In early December I was given the opportunity to join The Youth Research and Evaluation eXchange (YouthREX) for a couple of Zoom webinars. And, if you’re interested, the replays for both are now live and free to watch. User Experience (UX) Evaluation I’ve embedded below, but you can also watch/download the slides for this webinar […]
Inform, Engage, Inspire, with data visualization.
Are you the kind of person who likes to nitpick other people’s charts? I’m really not. I wasn’t there when they decided to use that chart. I don’t know what factored into their decision. As far as their intended audience, I don’t know if anybody actually cares what chart gets chosen. So when a conversation […]
Who cares? And why engaging reports are not always important or even necessary.
So just the other day here in North Carolina, it was in the 70s. Short sleeve weather for sure. Then the rains came and the temperature dropped into the 30s over the course of hours. Enough for the rain to turn into snow, but not cold enough for it to stick to the ground. I […]
What you do is important.
I had a really hard year back in 2017. It was filled with the loss of close family which left a lingering mark on both my personal and professional lives. The couple years that followed saw my business falling apart and then a promising new job ending with a layoff. And by the end of […]
Never Released 2020 Holiday Cartoons
I drew most of these cartoons in 2020 (one in 2019) but I’m not sure I ever shared. I certainly never created a blog post. Honestly, last year around this time, I think I was just a little bit burnt out. And it shows in some of the cartoons. Presents are Outputs This is a […]
How to convert Canva reports into Microsoft Word.
As my diydatadesign workshoppers know, Canva is one of my favorite visual reporting tools. It just makes the process of creating high quality visual reports much faster and easier. But there are still times when you’re working with a team that moving outside of Microsoft Word is a non-starter. And while you can create nice […]
Evaluation Christmas Cartoons 2021 (my favorite is the elf one)
Tis the season for holiday cartoons! Some of my favorite cartoons over the past years were drawn to celebrate the holidays. Not sure if I have any big winners this year, but it’s still fun. Here is this year’s batch, along with random commentary. 2020 2021 2022 Resolutions I remember when the year started. Sure […]
5 reporting myths that need to die.
Researchers and evaluators have developed some bad reporting habits. This post seeks to dispel some of the myths that keeps those bad habits thriving. In today’s post: Myth #1. Your final report should be 8.5 by 11 (or A4). Myth #2. Illustration is not required. Myth #3. Your report can serve all audiences. Myth #4. […]
Data Storytelling starts with Data Story Finding
You may have heard a data expert or two talking about data storytelling. But before you can tell a story, you need to find a story. This post walks through some strategies on how to do just that. In today’s post. The Graph is NOT the Story. What is data storytelling? Being able to find […]
How to edit a PDF graph.
In this post I am going to show you how to edit a vector based PDF graph. You’ll also learn why you might need to so such a thing and how to discover if your PDF graph is indeed vector based. In this post: First, a little data backstory How I turned this graph… …into […]
What is a Slidedoc?
Slidedocs are versatile reporting tools that are an almost ideal format in the visual heavy digital world. In today’s post. What is a Slidedoc? What is a Slideument? Is it the same thing? The advantages of creating a slidedoc. The disadvantages of creating a slidedoc. Tips for Creating Slidedocs A few example Slidedocs. Shortcut: Creating […]
How to report on the web. My Splash Model strategy.
Today’s post outlines a modern reporting strategy that I call the splash model. In today’s post: A recap, why it’s time for a strategy change. Avoiding the Social Media time suck. Your big three audiences. Big splash content. Byproducts and adaptations. Serve the 1st tier first. Then serve the 2nd tier. 3rd tier by extension. […]