Strategy 1

Draft your report outline

Write out all of your research findings, insights, recommendations, quotes, visuals, charts and more into a list. Your final report outline and structure will likely change as you create your report. That’s okay but take time to understand what you’re trying to communicate first to save yourself time.

TIP: Put the critical findings and information in the beginning of your report (such as in the executive summary or the start of your findings section).

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Strategy 2

Put your findings and report content into an understandable structure or format

Write out or doodle your report’s structure on a piece of paper. Think about how findings are connected or how you can transition between findings in a logical way. Avoid creating your report inside your presentation or slide software until you have an outline.

Examples of structures are listed below, but feel free to create your own.

Examples of Report Structures

• Compare/Contrast findings or viewpoints — where you walk through findings by alternating the perspective between two or more interconnected segments(such as a delivery driver and consumer), tools (such as mobile and desktop) or scenarios (like buying a car before and after a pandemic)
• By frequency
• By topic
• By problem
• By priority or urgency to solve
• By date/timeline
• By method or methodology
• By participant segment

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Strategy 3

Think-in-Sentences

Write your main report findings on sticky notes. Arrange the findings in an order that’s meaningful and relevant to your research questions.

Starting from the first finding, briefly rehearse what you’d say to your stakeholders/audience for each finding. Your goal is to move between findings in a smooth, logical manner. Move around the sticky notes and try different orders to see what works.

TIP: If you’re struggling to smoothly jump from one finding to the next, write down why or what the problem is in your analysis journal. Being clear on the issue can help expose you to better ways to connect findings..

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Strategy 4

Keep your report short as possible

Good stories aren’t inherently short, but it’s hard to make a long story with the limited time you have and hope that stakeholders pay attention. This means you should stick to a short story (such as 30-35 slides in total or no more than a 30-minute presentation).

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Strategy 5

Use repetition occasionally

To emphasize certain findings or insights, repeat them at appropriate times in your report. This can help your stakeholders/audience remember important findings easier.

TIP: Avoid repeating the same ideas over and over (within or across reports) as this can desensitize your stakeholders/ audience to the meaning in your research findings.

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Strategy 6

Spike your stakeholders/audience’s attention occasionally

For longer or complex reports or presentations, add in different elements to engage and spike your stakeholder’s/audience’s attention.

Some examples of spiking attention in a report are shown below:

• A visual design change (breaking away from a standard slide template to something different such as big text, graphs, illustrations, insight, product images, etc.)
• Rich media (such as images, videos, audio)
• Showing artifacts (such as relevant tools or items, borrowed with permission, from participants)
• Question-and-answer or any kind of audience engagement

TIP: Don’t make every slide “stand” out, as the emphasis will lose meaning. If you can, limit yourself to 3-4 attention spikes per report.

Step 1

Ask yourself: “Why do you want to visualize this?”

Don’t just add visuals to your deliverables just because you have white space! Use visuals sparingly so you can spike and hold the reader’s attention.

Fill out this “Main Idea” sentence to help you figure out what you’re trying to communicate with your visualization: **“If someone read/saw this visualization, they see or learn that** [XYZ main idea]**.”**

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Step 2

Use one of these exercises

This exercise is used to get you to view your main idea from different perspectives. You can learn more about your main idea from the ease or difficulty you have when filling out the four squares. If you really struggle to fill the squares, try a different main idea, or ask yourself if you really need to visualize this.

Exercise 1: Text-to-Speech

• Go to Google Translate (or any text-to-speech tool)
• Type the main idea you’re trying to communicate visually
• Close your eyes and listen to the main idea out loud
• Notice what pictures, patterns, diagrams, or ideas come into your mind when listening
• Spend 30-60 seconds doodling what you thought about in your analysis journal
• Repeat, as needed

TIP: Try to listen to different iterations of the main idea sentence. This can help you see or imagine a visualization from a new perspective.

Exercise 2: Timed Square

• On a piece of paper, draw a rectangle in the center and write in the main idea you’re trying to communicate visually
• Then, split the page into four quadrants or squares
• Start a timer for 100 seconds
• For 25 seconds in each square, draw quick ways of communicating the main idea
• After the timer ends, go back and review which visuals are helpful to communicate your main idea

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Step 3

Consider how impactful or relevant a visual is in your report

• If your visual or diagram doesn’t further the main ideas within your larger report, consider removing or ignoring them. If they contradict or challenge other ideas, consider writing down what the contradiction is, as that might help you notice more latent or hard-to-notice patterns in your data.

TIP: If you have a complex diagram (with multiple elements or layers), when presenting, consider educating your audience or stakeholders about one element at a time. It’ll help them understand what’s happening instead of being overwhelmed by your visual.