Who are our Readers?
In the last activity, we were introduced to general mindsets and indicators for well-written and well-designed reports. This can help get us started but if we want to create human-centered reports that consider our readers’ unique contexts, we must intentionally take the time to empathize with them by stepping into their S-H-O-E-S.
Click on the toggle below to see a sample –
Sample Reader Profile
On a regular day, when we prepare project reports, we prepare them for our partners – people that we know well enough that we can make some general assumptions about their context. The best way to verify these assumptions though would be to ask the project’s Starter, Captain, or Partner Liaison.
This is a reader profile for Save the Children’s Co-Designing with Children and Communities project.
| Strengths What are our readers good at? What talents do they bring with them as they read the reports? | – They are well-versed in assessments and evaluation tools – They are genuinely interested in incorporating co-design in their ways of working – They are in a position of authority within the organization |
| Hopes What would our readers like to see in the report? What might help them make decisions about the future of this project? | – They want to see if the pilot was successful in preparing the learners for using co-design in program and project work – They want to see our recommendations for implementing this program without Habi |
| Obstacles What might hinder our reader from fully absorbing the report? | – The readers are very busy so they might not have enough time to do a deep-dive of the report before the presentation |
| Everyday Activities What does a day in our readers’ lives look like? | – The readers are program leads and need to attend a lot of workshops and meetings |
| Spaces Where will the readers be when they access the report? What tools do they have at their disposal? | – The readers will likely read the report on their desktop computers or laptop – Some might use a tablet to access the report |
Given this context, what are the implications for our report? Here’s some –
- The Executive Summary page must summarize the insights and recommendations from the program in 1-2 pages.
- The report can contain links to relevant workspaces and the deliverables so that readers who are able to do a deep dive can look at other pieces of evidence.
- There is no need to overexplain or oversimplify the interpretation of the assessment tools; the raw data can be included in the appendix of the report.
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