It wants its 100-page reports back.

My wish: Limit yourself to just 30 pages (or less!).

It wants its portrait reports back.

Are people printing your doc… or reading it from their (landscape) computer?

It wants its text-heavy reports back.

We need visuals on every single page.

Ready to revamp your technical reports?

10 Tips for Redesigning Reports

Here are 10 quick wins to improve your next text-heavy document.

You don’t need to apply all 10.

Even one of these techniques will make dense reports more readable for our non-technical and busy audiences.

Design a One-Pager 

The 30-3-1 Approach is the bare minimum for designing reports that actually inform decisions. You can read more about 30-3-1 here.

When you’re creating one-pagers, don’t forget to add at least ½ inch of white space between each graph so the page doesn’t feel smushed.

It’s tempting to try and fit everything into a one-pager. A one-pager is just the highlights; the full report can go into more detail.

Use Brand Colors and Fonts 

Never, ever, ever use your software program’s defaults. 

I’m looking at you, Calibri.  

If you’re using Microsoft Office programs, like Excel, Word, or PowerPoint, then Theme Colors and Theme Fonts can save you hours of time.

Start with the “So What?” 

The Key Findings and Next Steps deserve to be shared earlier (not buried in the last few pages of our docs).  

Use Landscape Orientation 

Will you pay to print your reports and mail them to your recipients? 

If not, they’ll probably read in on their (landscape) computer screen.  

Add a Cover 

We can make beautiful, engaging report covers in 20 minutes or less— inside software we already have.  

Here’s one of my favorite before/after transformations from Sara DeLong:

Chunk with Dividers 

Begin each chapter with a dark, visually-striking divider page to help break up the content into small bites.  

Add 1+ Visual Per Page 

Think of a recent report: how many pages had visuals? 

The Text Wall takes too long to read.  

Add a Variety of Visuals 

Not just charts.

Not just tables. 

Humanize reports with photos, too.  

You can grab my Checklist of 15 Types of Visuals from this podcast with Alli Torban.

Go Beyond the Bar Chart 

My old reports: bars, clustered bars, stacked bars and columns charts.  

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz… 

Let’s escape the bar chart.  

Lower the Reading Level 

I suggest writing two levels below (e.g., a Master’s degree audience would get Grade 9-12 writing).  

Your Turn 

Which tip will you apply to your next technical report? Comment anytime and let me know.

The post 10 Tips for Redesigning Reports appeared first on Depict Data Studio.

Now, I design reports that people actually want to read. Fewer paragraphs. More graphs. My audience can understand the information, so the data actually gets used.

Reports aren’t supposed to feel daunting.

We’ll walk through my Report Redesign Pyramid, a step-by-step process that you can apply to your own projects.

You’ll learn how to:

• match your dissemination format’s complexity to your audience;
• follow the 30-3-1 approach;
• design a one-pager with my seven ingredients;
• set up your Theme Colors and Fonts inside Word;
• use landscape for on-screen reading;
• add a 20-minute cover;
• visually chunk content with dividers;
• apply a text hierarchy;
• start with the “so what?;”
• aim for 1+ visual per page;
• add 15+ styles of visuals using my checklist;
• go beyond the bar chart;
• lower the reading grade level of your writing; and
• tell a story through dark-light contrast and takeaway text.

What’s included in this training program?

I’m going to transform you into the report-redesigning hero that your organization needs. Here’s what’s included to make that happen.

• 30+ video lessons that you can watch anytime (the equivalent of my two-day Report Redesign workshop)
• Step-by-step process to transform Dusty Shelf Reports into reports that actually inform decisions
• 2 Office Hours sessions every month to talk about your projects and hear from guest speakers
• 6 additional Live Trainings just for participants in this program
• 60-page Report Redesign ebook with our checklists and case studies
• Discussion boards to ask questions and post your own work
• Private Facebook community of fellow participants
• Weekly emails to cheer you on
• Lifetime access so you don’t feel rushed
• Examples from a variety of industries (public health, juvenile justice, museums, and more)
• Behind-the-scenes Word and PowerPoint magic tricks guaranteed to make your jaw drop

Who This Training is For

This training IS for those of us who work on reports and one-pagers ourselves. This course is NOT for supervisors who delegate all their report production to someone else. (Supervisors, enroll your staff. Ask me about group rates.)

This training IS for people using everyday software like Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. This course is NOT for graphic designers who exclusively use Adobe Illustrator or Acrobat.

30+ Video Lessons

You’ll get instant access to 30+ lessons–the equivalent of a two-day training. You can watch these lessons anytime around your own schedule.

Office Hours Twice a Month

We’ll even provide feedback on your projects. You’ll get instant access to recorded lessons that you can watch anytime and two live Office Hours sessions every month to get targeted feedback on your reports.

Guest Speakers in Office Hours

Sometimes we invite guest experts to speak with us during Office Hours. You’ll be able to access recordings from our sessions with Elizabeth Grim (about Connecticut’s COVID-19 response), Ione Farrar (about Tennessee’s COVID-19 response), Brenna Butler (about user experience), Chris Lysy (about using data for social action), and Sara Vaca (about visualization qualitative data).

By Popular Demand! 6 Live Sessions

Office Hours are open to everyone who’s taking online courses with me. By popular demand, we’ll also hold six additional Live Trainings just for the participants in this course.

1. Tuesday, August 25, 2020 from 4 – 5 pm EST: Orientation Session & Self-Assessment
2. Tuesday, September 29, 2020 from 4 – 5 pm EST: Emily Mills, author of The Art of Visual Notetaking
3. Tuesday, October 27, 2020 from 4 – 5 pm EST: Kathleen Oh, breathwork session
4. Tuesday, November 24, 2020 from 4 – 5 pm EST: Redesigning your reports together (first 5 participants to register will be eligible to have their reports used as case studies)
5. Tuesday, December 29, 2020 from 4 – 5 pm EST: Redesigning your reports together (first 5 participants to register will be eligible to have their reports used as case studies)
6. Tuesday, January 26, 2020 from 4 – 5 pm EST: Graduation Party

The sessions will be recorded in case you can’t make it live.

60-Page Report Redesign Ebook

You’ll get a license to download our 60-page ebook, which contains our 7 Ingredients for Designing One-Pagers, Checklist of 15+ Ideas for Visuals, and additional reporting case studies. This ebook is only available for participants in the Report Redesign full course and is not available anywhere else.

Discussion Boards to Ask Questions

Every module includes discussion boards where you can ask questions, comment on the lessons, and share your own tips with the community.

Private Facebook Community of Fellow Participants

You’ll be invited to join our private Facebook community, where I offer additional Facebook Lives. You can also post your own questions and get feedback from me and from your colleagues.

Weekly Emails to Cheer You On

I know you’re going to skip straight to the juicy reporting magic tricks, but I’m going to email you on Mondays around 11 am EST and pretend like we’re working through the course one module at a time.

Once-a-Year Registration

Mark your calendars! This course only opens once a year for registration. The 2020 enrollment window is Monday, August 17th through Friday, August 21st. When it’s open, it’s open. When it’s closed, it’s closed.

We’ve also got special Early Bird Bonuses for the earliest registrants.

First 25 People

The first 25 people to register will receive a Swag Bag with a dataviz shirt, stickers, buttons, and magnets.

First 10 People

The first 10 people to register will ALSO receive verbal feedback on their graph, report, dashboard, or infographic. I’ll spend 15-20 minutes talking through everything you’re already doing well, and then give you a couple priority areas to focus on the next time you design a report like this. The feedback will be recorded and posted as a case study inside the course.

First 5 People

The first 5 people to register will ALSO receive a report makeover. You’ll send me your report. Then, I’ll work on it directly for ~30 minutes during one of the Live Trainings with the 2020 cohort. This is a great opportunity to have me consult on your project.

3,620+ participants from around the globe

have already taken the leap into better reports, slideshows, dashboards, and infographics by participating in our online courses.

Your Instructor

Ann K. Emery

Each year, I lead dozens of in-person workshops for thousands of people. My online courses bring those skills to you, too.

Depict Data Studio also consults to the United Nations, State Department, and Centers for Disease Control, plus dozens more foundations, nonprofits, film companies, banks, hospitals, and universities worldwide.

Your data deserves to be out in the world–actionable, talked about, used–not gathering dust in spreadsheets.

What does an online course look like inside?

I talk with you like a real person, not a monotone robot reading off a boring script.

What Participants Are Saying

“Before this course, I was visualizing data in all the wrong ways. We had such compelling data, but it wasn’t telling a story– it wasn’t coming alive. Ann’s course really helped me transform my data and reports. I utilize the skills from this course every day— when developing reports and papers, doing dashboards for my team, and presentations. I have begun to develop a reputation within my department, as well as from other departments, for making compelling reports and having a knack for data visualization. In turn, I always recommend this course. This course has even helped me become better at data analytics and even data collection and survey writing, because you can better visualize the data that you want to see. The course has been an amazing resource, and the fact that you have access to it indefinitely is astounding. If you’re on the fence, take the leap! It’s worth it!”

– Padraic Stanley, Program Coordinator, Rush University Medical Center

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I have access to the course?

Indefinitely. I used to limit access to just 12 months. I wanted to encourage you to get in here and learn with me, but instead it just stressed you out, so I’m not cutting off your access anymore.

Can’t I just find this information on the internet or in books?!

No. I’ve given workshops and webinars on Report Redesign, but you won’t find these techniques in books, blogs, or on YouTube anywhere.

I know you’re a perfectionist and always update your courses.

Yes, and you’ll receive all future updates to this course.

What if I am unhappy with the course?

Contact us in the first 30 days and we will give you a no-questions-asked full refund.

Register by Friday, August 21, 2020

• $747 USD one-time purchase
• 3 payments of $249
• 6 payments of $125

See you in the course!

— Ann K. Emery

The post How to Design Reports that Actually Inform Decisions appeared first on Depict Data Studio.

I’m not sure about you, but sometimes when I look at my early reports, I cringe.

They are just plain awful.

When I founded Community Evaluation Solutions (CES), I told myself it was:

1. okay to make mistakes, and
2. I never wanted to stop learning.

I’ve learned a lot through data viz thought leaders, especially Ann. I took her Soar Beyond the Dusty Shelf Report mini course and I am now working through her Simple Spreadsheets data analysis course.

Our Organization’s Transformation

Over the years, CES has intentionally moved away from overly long written reports and began creating reports that maximize data viz as a means of communicating information.

In the past two years, we’ve pushed the envelope even farther and Ann’s tutorials and blogs, including her guest blogs, provided the information we needed to take our work to the next level. I appreciate her generosity in sharing the work of others, like Sara DeLong and Nick Visscher.

Writing Reports in PowerPoint Instead of Word

We’ve been so inspired in the past two years that we’ve written several reports using PowerPoint instead of Word.

To tell you the truth, I wasn’t sure how our clients would receive this new format.

The first time we wrote a report in PowerPoint, I was terrified the client would hate it and ask us to create a whole new traditional, text-heavy report.

Luckily, that didn’t happen.

Instead, the Foundation President told us it was the best evaluation report he had seen in 17 years!

I’ll count that as a blog win.

Before: Default Formatting and Zero Visuals

Here is a pic of a “before” report.

After: Intentional Formatting and a Variety of Visuals

And here is a sample from the latest report we did for the same client using PowerPoint then saving as a PDF.

The amazing thing is that once you PDF the PowerPoint report, it looks just like a traditional Word report, only better!

Improving Our Traditional Reports

We’ve also been able to put Ann’s advice to good use when a traditional report is needed. Here’s an example of a traditional report we’re currently working on.

I think our newer reports are a big improvement and so do our clients.

Lessons Learned

Here are some of our lessons learned:

1. Taking the time to learn something new is worth it. You’ll gain skills and your clients will be more engaged in their data and results. That’s the point, right?
2. Use your client’s brand colors to design the report.
3. Use great data viz. If needed, use words.
4. Break up sections using colors and icons. We learned about the Noun Project from Ann and love using icons in our reports and presentations.

Training the Next Generation

Not only have we put Ann’s advice to good use to improve our work, but I’m most thankful that we’ve passed the learning on to the practicum students I host each summer. The practicum students, in turn, have taken their new skills back to their university colleagues. We truly appreciate that Ann shares her knowledge and supports and shares the work of other professionals.

The post Upping Your Reporting Game–with PowerPoint! appeared first on Depict Data Studio.