What is the tool and what does it aim to do?

Creating an “evidence portfolio” is a way of understanding and communicating the impact the digital inclusion support has had on the people who access your service, the workforce and the service itself. Monitoring, evaluating and documenting this impact will help you create an evidence base for case studies, cost/benefits scenarios and more. These can then help to articulate the impact and value of digital inclusion to others.

What you’ll need to be able to complete the tool / preparation required

Ideally, you will have some data that you have already captured through testing the model of digital inclusion support. Alternatively, you could lead a discussion on the types of data you intend to collect or a reflective discussion on what sort of data you have collected as an organisation, and then invite participants to gather this information for the next part of the discussion.

How to use the tool

There isn’t a specific template to follow for this activity, because it is so dependent on the model of digital inclusion you create and the types of data you will be able to collect. Instead, use a big piece of paper for post it notes, or a blank online whiteboard (like Miro, Mural MS Whiteboard, etc.) to help you collect and group ideas that could become part of your evidence portfolio.

• Start by gathering thoughts around the question: What data has been captured through testing the model of digital inclusion support?
  • This might have been gathered before the session, so you could put these together in a presentation of the ideas, and then use the time to add extra post it notes. This will help everyone get on the same page.
• Looking at the post it notes from the previous question, try and answer the question: What would the current evidence base involve?
  • This could involve grouping post it notes based on the sort of data that has been collected or how feedback was given (qualitative vs quantitative, short term vs longer term, etc).
• After grouping and labelling the types of data you have at available and already captured, have a discussion to identify any gaps in what you’re measuring. This will help to answer the question: What else would you be able to capture in the future?

Tips for using the tool

There are lots of different examples of what might produce an evidence base e.g., stories of impact, monitoring and reporting data, impact survey data, referrals and user feedback. An example of a cost/benefit case study from the Digital Inclusion Programme is linked below, which might be a useful way to demonstrate the value of your digital inclusion work.