“Form follows function” was a phrase coined by the late Louis Sullivan in 1896 in an article on architecture and the use of buildings. I use it quite a bit in my work. It is so useful to first know how you will use something before you design it, right? Here I take it a step further and propose that form follows function and can drive action.
“What don’t you know, that if you did know, would make a difference to what you do?” Michael Quinn Patton, Ph.D.
Evaluation reports are meant to provide evidence from a thorough and diligent assessment of a project, process or program so that decision makers make informed choices for the continuation of the project or process, or design new ones equipped with the wisdom gained from the evaluation.
Not withstanding the quality of the evaluation methodology, data collection and analytical framework; and not withstanding the intentional articulation of how evaluation findings will be used , it is often the way the findings are presented that fails to lead to informed action.
Based on the work of Data visualization expert Stephanie Evergreen, this short video is meant as a call to change the way you present data to foster use and action.
You’ll find the guidance I refer to here and check out this evaluation report layout checklist from Stephanie Evergreen where she distills the best practices in graphic design for evaluation reports.
If you find this helpful, let me know in the comments below and if you know of other guidance for evaluation reports feel free to share them below.
Cheers,
Ratiba