If research gives just the facts, evaluation is distinct in that it often has an extra layer of interpretation and communication. We don’t just tell people 63.8% of students passed the class, we say “so what?” and interpret whether that 63.8% is good, worse, or whatnot.
I was recently workshopping with a group of evaluators who had bravely submitted their work examples for group critique. In one instance, they had admitted that what I thought were text-heavy slides was actually a full written report. That’s right – they’d used PowerPoint for written report layout. Mind. Blown.
So I made this lovely checklist of graphic design best practices as a product of my dissertation (Standing Rule: If you want to know the details of my dissertation, you’ll have to buy me a drink). It included input from a panel of graphic designers including Peter Brakeman,…
On the plane, heading back from the American Evaluation Association’s annual conference in Anaheim. Long plane rides such a great opportunity for reflection. What’s on my mind? The overwhelming success of the Data Visualization and Reporting Topical Interest Group. We had so much support in getting this group launched…
This morning I defended my dissertation (successfully). Last week a part of my literature review was published in New Directions for Evaluation. Link to the whole issue here. Later this week I’m headed to  talk to the Indiana Evaluation Association about graphic design in evaluation reporting. In the…
Zach Gemignani, of Juice Analytics fame, gave the keynote at the AEA/CDC Summer Institute yesterday. I had followed their 30 Days to Context Connection list earlier last year, so I was super excited to witness the fun in person. His keynote speech focused on the 10…
A graphic designer, I am not. A laborer of long words and awkward sentences structures, I am. That’s why I became super fascinated by the world of report layout and formatting. Maybe the geekiest hobby, I hear you. But so important! I’ve detailed the importance of good communication elsewhere on…
Hey peeps, ever get so excited about picking fonts that you try on each one in your dropdown menu for an hour and end up stricken with fear that none of them will work on your client’s computer? I did this just two days ago. And then I pulled out…
It is so awesome to see Microsoft addressing the misuse of Powerpoint (I mean, did they really have a choice? One of their main tools has been so badly knocked in the media for its contribution to harming understanding, it was either address it or repackage!). Though the storylines were…
I’m fresh out of a weekly discussion forum on evaluation. We talked about some of the same topics that always seem to arise: the importance of knowing your client’s organizational culture, the perils of unclear boundaries, the stigma of bad evaluation. Something struck me this time about that last point:…
