Getting Started with Building Feedback Reports

Individual vs Cohort Reports

Individual and Cohort reports are built by merging a boilerplate Microsoft Word document with text and scores from the system. 

• Individual reports are for a single response and are usually produced at the end of a respondent completing a response. They can be available for immediate download and/or emailing to the respondent and others.  Reports can include Benchmarking and Team data.
• Cohort reports are for multiple responses in one report.  Cohort reports can also include Benchmarking Data. 

How to Build a Feedback Report

Building a feedback report follows these steps:

Step 1 - Start with a Word Template

Download one of the Starter Templates to use as your base, or create a new Word document from scratch. Starter templates are pre-designed and include sample merge strings that you can adapt to your assessment.

Step 2 - Install the Merge Manager Word Add-in

The Merge Manager is a Word add-in that lets you insert and manage merge strings directly in your template. Install it before you start customizing.

See: Using the Merge Manager Word Add-In

Step 3 - Customize Your Report Content

Use the Merge Manager to add merge strings for the content you want in your report: charts, scores, ratings-based text, tables, and more. Structure your template to match your assessment's sections and subsections.

See: Building Feedback Report Templates in Microsoft Word (Videos)

See the What You Can Include in a Report table below for all the building blocks available

Step 4 - Upload and Preview Your Report

Once your Word template is ready, upload it to Brilliant Assessments from the Feedback tab in your Assessment Settings.

Generate a test report to check that your merge strings are rendering correctly and the layout looks right. Review the output and go back to your Word template to make adjustments as needed.

See: Testing PDF Reports Easily

Step 6 - Refine and Iterate

Report building is iterative. Once the basics are working, you can fine-tune styling, add conditional content, and improve the design.

See: Tips For Creating Professional Reports | Styling Starter Templates

What Goes Into a Report?

Reports in Brilliant Assessments are made up of several types of content, all inserted into your Word template using merge strings. Here's an overview of what you can include:

For the full list of all merge strings, see Merge Strings Available for Reports and Dashboards.

Tips for Creating Your Word Template

1. Consider starting with one of our Sample Report Templates
2. Wherever possible use the Styles feature of Word to set the format of text.   This ensures consistency.
3. Place images inside a Word table cell.  That way Word holds its position relative to the table.  As the table gets pushed down, we then insert the text above, and the image moves down correctly too.
4. Avoid text boxes for the same reason.  If they overlay an image, ensure that the image is in a table cell.
5. The best format for images is .png.  Some compressed .jpg files have issues with the function we use to create PDF's. 
6. The Word document must be initially created in Word (PC or Mac).  It must not be converted from another tool. 
7. Avoid using track changes or markups on your report template word document as they show up when generated as a PDF.

For more detailed information on best practices, see Report Design Best Practices.