This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at freshspectrum.com. This week’s post was written by Chantal Hoff. Chantal is an epidemiologist by training, who works as an evaluator and Senior Consultant at Data+Soul Research. You can learn more about Chantal on LinkedIn and about Data+Soul Research on their website. How it started: […]
It’s not enough to know.
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at freshspectrum.com. Evaluation is a systematic process to determine merit, worth, value or significance… But then what? Let’s say you followed a systematic process and came to some conclusions about the value of a program. Your evidence shows that this particular program *doesn’t work so […]
Attending a conference? Do this.
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at freshspectrum.com. I’m writing this at the start of the American Evaluation Association’s national conference. Unfortunately it’s another year that I won’t be attending. But I want to pass some advice to all of you who attend conferences like this one with hopes of building […]
Formstorming Charts, Graphs, and Illustrations
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at freshspectrum.com. You want to know the secret to improving the quality of your charts, graphs, and illustrations? It’s simple. Create more than one chart, graph, or illustration. Then pick the best one. Or, in other words, formstorm it. Stop taking the easy way out. […]
Is your report too wordy? Don’t do this.
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at freshspectrum.com. Have you been told your report is too wordy? Or maybe you received input that your report was “too long” or “not reader friendly.” And then perhaps you were given the advice, “make it shorter.” STOP! Don’t follow that advice. In this post […]
Creating Fuzzy Icon Arrays
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at freshspectrum.com. One of the cool things about teaching data design is that I get to personally learn from the people who take my workshops. Today’s concept comes from Celestyna Galicki. This is the second time I’ve featured one of Celestyna’s creations (see her post […]
How to Use Icons in Reports
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at freshspectrum.com. Icons can be a really easy and effective way to illustrate reports and visualize qualitative data. In this post I’ll share some examples, give you some icon use tips, and talk about some specific ways you can develop and use your own icons […]
How to open a PDF in Canva (3 simple ways).
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at freshspectrum.com. Did you know that you can open a PDF using Canva? For years and years, the PDF has been the status quo way to share any kind of research or evaluation report. I think that’s changing a little as organizations push for more […]
What is Data Design?
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at freshspectrum.com. Do you want to become a confident data designer? The first step is probably understanding what data design even means. I shared the following definition when writing my blog post about how to become a data designer. But in this post, I plan […]
Web Reports are Easier to Design than PDFs
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at freshspectrum.com. Why are so many organizations still stuck in a PDF rut? I’ve been blogging since around 2008. For context, I started on WordPress well before I had my own business, years before I started drawing comics, and even before I really started getting […]