Hey there!! I am probably dozing by the window, please give me a bit more time :)📝 I craft deliverables that actually deliver.
Communicating my research work is just as important as the work itself. When selecting the most effective communication method, I often break it down into four layers of considerations:
- Tailor the content based on the audience’s profile and the maturity of research/UX in the organization.
- Which deliverable format can best accommodate the content?
- To reduce the burden of content digestion and arouse interest, how can I be creative with the presentation of the deliverable?
- How to deliver: send materials and invite feedback? Live presentations? Workshops?
Note: Images are intentionally presented in low resolution.
The succinct/overview version (#1 image) is specially tailored for stakeholders. It outlines the key points for review. A full version (#2 image) is attached and archived for internal reference. For example, in this detailed quick testing study plan, it lists out task flows, data to collect and analysis methods, and how the area of testing was selected and designed.
Example #1: Reports
As the most basic format of deliverables, reports have a bad reputation for being lengthy and therefore nobody wants to read it. The way I treat reports during my work is very dependent on the context and the audience. Most of the time, it’s leveraged as a way to archive solid records of our team’s work, which helps us prepare for critical conversations and traceable evidence of what we did or what stakeholders requested. Reports for this purpose are written in complete details. Other times, when it’s expected to be sent to stakeholders for review, I would separately create a succinct version that outlines the key points they want to know. Plus, a full version is attached for further reading.
Example #2: Presentation slides
When reporting research findings to a wider audience using the format of presentation, I consider several aspects to ensure it leads to actionable insight:
- Briefly explain the research context and process to show the rigor of work.
- Back up findings with concrete research data, including qualitative data such as user quotes and quantitative data such as ratios.
- Encourage discussions by pointing out directions where we specially seek feedback.
- Offer straightforward recommendations or preliminary design ideas from UX perspective.
- Help stakeholders prioritize the problems and implementation of our recommendations.
- Use visuals and infographics whenever possible to replace plain text.
Example #3: Exploration map
I first adopted this format while creating the findings from my research on SEO domain and the project website’s SEO performance. As usual, it started with a lengthy report document, covering basic domain theories, website analysis results, and recommendations of next steps for different roles.
Certainly, no one wants to read that report besides myself, especially the SEO basics part. But I found it necessary to deliver because most people on the team had no knowledge of it, let alone realizing the importance of enhancing SEO performance.
That’s when I started thinking how to present such tedious content in an engaging way, which led me to create this exploration map. It was simply inspired by design prototypes and my constant habit of visualizing things. Just as we click around the prototypes, I can make readers click around the content, similar to the experience of browsing a website. A simple information hierarchy was also created for the navigation experience.
Example #4: Mindmap
This part of secondary research was conducted while enhancing the user support system of the project website. After carefully looking into a series of products in various domains, I drafted the framework of the holistic system (image above) and collected many example screenshots for each node in the framework. Instead of presenting them in a static format (e.g. a report or a long PDF), the idea of “mindmap” popped up in my mind. It was heavily used while working on several school projects when we had access to giant white boards to sort out ideas and data. So I created a similar mindmap in the form of an interactive prototype where readers can drag and explore however they want. The content was dissected by hierarchies as well.
Example #5: Heuristic evaluation deliverables
My traditional way to present the findings was using a report. I tried to keep the content succinct and include both explanatory screenshots and direct recommendations for different teams.
Later, as I had more experience with creating interactive deliverables (as shown above), I managed to present the findings in the same engaging way. Readers are able to click around ten heuristics and check the findings.
Example #6: Competitor analysis deliverables
In my past work, I’ve used four formats to display competitor analysis deliverables: word report, PDF/static prototypes, spreadsheet, and interactive exploration map. The choice of format is often decided by the time given to complete this research. If the request is urgent, I’ll go with PDF and spreadsheet. PDF is handy for collecting loads of screenshots and short explanations, while spreadsheet is suitable for quick notes and clustering of patterns. When time is more abundant, I can write detailed word reports and interactive exploration maps.
Other types of deliverables I've created...
More work can be found on:
- IAs, wireframes & prototypes
- Map Your Mind (archived project)
- Journey of an Apple (archived project)
- Traffic Code (archived project)
