Conduct formative evaluation
What is it?
Formative evaluation is normally carried out at an early stage (during scoping) and helps develop the intervention and its evaluation, including setting a baseline.
Why do this?
- To find out what is likely to motivate the target audience and ensure that the intervention will be accessible and understandable
- To test whether the proposition is likely to work with the target audience and if they will be attracted to the desired behaviour
- To establish a baseline of attitudes, knowledge and behaviour against which you will monitor and assess the change that the intervention makes
- To help identify barriers to implementation
- To help you clarify your aims and objectives
How might you do this?
- By using qualitative research methods (focus groups and in-depth interviews).
For example, in formative evaluation you are looking to:
- Generate intervention ideas
- Test concepts
- Test the validity of potential positioning statements
- Test copy (the actual words that you will use to encourage behaviour change)
- Test the marketing
Tips
- There are many research methods and tools that you can potentially use
- Seek the advice of an experienced researcher, or look at some of the many written sources of advice available, if you are unsure of what to do
Output
- Information from and about customers that will allow you to develop the intervention and establish a working baseline
Intended Outcome
- A baseline that helps you set realistic objectives and the outcome measures that will be used for assessment