Who this is for: Product marketers and motion designers briefing a specific software update.
What to prepare
- Approved old and new definitions.
- A worked example checked by the metric owner.
- Effective scope and guidance on comparing historical values.
Copyable creative brief
An authored planning example. Replace illustrative details with your approved product facts and assets.
Create a 30-second planning explanation for a fictional reporting tool changing the definition of Active projects. Use approved definitions supplied by the product owner; the illustrative concept is a shift from projects with any update to projects with a completed task in the period. Begin with the metric name and reporting period. Show the old definition in a readable panel, then the new definition beside it. Use a small labeled fictional record set to show which projects each rule includes, only after the owner checks the calculation. Keep the reporting period and dataset constant. Do not animate the changed total as growth or decline in customer performance. State that values under different definitions may not be directly comparable, using the owner's precise guidance. End with the new definition, effective scope and a link label describing where the full calculation notes live. Avoid invented historical restatements.
Make it your own
- Definitions
- Supply exact inclusion rules and exclusions for both versions.
- Example records
- Use a small owner-checked fictional dataset that exposes the distinction.
- Historical guidance
- State whether and how past values are comparable according to the approved record.
Confirm what changed in the calculation
Identify whether the change concerns the population, time window, aggregation or label only. A renamed metric may need different treatment from a changed denominator. Do not use the same visual explanation for both without checking the calculation.
Adapt the graphic to the definition
A record-inclusion diagram can be clearer than two large numbers. Keep included and excluded examples labeled rather than relying only on color. For a longer version, walk through one borderline record and explain the approved decision.
Fix accidental performance implications
Remove celebratory arrows, upward sound cues or language such as “your results improved” when only the definition changed. If the example totals cannot be verified, show the rules without values. The final reference should help viewers interpret the metric they will encounter.
Review checklist
- Both definitions are visible before the comparison.
- Example totals are checked against the supplied rules.
- A calculation change is not presented as customer performance.
- Historical comparison guidance comes from the metric owner.