In the early 1990s, members of the Havasupai Tribe gave blood samples to researchers from Arizona State University. They believed the samples would be used solely to study diabetes, a major concern within their community. But without their knowledge or consent, the samples were later used to investigate schizophrenia, inbreeding, and ancient migration patterns—topics that not only violated their cultural beliefs but deeply damaged their trust in researchers.

The tribe sued, the university settled, and the case became a landmark example of how even when consent forms are signed, real informed consent can fail, especially when researchers don’t fully understand the vulnerabilities of the populations they’re working with.

It’s a cautionary tale that every new researcher should take seriously. Because while federal regulations highlight certain “vulnerable populations,” there are many more who face subtle, systemic, or situational risks that often go unacknowledged.

Let’s dig into 15 of those groups—and why ethical research means thinking beyond the usual checklist.

1. Undocumented immigrants

Undocumented people often fear that participating in research could expose their legal status, putting them or their families at risk. Even if personal data is anonymized, the power dynamics and fear of deportation can silence questions or concerns, undermining truly voluntary participation.

2. People experiencing homelessness

This group may be particularly susceptible to coercion, especially if research participation comes with incentives like meals or shelter. Beyond that, their lack of consistent access to communication, support systems, or medical care can make follow-up and comprehension more difficult.

3. LGBTQIA+ individuals

In hostile environments or communities where their identities are not protected, LGBTQIA+ participants may risk being outed through participation. Ethical research must ensure privacy, respect gender identity, and avoid assuming a one-size-fits-all approach.Research from The Trevor Project highlights how LGBTQIA+ individuals are vulnerable to discrimination and mental health challenges.

4. People in abusive or controlling relationships

Someone in a coercive relationship might feel unable to make independent decisions about research participation. They may also face risks if their partner discovers their involvement, especially in studies related to health, trauma, or autonomy. Further, research directly focusing on survivors of domestic violence may inadvertently re-expose survivors to past trauma.

5. Individuals in any organized religious groups

Individuals in organized religions, particularly conservative ones, may fear punishment or ostracization if they’re seen engaging in outside research. Their fellow members if non-conservative views or practices are revealed.In other words, data exposure could result in significant social consequences.

These contexts can dramatically alter what “voluntary” really means.

6. People with low health literacy

If a participant doesn’t fully understand medical terms or research jargon, they may agree to studies without comprehending the risks. It’s not enough to hand over a consent form, we must meet people where they are, with plain language and opportunities to ask questions.The CDC defines health literacy as essential to good health outcomes—and research is no exception.

7. Active military personnel (especially enlisted members)

In military hierarchies, it can be hard to say no, especially if the request is coming from a superior. Enlisted members may feel pressured to participate even when they’re uncomfortable, making power dynamics a major ethical concern.

Researchers from the Army Public Health Center’s Behavioral and Social Health Outcomes Practice Division partnered with APHC Soldiers to run a data collection training exercise to assess social and behavioral health risk factors of Soldiers. Source.

8. Precariously employed individuals + people living in poverty

For people juggling multiple jobs or surviving paycheck to paycheck, research incentives can be coercive—even when unintended. If participating means being able to pay rent or buy groceries, the power imbalance is real.

9. People in crisis (natural disasters, medical emergencies, etc.)

People in acute crisis situations may be more focused on survival than fully understanding a study’s risks. Timing matters. Ethical researchers know when to pause and when to ask better questions about readiness.

10. Refugees and asylum seekers

Displacement, trauma, language barriers, and cultural differences all contribute to heightened vulnerability. Refugees may feel compelled to participate out of gratitude or confusion about institutional authority.

11. People facing digital or technological barriers

In a world of online surveys and digital consent forms, people without internet access or digital literacy are left behind or pressured to sign documents they don’t understand. Accessibility isn’t just physical, it’s digital too.

12. First-generation college students

They may not seem “vulnerable” at first glance, but first-gen students often face information gaps, imposter syndrome, and financial pressure. In research settings, they may feel obligated to participate—especially if faculty or college departments are involved.

13. People subjected to systemic racism or historical trauma

For many Indigenous, Black, and Latinx communities, past abuses—like the Tuskegee Syphilis Study or the Havasupai case—still shape how they perceive research today. Trust is fragile, and rightly so. Respecting that history is part of doing ethical work.

This JAMA article explores how historical trauma impacts medical and research mistrust.

14. Caregivers of people with disabilities or chronic illnesses

These individuals may feel emotionally tied to research in hopes of finding solutions for their loved ones. But that hope can blur the lines of informed consent, especially if they’re participating in studies alongside or on behalf of someone else.

15. Non-native researchers in host countries

Non-native researchers doing research abroad might lack the awareness and cultural understanding to engage with communities in non-exploitative ways. Cultural misunderstandings, language barriers, and power imbalances can lead to unethical outcomes, even with good intentions.

What This Means for You as a Researcher

If you’re new to human subjects research, it’s tempting to focus on the standard categories of vulnerability—children, prisoners, pregnant people. And yes, those protections are essential.

But real-world ethics require more.

They require asking deeper questions about power, access, trust, and history. They require slowing down long enough to consider who’s not at the table, or who’s there but doesn’t feel safe enough to speak freely.

Want to make sure your research is ethical, inclusive, and human-centered? Explore our PPRE course and learn how to protect the people who make your work possible.

Whether you’re conducting a student survey or a large-scale community evaluation, informed consent is more than a check-the-box requirement. It’s a cornerstone of ethical research and a signal that you respect the dignity, autonomy, and well-being of your participants.

Let’s unpack what informed consent really means, why it matters, and how to do it well—especially when things feel a little murky.

The Three Pillars Of Informed Consent: Disclosure, Understanding, Voluntariness

Informed consent is built on three simple but powerful ideas.

Disclosure: researchers must provide enough information so that people can make an informed decision. That includes explaining why you’re doing the research, what participants can expect, any potential risks, and how their information will be protected.

Understanding. This one gets overlooked a lot. It’s not just about handing someone a form; it’s about making sure they get what you’re asking of them. That might mean using everyday language, offering examples, or encouraging them to ask questions. A novel technique? Ask participants to summarize what they heard/read in their own words.

Voluntariness. This means participants know they have a real choice—before, during, and after the study. Consent isn’t one-and-done. People should feel free to withdraw at any point, without consequence. Be especially mindful about incentives. What feels generous to you might feel coercive to someone else.

When these three elements are in place, you’re not just getting a signature—you’re building trust.

More Than a Signature: Different Ways to Give Consent

Consent doesn’t always mean a signed form. Depending on the context, there are different ways to ethically and appropriately secure informed consent.

Signed consent is the standard for higher-risk studies. It usually involves a form that participants sign (physically or digitally) to indicate they understand and agree to take part.

Implied consent often shows up in surveys or online forms, where the act of submitting a response implies agreement.

Assent is used when you’re working with folks who can’t legally give consent, like children or some adults with cognitive impairments. Their assent complements the consent of a parent or guardian. Here’s more information about working with vulnerable populations. 

Waived consent is a special case. Sometimes, getting consent just isn’t feasible—like in large-scale anonymous studies or certain observational research. But this isn’t a judgment call you make on your own. It requires IRB or ethics board approval – we can help with that!

What all these have in common is that researchers are still responsible for making sure people know what’s going on and feel like they have a say in whether or not to participate.

Where Researchers Get Stuck 

It’s easy to assume that if a space feels casual or familiar, informed consent is somehow baked in. But ethical research means making sure expectations are clear and decisions are truly voluntary, even when things seem low-stakes.

So what do you do if a participant seems confused or just rushes to sign the form without really reading it? Slow down. Explain things in everyday language. Invite questions and use examples. Encourage a little back-and-forth to check that they understand; it’s worth the time.

And if you’re dealing with a situation where traditional consent feels complicated—maybe you’re working with a captive audience or planning a big anonymous survey—that doesn’t mean you get to skip the process. It means you need to be more thoughtful about how you do it.

If you want deeper support with these nuances, our PPRE course is packed with real-world scenarios, expert guidance, and tools that help you meet the mark. Plus, it helps you earn your human subjects research certificate, so you can move forward with clarity and confidence!

Making Consent a Habit, Not a Hurdle

Informed consent isn’t a box you check once. It’s an ongoing practice that reflects how you show up as a researcher. When you build a habit of transparency, empathy, and respect into your work, people notice—and they respond with greater trust, clearer feedback, and stronger data.

That means making space for questions and being open to a “no.” It means checking in regularly, not just at the start and examining how your role, your methods, and even your incentives might be shaping participants’ choices.

Ethics Aren’t A Burden; They’re A Practice

The most ethical researchers aren’t perfect—they’re intentional. They ask questions, stay curious, and reflect on how their work affects real people in the real world.

Whether you’re aiming for IRB approval or running an internal evaluation, starting with solid informed consent is one of the most powerful ways to show that your work is rooted in respect.

Let’s keep raising the bar for research ethics, together.

As we approach the end of the year, we’re full of mixed emotions. The end of a year is normally a time for resetting, preparations, rest, and reflections. In some ways, 2020 is no different — but as we spend time reflecting, the heaviness is easy to dwell on. We’ve consciously decided to name the positive, too, as we found it easy to be consumed by the not-so-good.

This year, we’re more thankful than ever for the work of those we get to collaborate with (both directly and indirectly). We draw our inspiration from organizations and individuals who are human-focused — making people first. This might sound strange coming from a group focused  on embedding data into practice…however, we feel more compelled than ever to find the humanity in the numbers — to find just as much value in the nuanced stories as large sets of data. That’s why we want to start our reflection off by talking about some awesome groups we had the opportunity to work with.

Project Highlights

We love all our clients, but we selected just a few to highlight (with their permission, of course!) and share with you. Each demonstrates a different aspect of the work we’re so proud to be part of. We know you’ll enjoy learning more about each of them as much as we love working with them.

The Arizona End of Life Care Partnership (EOLCP), anchored at the United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona, is a collective our team has the opportunity to work with on an ongoing basis. The EOLCP’s mission is to enhance the way we live by fundamentally changing the way we talk about death. Their community partners provide support, services, and education to help you talk about what’s important to you so that you can live well and end well. The work they are doing to normalize death as a topic for conversation, and educate everyone on how to plan for their own end of life journey has truly been transformational for us–both in terms of how we view the topic ourselves and how we see their work affecting the community. We are thankful that they have given us the opportunity to advise on data management, evaluation, and strategic planning for their incredible initiative, and we very much look forward to documenting their story and impact in the years to come!

Public libraries serve incredibly important roles in communities. They are a social structure for community members to come together, they serve as an educational hub, and they employ passionate educators and social servants. For more than a year we have been working with the Pima County Public Library System to conduct a comprehensive job analysis with the goal of producing community-relevant job descriptions and branch-specific staffing models. Ultimately, this will better enable system administrators to continue building and maintaining a healthy and supportive structure — better positioning themselves to deliver community-specific services across each of its branches. Having the opportunity to work with such a large group of professionals from across all levels of a library system has been a rewarding experience. Not only have we been able to learn the backgrounds and stories of so many of them, but we also have very much enjoyed working with a highly engaged administrative team and task force throughout the process.

The Financial Wellness Partnership, anchored at the United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona, brings together community organizations, nonprofits, funders, businesses, and government offices for focused discussions on financial well-being. The group seeks to improve the financial wellness of individuals and families by increasing accessibility to effective services, resources, and opportunities, and by influencing policy to develop equitable, people-centered systems that support financial wellness. Their intentionality in this work has led to opportunities for ongoing collaboration with our team, including facilitation, program design, logic model development, and process evaluation. If you haven’t already, we encourage you to sign up for their mailing list to stay in the loop on their latest activities! We want to express an especially heartfelt thank you to the Partnership and its members for their immediate community support throughout the pandemic. Simply put, these folks are “people first,” which resonates with our philosophy.

Gila County Department of Public Health is responsible for many important initiatives across their community. Among these initiatives are their efforts to better understand and address teen pregnancy through purposeful education and prevention. Earlier this year, we had the opportunity to work with their team to conduct a comprehensive literature review examining this public health concern. Our collaborative efforts helped identify national and regional techniques for proactively addressing teen pregnancy and are being used to adapt their county’s current programming (as well as to inform other teen pregnancy prevention initiatives across Arizona).

Peak Nutrition is a comprehensive health and nutrition company based in Phoenix, Arizona. Providing their clients with A-Z nutrition solutions is their primary focus — helping folks achieve measurable results. Therefore, it’s probably not a big surprise that they recognized the importance of adding real-time performance metrics to their decision making process. Our team worked with their Chief Operations Officer to stand up a Tableau solution — consolidating countless static reports into a centralized tool! Through our training, their team has been able to leverage Tableau to access their data in a convenient and meaningful way. This is a great example of how our team helped with the foundation through customized training but our client really took it and ran — we’re excited to see what they conquer next in Tableau!

What else is good?

In addition to working with some awesome folks, this year has consisted of two other significant milestones — a growing team and branding makeover.

A growing team

We’re constantly looking for great people to collaborate with us. Each brings a unique set of skills and perspective. Both are important as we show up to engage with our clients. Interested in learning more? Check out our team or send us a message.

Logo + Brand + Website Redesign

This year we partnered with Kicks Digital Marketing to better communicate what Viable Insights is all about as a program evaluation and organizational development firm. We are in-freaking-love with what they came up with and feel it truly represents how we approach all things data. If you haven’t taken a look, carve out a minute — we think the team at Kicks outdid themselves. 10/10 recommend.

That’s a wrap!

All of that to say, it’s clear we have a lot to be thankful for. Our community, the work we’re privileged to be able to do, and so much more. We hope you find time for relationships in this new year, too (even if it is distanced). On that note, we want to invite you to spend more time with us in 2021 — check out our events page to save yourself a seat!

Most often (at least in the context of evaluation or applied research RFPs), these solicitations are filled with information about a client organization and the things they hope to learn through the course of the research/evaluation process. In many ways, RFPs — and the subsequent proposals that are submitted in kind — are a lot like a dating game. The goal of the solicitor is to match with someone that yields the greatest return on investment in terms of maximizing services and minimizing costs, while the goal of the consultant/contractor is to sell the specific advantages of working with them. Budgets don’t always decide whether a match is made, but they are an important part of the formula as client organizations assess who brings the most to the relationship.

Starting the conversation

In the coming weeks, Viable + Friends will be hosting an event to discuss the topic of RFPs, so we thought it would be good to preface that conversation with a quick pulse check on the community to see what thoughts you might have on the topic. In particular, what we’re hoping to discuss/learn about has to do with suggestions for making the RFP experience more effective.

We are by no means the first to have this conversation, but we’ve found that most of the time this discussion is oriented toward the ways in which consultants can write stronger proposals in response to RFPs. This is a critical topic and one with which we want to explore in this setting. However, we are also interested in hearing what suggestions consultants might have for clients and organizations that put out RFP solicitations. Really, this is meant to be a learning opportunity for clients and consultants alike as we collaboratively identify how to make RFPs more strategically detailed, and how to make proposals more impactful.

A collaborative wishlist

From the perspective of a consultant, we would like to start the wish list off by talking about something that affects nearly every consideration [we] make when deciding whether to respond to an RFP opportunity: timeline. This is a detail that touches on nearly every facet of a project and its corresponding scope of work. One thing that we would like to see happen is RFPs be developed with realistic — and to be honest — respectful timelines. Budgets are often very important to clients/recipients of proposals, so just a simple recognition that timelines have a direct impact on not only scope but also how much short timelines can impact the number of resources needed to get a project done (as those resources go up, so does the budget).

Timelines serve as one of several items on our wishlist for ways to improve the RFP and proposal experience. We will certainly spend time talking about this wish list during our Viable + Friends Town Hall: Improving the RFP-Proposal Experience, but until then we really want to learn more about what might be on your wishlist. Whether you’re in a consultative or client role, we want to hear from you! It is only through a shared understanding of one another’s experience, expectations, and limitations that we can work more effectively as we collaboratively work to change the world!

How you can participate

All that said, please take a moment to share your thoughts on the topic in this brief survey. We look forward to unpacking this important conversation at our Viable + Friends Town Hall: Improving the RFP-Proposal Experience. If you haven’t already done so, please register so you can join in the discussion!

After we collect and analyze data, an important next step is to think about how findings are being shared back. The first thing we start with is who we are communicating with. From there, we are able to share insights at the right level of detail and technicality. This helps ensure we capture the attention of the right audience — making data engaging versus intimidating and inaccessible.

A great example is our work with a large research organization. They had done some really meaningful research for their client that would ultimately inform future programming. Our client used rigorous research methods and were prepared to deliver important recommendations to their client. However, they recognized that their team was academically inclined — providing a level of detail that some might be unfamiliar with. After years of research, their work and the investment of their client was in jeopardy of being unused.

That’s when they asked our team to get involved. We were able to take the findings from sophisticated analyses and compile engaging documents for a variety of audiences — especially those that don’t have the academic background to interpret complex statistical outputs. To accomplish this, we pulled together a high-level report with visuals that made key findings and recommendations easy to spot — the perfect level of detail for key decision makers! Additionally, knowing their client had a team of data scientists on staff, we provided a more comprehensive report including all the good methodological and statistical information needed to substantiate the recommendations.

By shifting away from the traditional approach of exhaustive reporting and focusing our efforts on what really mattered, we were able to capture the attention of those who needed to consume the reports. This not only resulted in data informed decision making but saved time and money that otherwise would have been spent on unnecessary reporting. Furthermore, it has instilled an appreciation for reporting — as it no longer felt exclusive. Data is information, and information should be for everyone.

So, whether it’s designing a dashboard, report, or infographic, we’re here to bring your data the attention it deserves. Let’s chat.

Aside from developing a culture that appreciates data, how an organization manages its data is a differentiating factor between those who are actually able to use data to inform decision making and those who are not. Thoughtful data management is not only important from a security perspective but from an efficiency and accessibility standpoint, too. Our team works with organizations to streamline their data management practices to achieve both.

In our experience, data management can become a barrier when use isn’t part of the development process.

This often comes as a result of those responsible for finding meaning in the data not being part of the design process — regardless of whether data is being managed in a simple database (e.g., Excel, R, etc.), something more complex, like SQL or Access, or across several databases, computer desktops, and cabinets…

Our team specializes in being an add-on to database development projects, establishing a logic flow to ensure data use isn’t hindered by the constraints of technology. One example has been for a large collective impact partnership, where our team worked with their internal data scientist to establish reporting requirements across nearly a dozen partners (with plans to add more). With data informing their partnership’s activities, it wasn’t efficient to manage data in spreadsheets and Survey Monkey reports. Instead, they needed something timely that was intuitive for where their partnership was at but allowed for growth as the partnership evolved.

After defining the requirements, identifying pain points, and mapping out future requirements (don’t build for now, build for the future!), our team collaborates with highly-skilled developers to bring that vision to life. Throughout the process, our partner-client benefited from our team’s ability to toggle between techno-speak and — resulting in a product that improved their efficiency but more importantly, the quality and accessibility of their data.

Although data management is the less desirable component of data, it can be the most costly if done incorrectly or absent mindedly. It also has the potential to perpetuate the inaccessibility of data — where those who need to use it (or could make sense of it) can’t access or understand it because of how it is formatted or where it is housed. So, whether you’re managing data in spreadsheets or are looking for something more advanced, our team can assist in developing something that will grow with your organization — keeping use front-of-mind. Interested in learning more? Let’s chat.

One of the popular charts we discussed were overlapping column charts and how they can be used to compare actual performance to goals. Since the workshop, I have found overlapping column charts to be very valuable data visualizations for this – so much so that I knew I had to share the steps publicly (OKAY, I also kept getting asked for the steps, so I knew writing it once would save us all some time!).

Although I already shared when you might use this chart, the particular scenario I was to set is related to survey participation. Specifically, one community organization needed a quick way to determine which years they met (or didn’t meet) their survey participation goals. An overlapping column chart served as a great way to for project managers to determine just that in a matter of seconds.

Ready to make one yourself? Awesome – let’s do it!

To get started, select your data insert a 2D Clustered Column Chart.

Excel, we love you so, but you do some weird stuff. To fix the data, right click and choose select data. Go ahead and delete the year series (oh yes, we’re going to delete lots of things!), select Goal and notice the x-axis is empty…go ahead and click this button and highlight the four years. Voila! Your Goal Series is now included, and you should have two columns in your Excel window.

Next, let’s get these columns on top of one another. To do that, we are going to right-click the Actual Column, select Format Data Series (get familiar with this area of Excel – it’s crucial to a lot of your changes!), and change the axis from Primary to Secondary. The column you want on top is the secondary…and the column you want on the bottom is the primary.

Now that we have these on top of one another, let’s adjust the gap of the Goal column. You can play with the settings to make it look right but I’d say at least down to 75%.

To start to clean this up (it’s still confusing right now!), let’s right-click the Actual column (Excel should allow you to select all of them) and Add Data Labels.

From here on, it’s really turning your chart from a Basic to Bomb Chart (check out this example of how to make yours look awesome). You want to pay special attention to fonts (both the type and size), colors, unnecessary noise (yes grid lines, I’m talking about YOU), and, of course the title! It’s here where you want to leverage data visualization best practices to really get your reader’s attention.

After you’ve made some simple changes, your overlapping column chart it should look something like this:

One thing you might notice is we don’t know what the goal was from looking at the chart – and that’s OKAY. This is really intended to give high-level insight. In other words, was the goal achieved or not? Whether this is as much information as your exec team needs, or you want to create a dialogue, I highly suggest this minimalistic chart for easy actual-to-goal comparisons!

Want to know how to do this in Tableau? Tune in next time and don’t forget to check out my posts on how to Getting Started with Tableau.  

This post is most applicable when you’re visualizing data on a dashboard. So, assuming you have one, use a dashboard to test this out! I’m serious about keeping my client’s data private, so I am using a sample dataset.

The first thing you have to do is add a filter (well, make sure your monitored is plugged in too). Okay, okay, I know – not funny. But seriously, add a filter and select the dropdown “carrot” by hovering over the right filter. Opt to “Show Filter,” and be amazed as the filter options pop-up on the right side of your screen.

Jump to your dashboard, which would normally have a lot of other cool stuff on it. But, for the purpose of this post, we’re only focusing on the filter! So, you see the filter showing on the right side of your screen, and your years with associated number of records.

Now, as you can see, all your selections are there. You really couldn’t long for much more. Butttttt…it takes up a lot of space and it’s ugly. So, let’s hover over the right side of the filter box, click on it, and select the dropdown “carrot.” The first thing I do is change the filter to “Floating,” which means I don’t have to conform to Tableau’s organization of MY stuff.

You’re floating and awesome now, so you can go back to your “carrot” and select the formatting of the list. Personally, I use a dropdown but this will really depend on what’s appropriate for your data. What makes the most sense? For years, usually my clients are comparing, so I choose “Multiple Values Dropdown.”

Now we are in business. But wait. That thing looks ugly, right? So, let’s remove the title by going to the “carrot” and choosing “Edit Title.” Delete it! Now, add a floating text box with something that makes sense. Remember: more text doesn’t always make something better. I simply changed this one to “Order Date: …”

Of course, you want to avoid Tableau defaults. Customize your dashboards to your client’s needs AND their company colors. Canned visualizations are rarely the right fit for anyone, and I find that they’re too cluttered and clunky. More on that soon…!

All that shouldn’t be a deterrent from using Tableau. There are more resources than most people would have time to exploit. I’ve tried several and found worthwhile tidbits in each. The most useful so far? Well, I have to be honest: #MakeoverMonday. Why you ask? Because #MakeoverMonday challenges you to create visualizations from data that wasn’t canned specifically for Tableau. You will find yourself searching for guides and input from other users. Instead of compiling endless notes on Tableau (that you may never use), you’re learning as you go…oh yes, my friend — applied learning!So what is #MakeoverMonday? The creators, Eva Murray and Andy Kriebel, call it a “weekly social data project.” Every Monday, a visualization and dataset will be available on their website. You can download the data for Excel or Tableau, so you can choose your favorite…or use both! After downloading, you have the chance to turn a preexisting dataviz into your own. Use your current skills, and stretch them with new tips and tricks. It can be as easy or difficult as you choose. Regardless, you’ll walk away with some swollen Tableau (or Excel) muscles. Now what? Learning is great. Sharing back what you learned, asking your colleagues questions, and engaging in reflective practice…now that’s the good stuff. Going forward, at least one of my monthly blogs will be dedicated sharing my dataviz makeovers. Even better, I will share the cool things I learn. Now go…build your dataviz muscles!

So what’s my experience with this? I also had these great applied opportunities, and I started to realize that I was an advocate for my field. I had a new perspective about the entire experience — if my client walked away feeling like they wasted their time, I didn’t do a very good job.

My second to last semester I completed a needs assessment and process evaluation for a company in another state. This company is phenomenal — great idea that’s meeting a need, lean bottom line, and an office full of great people. Where’s the but? Well, it’s that data wasn’t driving their strategic planning. Needs assessment? What’s that? There I had it — an opportunity to BUILD the capacity of evaluation in this organization.

In short, the project went well — everyone learned a lot, services were revised, future planning was focused on data. But that’s all while you’re still there, right? In the back of your obsessive applied psych mind…you know this was one project, and the long lived method of luck and “educated” guessing (oxymoron’s make for good blog topics) could be revived and become the preferred decision making tool — again.

Data driven decision making. What does the data tell us? How do the statistics relate to what we are seeing financially? Your clients said they wanted this service…but was it a representative sample?? I felt like a broken record…because I hoped that between demonstration, dialogue, and bringing my client along for the experience would lead to an appreciation and PREFERENCE for data to inform their decisions.

Created by Chris Lysy

Well, two months later I was in a follow up meeting…sitting in on an unrelated project…and I heard it:

“We need to make decisions based on what the data tells us. It can’t be what I like, or what makes sense to me. Let’s use the tools we have to make changes using data.”

…you know that moment when someone says their idea of an awesome day is binge watching Frasier and eating pizza rolls, and you’re like “…that’s hot.” Bam. There it was. The sexy side of being an advocate for our field.

You see, change is hard. Pushing for a better method (that isn’t always easier) can be a challenge. And hey, being a grad student is a special level of hell at times. Sometimes you want to drop the results and peace. You don’t always want to screw with Excel for hours to get something other than a canned report (but seriously, talk to me if it’s taking you hours to craft good viz). But at the end of it, you have an opportunity to see the results put into action. Your very presence is a disruption — a potential catalyst for change. The credibility of our field? It’s on ALL of our shoulders. So, the next time you’re burnt out, remember the potential to impact decision makers and the responsibility to your colleagues (oh, and call on them when you need help!).

Created by Chris Lysy