/WQwrYrS), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/NorfolkDev), [LinkedIn](https://linkedin.com/company/norfolk-developers-ltd-/)!


Welcome to the new Norfolk Developers website


They're especially relevant regarding several issues we face now, including biometrics, secure data management, and human error with passwords.

The Star Wars film franchise has fascinated society with unprecedented fervor for over 40 years, and it's easy to see why: They're Shakespearean tales with lightsabers and spaceships. But aside from timeless lessons about love and friendship and good versus evil, there are tertiary lessons about technology that can be useful for our progression toward a truly safe Internet.

For instance, it's clear that the Empire has unlimited funding, and yet the Rebels manage to sneak in and out of Imperial facilities in every film with light-speed effortlessness. They clearly have the best security in the galaxy, yet are unable to keep a 7-foot-6 Wookiee and his rowdy cohorts from grabbing whatever assets they'd like, time after time.

> No wonder Darth Vader had anger management issues.

Each Star Wars film has been influenced by the time and events during which it was developed. The cybersecurity lessons learned in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker are especially relevant to issues we face today with biometrics, secure data management, and human error with passwords.

**Warning:** Spoilers are coming.

(No kidding: You've been warned!)

## Betrayal from the Inside

Early in the film, we learn that the First Order has a spy in its midst, supplying the Rebellion with valuable information. After sneaking aboard an Imperial ship (yet again), lead characters Rey, Finn, Poe, and Chewbacca are discovered, and the evil-yet-sensitive villain, Kylo Ren, orders the ship to be locked down. The spy dramatically reveals himself to be General Hux, a top member of the First Order's leadership, who bypasses the lockdown procedures and allows the heroes to make their escape.

Security protocols are only as good as the individuals who run them. Even the most hardened security can crumble when the bad actor comes from the inside.

IBM's "Cyber Security Intelligence Index" found that six out of 10 security attacks were carried out by insiders, and of those six attacks, 25% were carried out by "inadvertent actors." In addition to investing heavily in typical security standards, thorough background searches and monitoring for suspicious employee activity can also save an organization time, money, and peace of mind.

## Biometrics: Two-Sided First Order Coin

How did our intrepid heroes manage to sneak aboard the First Order ship? With a First Order Officer's medallion, conveniently provided by friendly scoundrel Zorii Bliss. This medallion makes any spacecraft appear as if it is being operated by an officer in the First Order and allows undetected travel anywhere in the First Order's jurisdiction.

This medallion reflects the upside and potential downside of biometrics. Biometrics technology is a great convenience and can be immensely secure — you only have one face, after all — but if attackers gain a copy of your fingerprints and face scan, the impact can be disastrous. They're gaining the First Order Officer's medallion to your social media, bank account, 401(k), etc.

> If a password is stolen, it can be reset. But if your biometric data is stolen, you can't just change your body to secure your accounts again. Once that First Order coin is getting passed around the rebel fleet, you can never get it back.

Beware storing biometrics data in the cloud and only utilize it for local hardware access. Otherwise, they could be exposed to anyone — and there's no telling what they'll do with it.

## Limiting Potential Gains from a Hack

In order to obtain valuable information about the location of the Sith Temple, C-3PO needed to decode Sith runes found on a stolen knife. However, his operating system wouldn't allow him to divulge critical information because it could have been used for nefarious purposes. A hacker accessed C-3PO's forbidden memories, but in doing so fully wiped his memory, restoring the iconic bot to his factory settings. That was a smart move on Anakin Skywalker's part because that built-in safety mechanism would dissuade a casual hack, knowing what the cost would be.

The iPhone and other smart devices have implemented similar security protocols. Try accessing an iPhone with the wrong passcode too many times, and the device will have to be reset and wiped to be usable again. That's a brilliant tactic when it comes to safeguarding data. After all, if the hack requires extreme effort for a relatively useless payoff, hackers don't have an incentive to act.

Security companies can go further to design systems that reduce the value of any attack. Using unique passwords for every account, for example, means that a hack only gets attackers into one service — not all of them. Limiting the payoff means hackers will think harder about targeting you in the first place.

***

### _This article was originally published in the nor(DEV): Magazine 2020, grab your copy below:_

import MagazineCard from "../../../components/MagazineCard";

<MagazineCard
  title="February 2020 Conference Edition"
  slug="nordevmag-02-2020"
>
  <p>
    Featuring; Interviews with the Ladies Hacking Society of
    Norwich. Articles on Train Wreck, Ramblings on Micro services,
    Tom's Top Tips for 2020, &amp; What is design?
  </p>
</MagazineCard>

/posts