This blog post focuses on the step-by-step process of producing a visual summary for Dr Amy Barnes titled ‘Public Health Across the UK Nations: Policy and systems since national devolution’.

Let´s begin!

Step 1: Introductory Call & Research Consultation

The first step in producing the visual summary was a 1-hour meeting with Amy. We discussed what aspects of the research paper she wanted to highlight, the audience and the intended use of the summary.
What?
Amy was keen to visually represent the complexity of how public health systems work, the findings of two main reviews across five categories, policy recommendations and a direct question to the readers.  
Who?
The audience for this visual summary was the Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH), including directors of public health and public health professionals.
Why?
Most importantly to promote dialogue, spark interest and conversations, to raise questions and to provoke a reaction from the audience on this topic.
Where?
The visual summary is useful for disseminating at events, in online publications and on social media because it is accessible and visual.

 

Step 2: Summary of the Research

The underpinning research report is titled the ‘Four Nations Study‘. The research was completed on behalf of the ADPH by a team led by Dr Amy Barnes, at the School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR) of the University of Sheffield. 

The project was complex and there was a lot to cover. Therefore, the text that our research communicator, Codrina, pulled out from the report was 1500-words long. The text went through four rounds of client feedback until we achieved the form below.

 

Step 3: Design of the Research Summary

This project presented a unique challenge for our designer, Sam. This was because we needed to represent the complexity of the public health systems framework. To do this, we went through four design concepts before we decided on one that was suitable. 

Our initial concept was that of Lego building blocks, yet the researchers disagreed with the concept because it was too static. Besides that, they thought it missed the dynamic, changing and messy nature of public health systems.

We took their feedback on board and focused on the ‘messy’ nature of this framework. Therefore, our second design concept included yarn balls that were tangled and connected. We created two versions of the yarn balls metaphor, by playing a bit with the colour scheme. Although more fluid in its design, the team ultimately decided that the yarn balls were too playful for our audience.

In the end, we opted for an abstract diagram that used an icon-based system to represent the different moving parts. The research team preferred this option because it was professional, yet friendly and dynamic. In the image below you can see the progression of design concepts for the first page of the visual summary.

Once we agreed on the fourth visual concept, we designed the entire visual summary using the same colour palette and icons. Moreover, we altered the text slightly as we made tweaks to the design. In total, the design stage took five feedback opportunities. Flexibility was key at this stage because we wanted to ensure the team was happy with the visual concept.

 

Step 4: Delivery and Dissemination

The team was happy with the final design changes and approved the final version. The final file was prepared for print and web upload. For its launch, the document was also uploaded in the ‘Publications’ section of the Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH) website. The final result is a 4-page visual summary that presents the research findings in an accessible and visual way.

[testimonial background_color=’#ffffff’ name_color=’#F85822′ name=’Dr Amy Barnes, University of Sheffield’]

I am looking forward to sharing the visual summary widely. Thanks very much for being so accommodating with making the changes we wanted throughout the process and for the patience as we ourselves worked out what we needed our key messages to be. For us, this has been a key part of the process and will also help us as we prepare other related outputs from the research.”

 [/testimonial]

Dr Amy Barnes, Senior Lecturer in Public Health, University of Sheffield

 

We’re thrilled with how this research summary turned out and we loved working with Amy and her team. We would love to hear your thoughts on it, too!

What do you think of this visual summary for Dr Amy Barnes from the University of Sheffield?