When a page makes a broad promise without supporting it, readers have little to judge it by. Evidence gives them something they can examine. The important question is whether the evidence supports the particular claim being made. A beautiful identity can demonstrate a visual direction; it cannot by itself demonstrate that a purchasing workflow works. A prototype can show a proposed interaction; it cannot establish adoption. Choose an example that answers the audience’s question, explain what it shows, and say what it cannot establish. Give readers enough information to form their own judgment about the work.
Show evidence that answers the actual question.
A custom application can be introduced with a claim about innovation, or with a screen showing how a user completes a difficult task. The screen gives the reader a particular task and interface to examine. Its caption can explain the problem, the contribution, and the limits of what is being shown. An illustrative booking workflow could be shown through the steps a person takes to select an appointment and confirm it. A caption would identify whether the screens are a prototype or a live application. A logo beside the claim would tell a different story and would not answer the same functional question.
Choose evidence that answers the actual question. A striking logo does not demonstrate a checkout flow; a prototype does not establish live adoption. When readers can examine specific work and understand what it shows, they can reach their own conclusion about its quality. Evidence does not have to be dramatic. A clearly explained small improvement can teach more than an impressive example whose purpose and results are left unexplained.
Put it into practice.
For each important claim, identify the material a reader could examine in support of it. Place the claim and evidence close enough that their relationship is clear. Explain what the example represents, whose work it is, and whether it shows a proposal or finished work. Separate an observed result from an intended one. If adequate evidence is unavailable, narrow the claim or explain the current stage. Do not fill the gap with unrelated imagery or an unsupported superlative.
What can someone examine for themselves?
