A great finding can land, or miss, with your audience solely based on how it looks. Visual report design is a critical element of the research process that is too often overlooked or oversimplified. I believe data’s visual transformation into information doesn’t just carelessly happen – it is often through hard work, an extensive library of experience and prior work to draw inspiration from, and a dash of serendipity that the best insights come to life.
Catapult Insights knows this well, which is why we have formed a strong partnership with our lead designer, Cody Saya. We have worked with Cody in various forms over the last decade (if not longer) and have built a rapport and level of telepathy that allows us to produce modern visuals that avoid being garish and boring. Cody and I chatted a bit about visual design and its impact on Catapult Insight’s reporting and deliverables.
Andre: Hi Cody! I know you, but can you please give a bit of background for others to know why you are someone they should stop and listen to about visual design in the market research space?
Hello Andre!
My Formal education in Graphic Design includes a BA from UC Davis + AA from FiDM. But I suppose the reason anyone should stop and listen to me would be my 20+ years in every facet of the industry. I have worked in corporate environments, freelance, the entertainment industry and performing arts, fashion, gaming, non-profits and as the founder of my Design Studio, Temerity Design.
Along the way I’ve even managed to acquire a few awards for my work, including a HOW Design Award many years ago. My relationship with Market Research has been a longstanding one throughout my career. I believe in maintaining a deep understanding of the forces at play in the market in which you are designing. That understanding became a serious asset when I joined a good-sized Californian research firm in 2011 as Creative Director. My time with them gave me a VIP backstage pass to the entire Market Research process. I took full advantage of that learning opportunity by sitting with the experts from each branch and learning how to better integrate their knowledge and language into the design process.
Building those relationships allowed me to, in turn, teach them how design can translate their research expertise into everyday understanding. Enter Jill Miller, of Catapult Insights fame, into my professional life, and the formation of one of the most integral relationships of my career. Our extensive collaboration has allowed me to continue my regular engagement with Market Research projects, and my quest to save good data from terrible design roars on.
Andre: Wow, I thought I had a solid grasp of your background, but I think I learned something new about you! Let’s start with a big question first – what is your design philosophy when it comes to consumer insights?
1. Clarity and Comprehension: refine your message for maximum engagement and retention
2. The Rule of Cool: make cool sh*t… err, stuff.
3. Story and Data above all: always utilize design to strengthen the integrity and impact of the insights
Andre: Comprehension, cool…stuff, and data integrity – that’s an incredibly solid set of cornerstones and I can attest to all three being met in the work we do together. Next topic: what are the initial steps you take when staring at a blank slide/page? And inversely, where do you start when you are refining a data dump view of consumer insights when you need to focus it on a key point amidst the mess?
1. A fresh cup of coffee and space to read and learn about the content I’ll be designing for and with. I like to familiarize myself with the brand language of the client. An integral part of great design in the market research space is being able to craft visuals that look like they came from the client. This further strengthens their position in a way that may seem subtle to the audience but is a powerful tool. Creating a consistent space that is brand resonant lends an extra dose of clarity and credibility to the information.
2. Communication with the research team is paramount to determining what ultimately needs to find its way into the design. I might read through the data and come to my own determination, but the story and the insights that the researchers want to tell and share are what matters most. Once I know those details, I can begin to cut away superfluous or distracting elements/information and better consolidate the necessary insights. Finally, I establish a strong hierarchy, a clear visual path, and a design that guides the audience on the journey that the data clearly reveals.
Andre: I’ve picked up on your approach from working with you – who would have thought that in order to get quality-visuals and design, you need to have a unified approach/vision/guidance from the research team. Alright, the next topic has no right answer: do you have a preference for designing visuals for qualitative vs. quantitative research? Do you approach the methodologies similarly or totally different when it comes to designing impactful visuals?
In all honesty, there are formats that I equally enjoy. Each has its unique challenges, but that is what elevates design from simply “neat graphics” to the creation of a visual language that solves real problems. Problems like disseminating complex and necessary information in an enjoyable and understandable way. The core of my philosophy (as previously listed) remains the departure point for both: Clarity and Comprehension, Rule of Cool, and Story and Data above all else. Then the two diverge based upon the unique needs of each format.
Quantitative research is a fantastic opportunity to flex your informational graphic muscles. You give the data center stage and clarify the message by expressing it in a more dynamic, attention-grabbing way. So much of Quant is about clarifying the core takeaway and finding clever ways to design visuals that bring that into focus. But you have to make sure to maintain the integrity of the dataset that supports that insight.
Qual shares that same aspect of centering the message and insights, but with slightly less rigid inputs. A vital piece of designing for Qual research is being able to capture what can at first appear like a collection of esoteric “feelings” and bring order to those elements by giving them a coherent and impactful presence. Qual is where photos shine and the bulk of the process is often finding the right image to properly convey the emotional core of the information to the audience.
Andre: As a quant expert, I totally get you on those points, but what you said makes totally sense for qual and makes it easy for even someone like me to get it. It’s probably why memes are as popular as they are – why write out a paragraph saying how something makes you feel, when you can show a picture that nails it in a glimpse. Alright, what about the elements of design that people usually think they need, but are actually taking up space or diverting attention away from the information being presented?
I know I just made photos sound amazing… but it is often an insistence on including them, or any “extra” elements, that can be one of the many “more is not always better” mistakes. Honestly, that’s the trap that can be hard to avoid: More is NOT always better. This applies not only to the visuals created in the design process but is also exceptionally important when deciding what information “needs” to be included to properly tell the story of the data.
There is often a reflexive decision made early in the process that the audience, or end user, needs to have ALL the information so that they feel like they are getting the most “value” out of the research. However, this tendency can greatly impact the clarity of the data and muddle the message at the core of the findings. Design can make this same mistake and clutter the field with unnecessary and distracting visuals that ruin the flow and disrupt any sense of hierarchy for the viewer leaving them thinking that everything is of equal prominence and thus nothing truly stands out from the jumble. If the message can only be saved through the distraction of excessive, unnecessary drop shadows… (a little design joke for you) then the design and story are going to fail to connect.
Andre: HA! I totally have never done more drop shadows than needed in a report…though I think you totally nailed it with “…the distraction of excessive…”, and you could really apply that to various aspects of the research design. Do you have any favorite design elements that you like to incorporate into the work you do, or do you take a fresh stab at things every time you are tapped to create something visually appealing?
There was a time when I had a couple of, I suppose you could call them, “signature” icons that I used to love trying to sneak into everything I worked on — both for the challenge of the attempt and because it was akin to a “Cody Was Here” tag. But honestly, these days I approach the design aspect of every project with a completely open mind. I just listen to what the data and story have to tell me, as well as the brand language of the client, and create accordingly.
The insights and the way in which the researchers wish to communicate them to the end user is really the biggest driving force for me in the planning stages. Like all designers, I have my muses. But when it comes time for the application of capital D, Design, it is the creation of clear communication in a visually engaging manner that solves the problem of how to communicate the story of the data that is king.
Andre: Approach agnostic, that sounds very familiar to us. I know you aren’t one to crave the spotlight, but if I could give you a soapbox, what would you like others to know or consider when they are doing their own visual design or putting together a research report that needs to be presented to others?
Be clear about your message and you will find it is much easier to find the means to communicate those findings in a visually appealing way. Then once you’ve found the core message, eliminate all the fluff. Now you can begin to let your imagination work around the edges to find creative ways to add visual flair in a way that generates interest and emphasizes meaning WITHOUT distracting from the strength of that core message. Good Design entices the audience to engage with your work — it enhances the message and strengthens the comprehension of the data. Don’t be afraid to be BOLD in your work but never forget that these bold decisions should always aim to create a greater understanding of the story and the data.
Andre: Great soapbox take – even I feel motivated to start thinking about these steps in my own data visualizations, but also my quant design. Taking it a step further, why is visual design important in communicating insights in the world of market research?
Design is an exceptionally impactful tool that can be deployed to make the good into something incredible. Like all facets of Market Research, it plays a role in enhancing engagement and comprehension of the data. It helps to bring home the answers to the key questions that started the whole process. Researchers write questions for the focus groups. They work with the Moderators to develop the best method by which to attain responses with the highest integrity. Then the data is pored over by the Math Wizards, whom I affectionally refer to as the “Brain Trust”, who create order out of chaos. The Researchers then take all of this information and distill it down into a cohesive and impactful story that will engage and educate the end user. Finally, the Designers step in and take all this hard work and meticulously hone that story into a polished deliverable that is irresistible, visually charming and delivers the core message in a manner that the audience cannot forget.
Andre: “Make the good into something incredible” and “create order out of chaos” – you are just dropping amazing quotes left and right. It has been absolutely a treat to pick your brain for this Q&A, thank you so much for all your thoughtful responses, Cody. For my last question to you, let’s bring it back to Catapult Insights – with all of the work we have done together, do you have a favorite type of visualization we have done or any thoughts about working together on various things?
Obviously, Jill and I have had a bit of a head start on this as we have been working together for years now, but Catapult Insights is a wonderful extension of that relationship and collaborative effort to make sure the great stories and data look as good as they deserve to. I thoroughly enjoy the unique challenges of each new project that I have collaborated with Catapult Insights on. Sure, similar methodologies may persist across various industries, or product ideations, or populations of consumers… but it never ceases to amaze me just how often some completely unexpected piece of data, or seemingly incongruent testimony, leads to a story that was not initially addressed in the planning stages. That is where this industry always stays fresh and leads to unforeseen opportunities to flex my creative muscles on a new problem that needs solving.
I also just love the true collaborative spirit that is a part of my work with the Catapult Insights crew. I feel that it is in bringing one another into each other’s processes and being willing to give input and take critique of how our skill sets can best benefit the aims of the project that real magic is made. I have learned far more about the seemingly existential question of how to bridge the gap between stated consumer intent and actual human behavior than I ever thought I would. It has honestly made me a better designer in the Market Research space by embracing the nuances of the discipline and doing far more than simply “making pretty pictures” to help the data look more palatable and “less boring”.
Equally, I feel that introducing many of the researchers I have worked with over the years to the core tenets of design has also given them a more advanced toolkit around communication in a dynamic and engaging manner. I will always love taking a deep dive on everything from what new latte is about to be tested to which form of home storage consumers prefer and what governs their buying habits because the questions about how and why people are who they are is endlessly fascinating. Plus, it is a true joy to jump into the trenches of it all with talented and intelligent people like I’ve had the honor of working alongside at Catapult Insights. Collaborating to answer a question, lending our individual skills and capabilities to attain an answer, and then crafting a story to communicate that information to the audience in a way that entertains and educates will never get old.
Cody Saya is pivotal force in how Catapult Insights tackles key visualizations that need to hit the mark with their audience. We are proud to work with Cody because he isn’t just a fantastic designer, he’s also a great person to chat with when you need a bit of energy in your life. Please reach out to us if you would like to know more about our approach to information design or if you need any help with making your research findings truly stand out with your audience.
ANDRE BARROSO
DIRECTOR, INSIGHTS & ANALYTICS
CATAPULT INSIGHTS
Andre Barroso is a highly experienced researcher with over 15 years of experience bringing research to life. Consumer research, quantitative methodologies, his family, and various nerdy things keep him going from day-to-day.
