Creating a timeline is a method for picturing or seeing events as they take place over time. By documenting major occurrences in chronological order, evaluators are able to identify patterns, themes, or trends that they may not have seen otherwise. A timeline allows evaluators to “zoom out” and look at the broader landscape, so that they are better positioned to think through and understand the context in which events occur. Having a timeline is especially useful for complex, multi-year evaluation projects with several threads of evaluation, where documenting the process is just as important as measuring the outcome itself. Creating a timeline has three key components: planning, populating, and revising. This presentation shows how to incorporate a timeline into a report, how to use a timeline to track progress internally, and how to utilize data visualization principles to create a visual timeline. Highlights of this presentation are also available in our handout titled "Putting Data in Context: Timelining for Evaluators (HANDOUT)". [Link: http://www.slideshare.net/InnoNet_Eval/putting-data-in-context-timelining-for-evaluators-handout ]

1. Putting Data in Context:
Timelining for Evaluators
Smriti Bajracharya
@Smriti_Baj
Katherine Haugh
@Katherine_Haugh
Evaluation 2015, Chicago, IL
American Evaluation Association
Friday, November 13, 2015
Kat Athanasiades
@KatAthanasiades
@InnoNet_Eval

2. 6:00AM 6:03AM 6:06AM 6:08AM
Timeline of…
Flickr CC/szb78

3. My week at AEA 2015

4. Timeline Uses and Values
Engage stakeholders
Icons made by SimpleIcon and Freepik from www.flaticon.com
Organize data
Understand context
Identify trends
Create engaging reports

13. 3 Phases of Timelining
1 Planning
2 Populating
3 Revising

14. 1 Planning
Flickr CC/seattlemunicipalarchives

15. Flickr CC/marfis75
What is the purpose of your timeline?

16. Who is your audience?

17. Type of timeline

18. Type of timeline

19. Type of timeline

20. Type of timeline

21. Type of timeline

22. Type of timeline

23. Icons made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com
Form of reporting

24. Flickr CC/wscullin
Make a blueprint!

25. Hot tip:
Visualize as a team
Icons made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com

27. Blueprint Design

28. 2 Populating
Flickr CC/adactio (modified from original)

29. Is your content type single-track…

30. …or multi-track?
By Arne Hückelheim (Own work)

32. Advocacy events

33. Social events

34. Political: Health
policy events

35. Political:
Unanticipated events

38. Hot tip:
Test out data categories
Icons made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com

39. Start End
Time Parameters
Time intervals
Before NOW After

40. Time Parameters
Start End
Time intervals
Before NOW After

41. Time Parameters
Start End
Time intervals
Before NOW After

42. Time Parameters
Start End
Time intervals
Before NOW After

43. 2000 2004
Time Parameters
2008 2012 20161996 2020
Start End
Time intervals

44. Jul Aug
Time Parameters
Sep Oct NovJun Dec
Start End
Time intervals

45. What is your data source?
Flickr CC/kl By The White House from Washington, DC

46. Hot tip:
Cross-check facts
Icons made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com

47. How much is too much?
By Nevit Dilmen (Own work)

48. 3 Revising
Flickr CC/sirihardeland

49. Color selection
Images by Design Seeds

50. Images by Design Seeds

51. Hot tip:
Check the color palette in B&W
Icons made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com

52. Images by Design Seeds

54. Headers

55. Title
Subtitle
Time
Period
Key
events

56. Calibri
Gill Sans
Arial
Font

57. Alignment

59. Icons made by SimpleIcon and Freepik from www.flaticon.com

60. Timeline Uses and Values
Engage stakeholders
Organize data
Understand context
Identify trends
Create engaging reports
Icons made by SimpleIcon and Freepik from www.flaticon.com

61. Understand context
Icons made by SimpleIcon and Freepik from www.flaticon.com

62. Understand context
Icons made by SimpleIcon and Freepik from www.flaticon.com

63. Understand context
Icons made by SimpleIcon and Freepik from www.flaticon.com

64. Understand context
Icons made by SimpleIcon and Freepik from www.flaticon.com

65. Identify trends
Icons made by SimpleIcon and Freepik from www.flaticon.com

66. Identify trends
Icons made by SimpleIcon and Freepik from www.flaticon.com

67. Organize Data
Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.comIcons made by SimpleIcon and Freepik from www.flaticon.com

68. Organize Data
Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com
Advocacy events Social events
Political: Health
policy events
Political:
Unanticipated events
Icons made by SimpleIcon and Freepik from www.flaticon.com

69. Engage stakeholders
Icons made by
SimpleIcon and
Freepik from
www.flaticon.com

70. Engage stakeholders
Icons made by SimpleIcon and Freepik from www.flaticon.com

71. Engage stakeholders
Icons made by SimpleIcon and Freepik from www.flaticon.com

72. Create engaging reports
Icons made by SimpleIcon and Freepik from www.flaticon.com

73. Hot tips:
Visualize as a team
Test out data categories
Cross-check facts
Check the color palette in B&W
Icons made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com

74. Thank you!
Putting Data in Context:
Timelining for Evaluators
Smriti Bajracharya
@Smriti_Baj
Katherine Haugh
@Katherine_Haugh
Kat Athanasiades
@KatAthanasiades
@InnoNet_Eval

75. Questions?
Smriti Bajracharya
@Smriti_Baj
Katherine Haugh
@Katherine_Haugh
Kat Athanasiades
@KatAthanasiades
@InnoNet_Eval

76. Image CreditSlide # Image Credits
2 Apple for breakfast timeline
Flickr CC/szb78
https://www.flickr.com/photos/szb78/3349572686
4, 60-72 Magnifying glass: Icon made by SimpleIcon from www.flaticon.com
http://www.flaticon.com/free-icon/magnifier_34202#term=magnifying-glass&page=1&position=1
Identify trends: Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com
http://www.flaticon.com/free-icon/graphic-arrow_69852#term=line-chart&page=1&position=1
Organize data: Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com
http://www.flaticon.com/free-icon/work-tray_76804#term=files&page=2&position=13
Engage stakeholders: Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com
http://www.flaticon.com/free-icon/users-relation_32456#term=human&page=1&position=23
Create engaging reports: Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com
http://www.flaticon.com/free-icon/analytic-report_69087#term=report&page=1&position=2
14 Two engineers planning
Flickr CC/seattlemunicipalarchives
https://www.flickr.com/photos/seattlemunicipalarchives/4459827777
15 A woman’s sculpture, with bows and arrow
Flickr CC/marfis75
https://www.flickr.com/photos/marfis75/12514851843/
16 Audience
https://pixabay.com/en/audience-crowd-people-persons-828584/

77. Image CreditSlide # Image Credits (continued…)
23, 72 In-person: Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com
http://www.flaticon.com/free-icon/business-meeting-of-males_46755#term=human&page=1&position=34
Reading report: Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com
http://www.flaticon.com/free-icon/person-reading-at-the-office_10655#term=read&page=1&position=44
24 Blueprint
Flickr CC/wscullin
https://www.flickr.com/photos/wscullin/3770015203
25, 38, 46, 51, 73 Light bulb: Icons made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com
http://www.flaticon.com/free-icon/bright-lightbulb_53591#term=light-bulb&page=1&position=3
28 Jelly Beans (modified from original)
Flickr CC/adactio
https://www.flickr.com/photos/adactio/531747474/in/photostream/
29 Single train track with mountains
https://static.pexels.com/photos/1018/mountains-nature-sunny-bridge.jpg
30 Crazy multiple train tracks with messy cables
By Arne Hückelheim (Own work)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/SunsetTracksCrop.JPG
45 Focus group
Flickr CC/kl
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kl/8557667916

78. Image CreditSlide # Image Credits (continued…)
45 Robin Roberts interviewing Barack Obama
By The White House from Washington, DC
https://goo.gl/YyYpFv
Woman using laptop
https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-typing-writing-programming-7112/
47 Overloaded donkey
By Nevit Dilmen (Own work)
https://goo.gl/Y32BKY
48 Magnifying glass over a document
Flickr CC/sirihardeland
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sirihardeland/5432836109
49-50, 52-53 All images by Design Seeds
A door hues: http://design-seeds.com/home/entry/a-door-hues15
Fuchsia palette: http://design-seeds.com/home/entry/fuchsia-palette
Citrus brights: http://design-seeds.com/home/entry/citrus-brights2
Beached hues: http://design-seeds.com/home/entry/beached-hues1
Nature hues: http://design-seeds.com/home/entry/nature-hues38
Petaled paper: http://design-seeds.com/home/entry/petaled-paper