The 2014 ANZEA conference theme – Our House, Our Whare, Our Fale: Building Strong Evaluation in Aotearoa New Zealand – had a focus on building robust evaluation in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Stephanie was the concluding keynote on day three of the conference (9 July) and her presentation provided both tools, insight and inspiration to make evaluation presentations and reports impactful, accessible and memorable.
A Data Viz Vision
Stephanie’s presentation, led by example, showcasing an aspirational data viz vision using highly engaging and relatable presentation slides and where the key message take out was simply conveyed and easily understood.
More then just a series of pretty slides, Stephanie helped us to understand the relationship between shape, form and interpretation in the presentation of information. That is, underpinned by research, how we process information and why some formats are both easier to understand and facilitate more accurate interpretation.
Stephanie also emphasized ‘message’ – or what I call ‘key message takeout’. That is any explanatory text should convey the main point simply, clearly and well. “Graphs don’t contain must text, so text must encapsulate the message and pack a punch”
Not only did Stephanie provide inspiration and understanding, she also provided practical how to before and after examples – to illustrate the powerful difference of simple, thoughtful, well considered data visualization.
One of the key take home messages from Stephanie’s presentation was achieving the balance between interpretation and design and the need for accessibility of information needs to trump flashy design!
Did I say that? 