Guidelines for writing case studies

08/09/2014 14:04

My ten top tips to remember when creating case studies.

Write a nutgraph (or the 'in-a-nutshell paragraph') for your case study. This is a single paragraph that conveys the essence of the story. This is vital because if you don't have a nutgraph, then chances are you don't have a story. From a style point of view, it's also important as it acts as an executive summary: someone reading the nutgraph should be able to decide whether or not they want to carry on reading the case study.
Spend enough time (and no more) describing the back story. A classic case study will describe a problem or scenario that our solution rectifies. Once the initial challenges faced have been described, concentrate on the solution, and how things are better because of it. Emphasise outcomes.
Four sections. When planning your case study, it may help to split it into four sections.
Scene setting: what was the problem?
Methodology: what we did, how we did it, why we did it?
Outcomes: how has the problem been solved?
Call to action: how can I find out more?
Look for a story. A case study is not a long news item. You've the luxury of time in a case study to develop a proper story. You can describe transformations of organisations or people. Emphasise what has changed because of the solution. Look for an angle, a personality, an achievement.
If your case study has tangible, easily defined outcomes (or wins), place these on the front page. A good approach here is to have two lists of bulleted points. The first list should highlight "challenges", the second "outcomes".
Alternatively, summarise your story in five (or less) bullet points. Place these on the front page, so a time-stretched reader can get a snapshot of what you're describing. It's usually best to do this at the end once all the copy has been signed off.
Highlight customer quotes. Case studies work well because it's a third party who is evangelising on our behalf. Draw attention to the best customer quote through a callout, or photo with a soundbite beneath. Include their job title if this adds more relevance/kudos.
Let the customer sell the benefits. Don't 'over egg' your contribution too early. Case Studies are foremost the customer's story - we're helping them to do amazing/clever/cost-effective things.
Use headings to break up copy. But not just for this reason; they should also tell the reader what's happening. Or they can sum-up what a section contains (see 'Linked data comes of age' in the example below). Avoid using lazy headings like 'Objectives' or 'Implementing the project'.
Make it look good. A professional looking case study is more likely to be read/shared/printed/left in an in-tray/passed around the office than a web page. Callouts, customer images, photos of people involved, will all add impact.

Case Study: Linked Data at Ordnance Survey(PDF)