Questions to Ask When Designing Evaluation Deliverables
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When working on evaluation deliverables (e.g., reports, executive summaries, slide decks), there are a number of questions we ask ourselves that guide the design. We consider the audience, format, and use case for each deliverable, and sync our strategy to the client’s needs and requirements.
When planning for your next evaluation deliverable, you might consider asking yourself the following questions:
Who is the audience? What do they need to know? What might they have questions about? What type of language should we use (e.g., academic audience vs practitioner)?
What is the purpose of this deliverable? What do we need to include to meet this purpose? Are there ways we can help guide the reader towards the “action-oriented” elements? How should we design the deliverable to meet this purpose? Should we include full study details, or focus on visuals and high-level concepts? What level of detail is appropriate? What sections should we include?
What comes next for the users? How can we involve users in the interpretation of this deliverable? How will they put what they learn into practice? How can we support the continued incorporation of these findings?
We practice participatory evaluation, where clients are typically a part of the interpretation of data and creation of recommendations, among other steps. If this approach resonates with you, you might also think about including other perspectives in your conversations about deliverables. However you decide to approach this conversation, this is a good starting point for a list of questions to consider in order to best align your deliverables with the needs and goals of your organization and audience.
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