Introduction
There’s a lot to think about when you’re producing digital work. And let’s face it, evaluation probably isn’t the part you’re most looking forward to.
But here’s the thing: it’s only through evaluation that we can understand and communicate the value of our work and the impact it’s having – on audiences, on the people involved in creating the work, and in some cases even the wider world.
In 2023, The Space commissioned the University of Exeter to conduct research into current digital evaluation practices in the cultural sector. This showed a lack of resources and budgets for effective evaluation, limited models for good practice and a lack of shared terminology, among other things.
In response to this, we want to offer a structured approach to digital evaluation that is easy to use and tailored to the cultural sector’s needs. As well as practical tips and advice, here you’ll find inspiration and case studies from stand-out digital work across the sector. We’re grateful to everyone who has contributed their experiences and expertise.
We’ll be building on this resource over time, so please share your feedback and let us know what you’d like to see here next.
Our approach
More than just measuring views
When you’re evaluating digital work, it can be tempting to just grab a few readily available audience statistics – views, shares, likes – to buoy up your team, funders or other stakeholders. And while there’s nothing wrong with headline audience statistics, if that’s all you focus on, your evaluation is likely to miss out on a wealth of insights.
Evaluating audiences for digital experiences
Here we offer a simple framework to think through your audience-related goals and how you might measure the related outcomes. We break it down into three categories of questions:
- Who are you reaching and engaging?
- How are they finding and interacting with your work?
- What is their subjective experience?
Embedding evaluation into interactive projects
An interactive digital project is a treasure-trove of information. Simple interactions like clicks, votes, and social media comments can create powerful feedback loops between you and your audience. But how can you make best use of this data? We spoke to three creatives to learn about how to design digital interactions with evaluation in mind.
The funders’ perspective: How to evaluate digital work
You’ve received public funding for a digital project, and now you need to report back to the funder. But time, money and resources are tight and it can be difficult to decide how to measure your work. How do you balance all of this when planning your digital project evaluation? And what do funders really want to see in that final report?
Ashley Smith-Hammond (Creative Scotland) and Paul Glinkowski (Arts Council England) share their advice.
Making space for unexpected outcomes
Even the best-laid plans are subject to change. Setting clear goals and metrics is a vital part of evaluation but how can you plan to understand any unexpected outcomes from your work?
Find out about expansive approaches to evaluation, avoiding a restrictive “success or failure” mindset, and how to benefit from your work’s unforeseen twists and turns.
Illustrations by Jazz Rumsey