Most reports and presentations aren’t effective ways to help others develop empathy. This is one of the many interesting insights from my next to read book titled Subject To Change: Creating Great Products & Services for an Uncertain World by Peter Merholz, Todd Wilkens, Brandon Schauer and David Verba. There was even a Wilkens’ law mentioned:
“The effectiveness of a research report is inversely proportional to the thickness of its binding.” – Todd Wilkens
In Funky Business Forever authors also claim that in a real-time society, companies keep on publishing reports and balance sheets about atoms – machines, buildings, etc. – but do companies that way really capture the most critical assets by measuring that stuff? I think integrated reports could by joining environmental, social and governance activities (ESG) as a supplement with required financial statements greatly improve readability, effectiveness and help other to develop empathy (f.e. shareholders in case of annual reports) of the current reports.
As a design manager I believe that by creating and designing reports from the start in mind that in these real(online)-times the thickness of the reports binding is only (maybe) necessary but the real report should always be accessible online and interactive as wide as possible on every system available.
illustration from the Subject to change book
Tags: Annual reporting, Business, Creativity, Design innovations, design research, Interaction design, Interactive annual reports, Investor presentations, Product development, Transparency
