Who really benefits from a program and how? Using personae to enrich logic models.Author: Fiona Scott-Melton, Allen + ClarkeNot everyone experiences a program the same way. Yet logic models tend to obscure differences between population groups experiences, needs and aspirations. Incorporating personae helps address this limitation. By representing distinct population groups within a logic model, personae make visible the different routes through which people experience a program and what they gain from it. Drawing on a real life logic model developed for housing disabled people, the session will show how incorporating personae strengthens evaluation design, enriches social return on investment calculations and produces more compelling findings for stakeholders.
Help! The post-it notes have fallen off our logic model and been mixed up!Author: Robert Grimshaw, ATOCan you help us piece the logic model back together? This online interactive group activity is one tool used by a large public sector agency to familiarise people with key logic modelling concepts and thinking. This session will provide a practical demonstration of the activity and how it’s being used by workshop participants to apply their learning in a simple and fun way. Participant feedback has confirmed the value of this tool for engaging with and building the capability of a diverse audience who have limited evaluation capability and experience.
Method vs methodology – what’s the difference, and why it matters Author: Martina Donkers, Martina DonkersWe’ve got to stop using the words ‘method’ and ‘methodology’ interchangeably. ‘Methodology’ isn’t a slightly-fancier way of saying ‘method’ – it’s actually what conceptually underpins your method choices, and it’s an important thing to reckon with if you want to do evaluation that speaks to your stakeholders, is culturally responsive, is ethical and proportionate, and is ultimately useful. This quick-fire Ignite session will be a rapid deep-dive into practical ways to think about methodology in evaluation, apply it to traditional practice and emerging approaches, and leverage that thinking to do better evaluative work.
Exploring arts-based methods for project evaluationAuthors: Katie Ronson, Creative Australia, Kirstin Clements, Arts Centre MelbourneIn this presentation evaluation practitioners from Creative Australia and Arts Centre Melbourne share how arts-based evaluation methods can unlock insights about participant experience in contexts where traditional methods struggle.
Evaluating ConnectUp: preferences for a social connectivity app among people with disability and carers
Authors: Feby Savira, Deakin University, Dom Kwasnicka, Deakin University, Lucio Naccarella, Deakin University
Digital platforms can support social connection, but often fail to meet the needs of people with disability and carers. This study evaluated ConnectUp, a social connectivity app, using a discrete choice experiment (DCE) to identify valued features and preference differences.
A national DCE (n=1,031) compared hypothetical app versions varying in cost, communication modes, group structures, anonymity, support features, and information sources. Preferences were analysed using conditional logit and latent class models, alongside attitudinal questions.
Three findings emerged. First, participants strongly preferred low- or no-cost options. Second, privacy and control were important, with preferences for small, private groups and anonymity. Third, preferences varied across three user segments, including a highly price-sensitive group and a majority group prioritising anonymity and community-generated content. Additional findings highlighted demand for flexible access, inclusive staff training, language options, and human support. The study demonstrates how combining DCE and attitudinal data can inform more inclusive digital service design.
Thou shall not: The 10 Commandments for Surveys
Author: Louise Parker, Alinea International
The 10 Commandments for Surveys:
1) Thou shall not ask too many questions - survey fatigue is real and so is wasting people's time. Figure out what you absolutely must know from respondents and craft your questions around that.
2) Thou shall not ask double-barreled questions e.g. 'Did you find the workshop fun and informative?'
3) Thou shall not change the appearance order of repeating yes/no or Likert scale responses - if 'strongly agree' appears on the far right the first time, keep it that way throughout the whole survey.
...plus 7 more fabulous tips!Cultural identity as a shield: Measuring the social value of Culture and Kinship
Authors: Louise Green, Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, Lily Edwards Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative
This presentation shares learnings from research by VACCHO and Victorian Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations (ACCOs), exploring how strengthening Identity and Cultural connectedness and practice, drives positive long-term health and wellbeing outcomes.
Building on a 2022 evaluation of the Culture and Kinship Model, the research is driven and sustained by Aboriginal leadership and Cultural governance and uses a SROI methodology to understand drivers of change and inform future recommendations. Supported by Kowa Collaboration, Aboriginal-led evaluation consultancy, the approach is grounded in culturally responsive stakeholder engagement — including Impact and Value Yarning — to enable participatory interpretation and translation of knowledge and evidence.
