So I had this idea in my head for a long time.

Given how the web has fundamentally changed the way we design and share information, eventually the new design methods will work their way into the evaluation world. Reports will change because the context has changed. And organizations will demand more from those that design their reports.

But I think I was wrong, at least on that last part.

I don’t think organizations are really demanding “more” from their evaluation report writers. They’re demanding less. Less pages, less words, less content, and ultimately less to read. And it just so happens that by demanding less, it makes creating high quality comprehensive reports a little bit harder. Because how do you fit all you need to say in just a handful of pages?

After decades as a researcher and evaluator, and a good chunk of years as an independent information designer, I think we need to change our mindset. It’s time to stop giving organizations at large credit for being contemporary or modern just because they are demanding less out of their individual reports.

Better evaluation reports are NOT driven by demand.

My inner skeptic tells me that the demand for shorter reports is often a demand for reports that are easier to ignore. Easier to just skim through and then toss in the trash, or more likely now-a-days, click away. It’s so much simpler to say you read the report when it was only 10 highly visual pages and not 100 text heavy pages.

Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t an argument for creating long boring reports. I do believe as professional evaluators that we should be focused on creating minimum viable reports for all of our different audiences.

Just don’t confuse the “demand for less” as simply a “demand for better.”

The real driver for better evaluation reports is not organizational demand. It’s individual evaluators, and evaluation teams, taking on the hard work of improving and modernizing their own reporting strategy.

It’s the evaluators who go above and beyond in designing their reports, not because they were asked to do so but because they believe that their work is important enough to be shared.

Stop waiting for permission, it’s up to you to create better reports.

The only reason I get to do the interesting information design work that I get to do is because someone in an organization decided to be a champion for better reporting.

The same holds true when I was just starting to get into design as an evaluator and research analyst at Westat. I didn’t get to practice my newly developing design skills because someone asked. I got to start creating interesting things because my boss didn’t tell me no.

Ultimately, your boss or your organization doesn’t know what it doesn’t know. If all they see when they get an evaluation report is a long boring thing that needs to be shorter so that it can be easily ignored, you have already lost.

If you believe in your work, you need to give them better not just shorter. You need to show them why your work is important, and why you are taking the time to create the report in the first place. You need to do such a good job sharing your work that they start to demand more.

YOU are the driver for better reports.

DiY Data Design Workshop – Spring Registration Closes on Monday.

Things to know.

• Registration is still open until Monday at 11:59 PM Eastern.
• After that, public registration won’t open again until June.
• You can get a 15% off discount code by joining my free 1. 2. 3. Report! course.
• I offer unlimited no explanation necessary scholarships of 25% off and 50% off, you can read more about that in the FAQ section of the registration page.

Before I was an information designer I was just a data guy. I learned to design because I got tired of seeing good evaluation work quickly fade into obscurity because it was poorly reported.

Now my days are spent helping evaluators in large organizations simplify and modernize their reports.

I created the DiY Data Design workshop community to teach the stuff I do with my own information design clients to my fellow evaluators. It initially launched about 6 months ago and has evolved quite a bit over that time.

For the next week (March 1 – March 7th at 11:59 PM) the workshop community is open to new members.

Here are 8 reasons why I think YOU should join us.

Reason 1: We learn better together.

This isn’t just a set of self-paced modules. It’s a community. Just about everything I teach is taught live to a group of aspiring data designers. The community is designed using the principles of an effective community of practice.

What does that mean? It means you also get to hear real questions from your peers. And you get to hear about other people’s experiences, and lessons learned, not just my own.

And when we learn together as a community, it amplifies the value and everyone wins.

Reason 2: Less theory more practice.

If you want to become better at data design, create. Then create some more. Then create some more.

I love design theory and diving into the why behind how things work. But ultimately you don’t need an advanced degree in design to create a sleek effective modern report.

So we take shortcuts. Lots of shortcuts. And we don’t get bogged down in theory. Because you can always come back to that later.

My goal is to help you create better reports, faster.

Reason 3: You’ll get ongoing report support.

Every member gets access to an always open Zoom chat room. It’s a place where you can share your work and ask general questions.

But you can also ask really specific questions. You know the kind that you need answered because your report is due in a couple of days. And you’re stuck. And you need help.

Help is here.

Reason 4: You don’t know what you don’t know.

Have you ever created printable infographics, interactive web reports, social media featured image infographics, data dashboards, qualitative illustrations, GIFs, animations, or videos?

I have.

Look, I’ve always been a jack-of-all-trades. And while I might not be the best at any one thing, I know a little about a LOT of things. So we cover a wide range of reporting topics.

Because while some things are hard to do, there are a lot of things that are fairly easy if you just knew how.

Reason 5: The stuff nobody else teaches.

Yes, we’ll occasionally use the normal tools everybody else teaches (i.e. Excel, PowerPoint, Tableau, Adobe CC).

But more often than not we’ll be using other tools. Because these other tools make creating easier and faster. They are also free to use and easy to learn. I’m talking about tools like Adobe Elements, Adobe XD, and Descript.

But the one tool we use most in this workshop, way more than any other data design workshop I know:

Canva.

More and more Canva has become my go to reporting tool for everything from infographics to dashboards to explainer videos. Because it’s easier to use and makes everything faster. And in this workshop, you’ll learn why.

Reason 6: Recipes, Recipes, Recipes.

Okay, so if you peruse through the DiY Data Design offerings you’ll notice a bunch of “Coming Soon” data design recipes. And when I say coming soon, I mean in the upcoming weeks not months from now. I already have a bunch created, I just need to get them onto the site.

Recipes focus on practical designs that we discuss as part of the workshop. They are things that you can create and adapt. They often come with supporting tools like templates and worksheets. Every recipe is also discussed and recorded prior to it showing up in the library.

You can expect to see around 50 recipes added over the next three months. And 100 recipes over the next six months.

Reason 7: Because YOU want to create better reports.

You know how everyone says it’s the audience that matters the most.

Well, that’s only kind of true. Most audiences are not actually demanding better reports. They’re simply ignoring the organizations that don’t take reporting seriously.

The person that matters the most is YOU. Because YOU can make your reports better, even if nobody demands it. And not because someone told you to, but because you believe in the power of your work. You believe in sharing data and evidence. You want people to see your work.

Reason 8: Because there is NO RISK (and scholarships, and a coupon).

Starting this time around, all my member plans come with 30 days free. That means if you join and decide you don’t like it, just cancel within 30 days and you won’t be charged.

I’m also offering no explanation necessary scholarships (see the FAQs) of 25% and 50% off.

And, even if you don’t think you need a scholarship, you can still get 15% off by just enrolling in my free self-paced 1. 2. 3. Report! course.