Abstract:

Making sure that the delivery and dissemination of research results is effective is, to quote Ray Poynter, “arguably the most important phase in any research project". It seems striking that, compared to the dramatic advances that technology has allowed in data collection and analysis in the past fifty years, the techniques used for delivering survey results have remained basically unchanged: from hand drawn histograms to today’s Powerpoint presentations, still a linear storytelling experience. This is changing: the development of the world wide web has brought us a de facto standard for hypertext, HTML, and thus the possibility to present something else than a linear summary of our project. With HTML, we can design hyper-reports: non-linear, interactive experiences that allow clients to navigate through our findings, and the facts and thought process that led to them. This paper reviews the literature on hypertext, discusses the experience that various research companies have had with hyper-reports, looks at how hyper-reports are being used in other disciplines, such as education, and summarizes the lessons learned.