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Write a readout

Turn findings into a deck for people who weren’t in the research, with every claim traced to its source.

How to do it

1. Pick the artifacts the story rests on, plus the brief.
2. Write each slide headline as a takeaway, not a topic.
3. Back every headline with cited points.
4. End with the decisions you need from the audience.

Tip. Present it from the inspector. Each slide lists its receipts, traced back through the web to the interview or data behind them.

What you need

Start from:

• Insight, Persona, Journey map, Affinity map, Jobs to be done, Empathy map, Opportunity tree, HMW, Concept, Assumption map, Test report, Spec, Interview notes, Survey results, Analytics, Product matrix, Desk research, Web source, Tensions, Codebook or Concept scorecard

It is better with: Brief, Decision or Research questions.

What you get: Readout

A readout template has these sections:

• Summary
• Decisions needed
• Next steps

Where it fits

• Deliver (Double Diamond): Test the chosen answer with real people and hand it over.

Usually comes after

• Synthesize insights
• Build a persona
• Map a journey
• Affinity mapping
• Write jobs to be done
• Map empathy
• Map opportunities
• Write how-might-we statements
• Ideate concepts
• Vary the concept
• Map assumptions
• Run usability tests
• Write a handoff spec
• Run an interview
• Compare competitors
• Scan the web
• Find contradictions
• Code the data
• Score concepts

What to do next

• Audit the evidence
• Check for bias

Templates that use it

• Evaluative study: Does this design work for the people who will use it?
• Exploratory study: We don’t know the problem well yet: why do people do what they do?
• Double Diamond: A whole project, from understanding a problem to a tested answer.
• Assumption-led (Lean UX): You already have an idea. What could sink it?
• Jobs to be done: Why do people start using, switch to or leave a product like yours?
• Design Thinking: Empathize, define, ideate, prototype and test, in the classic five modes.
• Design Sprint: Five days from a big question to a prototype tested with real people.