Instead of writing a research brief or academic report, try sharing information by telling a story. A narrative approach is more likely to engage your audience. Features examples of online storytelling including videos, timelines, and multimedia articles. Presented at AcademyHealth's 2015 Annual Research Meeting.

1. Research Narratives 3.0:
Tools, Tips, and Takes
Evonne Young
Associate Director, Web Development and Production
Kaiser Family Foundation
Presented at AcademyHealth’s 2015 Annual Research Meeting
June 15, 2015

2. Filling the need for trusted
information on national
health issues…
We serve as a non-
partisan source of facts,
analysis and journalism.
The Kaiser Family Foundation: Who We Are

3. We’re known for our analysis…

4. Photo: OpenCongress.gov (https://www.opencongress.org/articles/view/1183-What-s-1-000-Pages-Got-to-Do-With-It-)
But how do you
explain a complex
law that’s over 1,000
pages long?

6. Sure, you can write a technical report, display data in a
table, or diagram the information…

7. [yawn]
(Those numbers and dense, jargony paragraphs
are so warm and fuzzy, don’t you think?)

8. “Basic facts and
information are as
powerful in our world as
our seminal reports.”
-Drew Altman

9. Calculators
Or you could share a story…
Infographics
Animated Videos
Charticles/Listicles Flowcharts Photos & Quotes

10. https://youtu.be/JZkk6ueZt-U

11. "Information becomes meaningful
when you have an experience."
-Manu Praka, biophysicist

12. GOAL:
Provide relevant information in a meaningful way.

13. Examples
June 15, 2015

14. Policy and Decision
Makers, Journalists
• Know more than a
casual user.
• Need info quickly for
research,
presentation, or news
story.
Who Is Our Audience? What Do They Want to Know?
Analysts
• Better and deeper
understanding of
information and data
than Policy Folks and
Journalists.
• Willing to sift, explore.
Casual Users
• Basic number literacy.
Understand trends and
key numbers.
• Consumer-focused
questions.

15. 1. What data or information do you have?
2. What do you want to show? What does your audience want to know? (They are
not necessarily the same thing.)
3. Translate: What type of narrative or media best conveys the point you are trying
to make and for your audience to understand?
4. What resources do you have?
5. Define success for your organization. ( Page views? Media Mentions? Shares?
Embeds? Tweets?)
Source: Modified from Nathan Yau, Data Points: Visualization That Means Something
5 Questions To Ask When Creating a Story

16. Health Reform Explained (Animation)
http://kff.org/health-reform/video/health-insurance-explained-youtoons/
A light-hearted treatment of health reform,
this animation explains, in plain language,
how individuals pay for coverage and obtain
medical care and prescription drugs when
enrolled in various types of health insurance,
including HMOs and PPOs.
Audience: All audiences + Spanish speakers.
Need filled? Provides a variety of audiences
with basic health literacy lessons that enable
them to understand how their health
insurance works.

17. Faces of Medicaid (Video Interviews)
http://kff.org/medicaid/video/faces-of-medicaid/
Highlights the range of experience and
diverse roles that Medicaid plays in the lives
of Americans across the U.S. These stories of
individuals on Medicaid go beyond statistics
and provide insight into the range of
personal experiences with the program.
Audience: All audiences
Need filled? Uses emotional connection and
story to explain the impact of having or not
having Medicaid can have on a person and
her family.

18. Subsidy Calculator
http://kff.org/interactive/subsidy-calculator/
Illustrates health insurance premiums and
subsidies for people purchasing insurance on
their own in new health insurance exchanges
(or “Marketplaces”) created by the ACA.
Audience: All audiences + Spanish speakers.
Need filled? Answers the questions, “Am I
eligible for subsidies? How much will health
insurance cost?”
Data Viz Method: Calculator. Familiar UI lets
users enter different income levels, ages, and
family sizes to get an estimate of their
eligibility for subsidies and how much they
could spend on health insurance.

19. Employer Responsibility Under the ACA (Flowchart)
http://kff.org/infographic/employer-responsibility-under-the-affordable-care-act/
Audience: Employers, Employees, Policy and
Decision Makers, Journalists.
Need filled? Answers the question, “What
are the penalties for employers if they
choose not to offer coverage under the ACA.

20. Source: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1911333
Visualizing Health Policy
http://kff.org/tag/jama/
A monthly infographic series produced in
partnership with the Journal of the American
Medical Association (JAMA).
Audience: Policy and Decision Makers,
Journalists, Medical Community.
Need filled? Delivers visual pop + key
information to a medical journal audience,
easy to scan.

21. Social Media Graphics
People are more likely to click on Twitter
and Facebooks posts that feature
images.
Audience: All Audiences
Need Filled? Visually interesting, quick
facts for our audience.
Data Viz Method: Chart or key facts
created by graphic designer or in
Powerpoint.

22. Additional Storytelling Examples on KFF.org
Charticle or Listicle
http://kff.org/infographic/ebola-characteristics-and-comparisons-to-other-
infectious-diseases/
Written Profiles
The ACA and People with HIV: Profiles from the Field
Maps
State-by-State Effects of a Ruling for the Challengers in King v. Burwell
http://kff.org/interactive/king-v-burwell-effects/
Storify
6 Thoughts About Proposed 2016 ACA Premium Increases
https://storify.com/KFF/6-thoughts-on-proposed-2016-premium-increases-in-a
Quiz
Health Insurance Quiz
http://kff.org/quiz/health-insurance-quiz/

23. Liquid Courage (Nature Conservancy) | Related
http://water.nature.org/liquidcourage/
The Next America (Pew Research)
http://www.pewresearch.org/next-america/
How Americans Die (Bloomberg Visual)
http://www.bloomberg.com/dataview/2014-04-17/how-americans-die.html
Scientists vs. The Public on a Variety of Scientific Issues (Pew Internet)
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152553642281356&set=vb.124336306355&type=2&theater
How King v. Burwell Could Affect You (Kaiser Health News)
http://khn.org/news/khn-video-supreme-courts-decision-in-king-v-burwell-could-affect-your-pocketbook/
16 Charts That Explain 2016 (Politico)
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/10/16-charts-that-explain-2016-
112307.html#.VXnaavlVhBc
Other Examples

24. Thank you!
Evonne Young
Kaiser Family Foundation
evonney@kff.org | @jumpinjavagrrl
June 15, 2015