Report writing

Design reports communicate research, proposals, decisions and outcomes clearly to clients, users or manufacturers. The language, level of technical detail and presentation should suit the audience and purpose.

A report should have a logical structure, using headings such as introduction, findings, analysis, conclusions and recommendations where appropriate. Information should be concise, relevant and supported by evidence.

Technical reports may combine written information with labelled images, drawings, graphs and tables when these communicate information more clearly than text. Units, dimensions and technical terminology should be used consistently.

Interpreting evidence

Evidence should lead to a useful conclusion or design decision rather than simply being presented. For example, if user testing shows that most users struggle to operate a control, the designer can use that evidence to justify changing its size or position and then test the revised design.

A good report therefore makes it clear what was found, why it matters and what should happen as a result.