sample format of case study

In terms of the interview structure, I recommend categorizing the questions in a way that the answers flow into six specific sections that will mirror a successful case study format. Combined, they'll allow you to gather enough information to put together a rich, comprehensive study.

Open with the customer's business.

The goal of this section is to generate a better understanding of the company's current challenges and goals, plus how they fit into the landscape of their industry. Sample questions might include:

• How long have you been in business?
• How many employees do you have?
• What are some of the objectives of your department at this time?

Cite a problem or pain point.

To tell a compelling story, you need context that helps match the customer's needs with your solution. Sample questions might include:

• What challenges and objectives led you to look for a solution?
• What might have happened if you did not identify a solution?
• Did you explore other solutions before this that did not work out? If so, what happened?

Discuss the decision process.

Exploring how the customer decided to work with you helps to guide potential customers through their own decision-making processes.

Sample questions might include:

• How did you hear about our product or service?
• Who was involved in the selection process?
• What was most important to you when evaluating your options?

Explain how a solution was implemented.

The focus here should be placed on the customer's experience during the onboarding process. Sample questions might include:

• How long did it take to get up and running?
• Did that meet your expectations?
• Who was involved in the process?

Explain how the solution works.

The goal of this section is to better understand how the customer is using your product or service. Sample questions might include:

• Is there a particular aspect of the product or service that you rely on most?
• Who is using the product or service?

End with the results.

In this section, you want to uncover impressive measurable outcomes — the more numbers, the better. Sample questions might include:

• How is the product or service helping you save time and increase productivity?
• In what ways does that enhance your competitive advantage?
• How much have you increased metrics X, Y, and Z?

It’s a smart idea to send a copy of your interview questions to your subject ahead of time so they can prepare strong answers and collect the numerical data you need from them.

10. Lay out your case study format.

When it comes time to take all of the information you‘ve collected and actually turn it into something useful, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. I always do, but I also know that it works out in the end, so I just jump on in and work it through.

So where should you start? What should you include? What's the best way to structure it?

It‘s important to first understand that there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to the ways you can present a case study.

They can be very visual, which you’ll see in some of the examples we've included below, and can sometimes be communicated through video or photos with a bit of accompanying text.

Here are the sections I’d suggest, and I'll cover these in more detail after #11 below:

• Title. Keep it short. Develop a succinct but interesting project name you can give the work you did with your subject.
• Subtitle. Use this copy to briefly elaborate on the accomplishment. What was done? The case study itself will explain how you got there.
• Executive Summary . A 2-4 sentence summary of the entire story. You'll want to follow it with 2-3 bullet points that display metrics showcasing success.
• About the Subject. An introduction to the person or company you served, which can be pulled from a LinkedIn Business profile or client website.
• Challenges and Objectives. A 2-3 paragraph description of the customer's challenges, before using your product or service. This section should also include the goals or objectives the customer set out to achieve.
• How Product/Service Helped. A 2-3 paragraph section that describes how your product or service provided a solution to their problem.
• Results. A 2-3 paragraph testimonial that proves how your product or service specifically benefited the person or company and helped achieve its goals. Include numbers to quantify your contributions.
• Supporting Visuals or Quotes. Pick one or two powerful quotes that you would feature at the bottom of the sections above, as well as a visual that supports the story you are telling.
• Future Plans. Everyone likes an epilogue. Comment on what's ahead for your case study subject, whether or not those plans involve you.
• Call-to-Action (CTA). Not every case study needs a CTA, but putting a passive one at the end of your case study can encourage your readers to take an action on your website after learning about the work you've done.

When laying out your case study, focus on conveying the information you've gathered in the most clear and concise way possible.

Make it easy to scan and comprehend, and be sure to provide an attractive call-to-action at the bottom — that should provide readers an opportunity to learn more about your product or service.

11. Publish and promote your case study.

Once you‘ve completed your case study, it’s time to publish and promote it.

Some case study formats have pretty obvious promotional outlets — a video case study can go on YouTube, just as an infographic case study can go on Pinterest.

But there are still other ways to publish and promote your case study. Here are a couple of ideas.

Lead Gen in a Blog Post

As stated earlier, written case studies make terrific lead-generators if you convert them into a downloadable format, like a PDF.

To generate leads from your case study, consider writing a blog post that tells an abbreviated story of your client‘s success and asking readers to fill out a form with their name and email address if they’d like to read the rest in your PDF.

Then, promote this blog post on social media, through a Facebook post or a tweet.

Published as a Page on Your Website

As a growing business, you might need to display your case study out in the open to gain the trust of your target audience.

Rather than gating it behind a landing page, publish your case study to its own page on your website, and direct people to it from your homepage with a “Case Studies” or “Testimonials” button along your homepage's top navigation bar.

The traditional case study format includes the following parts: a title and subtitle, a client profile, a summary of the customer’s challenges and objectives, an account of how your solution helped, and a description of the results. You might also want to include supporting visuals and quotes, future plans, and calls-to-action.

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How to Write a Case Study (Examples & Best Practices)

Sudarshan Somanathan

Head of Content

July 19, 2024

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Promising your clients powerful solutions is great, but what wins them over is cold, hard proof that you’re successful at what you claim.

And that proof is a case study. Crafting one that grabs attention and showcases business expertise isn’t just about laying out the facts and figures—it’s about making your success stories come alive. 

Whether you’re seasoned or just starting, let’s look at actionable tips to write compelling case studies. From integrating best practices and examples to using tools and templates that simplify the process, learn to write case studies that will win clients over! 🙌

Understanding Case Studies

1. identify the case, 2. research, 3. define the problem, 4. develop a hypothesis, 5. plan the structure, step 1: write an impactful introduction, step 2: provide context, step 3: show your research, step 4: present the solution, step 5: reveal the result, step 6: structure and polish, beyond the steps: different methodologies, leverage clickup for writing compelling case studies , narrative case studies , descriptive case studies , exploratory case studies , explanatory case studies , case study templates, case study examples, best practices for writing case studies, landing pages and onboarding , the role and benefit of case studies in various fields, tell powerful business stories with case studies.

A case study is an in-depth analysis of a real-life situation designed to showcase a concept or principle. It’s an impactful tool in problem-solving and decision-making that gives a detailed illustration of a particular issue and its solution within a real-world context. 

Case studies uncover problems, propose solutions, and highlight successes, making them invaluable for businesses, educators, researchers, and professionals across various fields such as medicine and law. 

Case studies help us explore complex issues through detailed contextual analysis. They help understand cause and effect, identify patterns, and develop strategies for future scenarios. 

By studying how others overcame challenges, you can identify best practices and find new, effective approaches to solve problems that are specific to you.

For instance, a business might use a case study to understand how a specific marketing strategy led to increased sales, or a medical professional might examine a case study to understand the progression of a disease and the effectiveness of different treatments. This enables you to make informed decisions in similar future cases instead of decisions based purely on anecdotal theory or just raw data with no context. 

Attaching a case study of your customer’s success to your proposals or response to Request for Proposal ( RFP) documents can lend credibility to your business’ capabilities and enhance your chances of winning over prospective customers.

How to Prepare for a Case Study

Preparation is key to crafting a compelling case study. Follow these steps to ensure you cover all bases:

Pick a relevant, unique subject that addresses a key customer pain point and provides valuable insights. The chosen case should provide a meaningful story and outcome.

Suppose you consider a local environmental group struggling to raise funds for a critical habitat restoration project. This could be a great case study to showcase how you, as a consultant, helped them develop a compelling fundraising strategy, identify new donor segments, and ultimately reach their financial goals.

Gather information and raw data relevant to your topic, including quantitative data (such as statistics and numerical data) and qualitative insights (such as interviews and observations).  

For interviews, you might need to prepare a list of interviewees and research questions beforehand. Comprehensive research helps build a solid foundation for your case study. This is where research plan templates can come in handy. You can use them to structure your research process—from defining the key elements of your case study upfront to formulating clear research questions and outlining the methods you’ll use to gather data.

Let’s go back to our environment group example. To understand the environmental group’s fundraising struggles, you would gather data on their past fundraising campaigns, donor demographics, and website traffic. You would also interview key staff members and conduct focus groups with potential donors to understand their giving habits and concerns.

Clearly outline the issue or challenge faced. A well-defined problem sets the stage for a focused and effective analysis. Spend some time fine-tuning your case study.

In our example, based on your research, you define the problem as the environmental group’s reliance on traditional fundraising methods that were no longer reaching new donors, leading to stagnant funding for critical projects.

Formulate a potential solution or theory to address the problem. Crafted carefully in one or two sentences, this thesis statement will guide your investigation and analysis.

To help the group, your hypothesis could be that by implementing a multi-channel fundraising strategy that leverages social media, targeted email campaigns, and grant proposals, the environmental group can expand its donor base, increase donation amounts, and secure funding for the habitat restoration project.

Decide on the format and structure of your case study. A well-organized structure ensures that your case study is easy to follow and understand. Most case studies follow a chronological structure. This is great for storytelling and helps you take the reader on a journey from the initial challenge to the successful resolution achieved. It allows you to build suspense and highlight the transformation that took place.

For the example given above, you can decide to structure your case study with sections on the environmental group’s mission and the importance of the restoration project, the fundraising challenges they faced, the implemented solutions using your consulting framework, the results achieved (increased donations and project funding), and the key takeaways for other non-profit organizations.

Once you’ve addressed these steps related to case study planning, you’re ready to jump to the writing process. Let’s do that together, one step at a time! 🤝

How to Write a Case Study

Writing a compelling case study goes beyond simply recounting a project’s success. It’s about weaving a narrative that showcases the problem, your approach, and the impactful results. 

Let’s examine how to write case studies that inform and inspire potential customers and stakeholders.

The introduction is prime real estate in your case study—your chance to grab the reader’s attention. 

Here are two effective strategies to start strong

• Intrigue with a challenge: Open with a relatable scenario highlighting the common pain points your solution addresses. Example: “A struggling e-commerce store has stagnant sales despite offering high-quality products. This was the reality for [Company Name] back in [year/month]”
• Spark curiosity with a statistic: Hook your audience with a surprising or thought-provoking statistic related to the industry or challenge. Example: “Did you know that 70% of online shoppers abandon their carts before checkout? [Client Name] faced this very issue, leading to [amount] in lost revenue”

Once you’ve piqued their interest, provide context for your case study:

• Introduce the client: Briefly introduce the client, their industry, and their specific goals or challenges
• Highlight the problem: Clearly define the problem the client faced. Be specific about the impact it had on their business

Give your readers insights into tangible data and evidence of your study:

Quantitative research 

Numbers add credibility to your case study. Gather data relevant to the problem, such as sales figures, website traffic, or customer churn rates.

Qualitative research

Go beyond the numbers! Interview key stakeholders to understand the client’s perspective, thought processes, and emotional impact of the problem.

Behavioral science 

Understanding human behavior can strengthen your case study. Consider incorporating principles of psychology or decision-making to explain why the client’s previous approach wasn’t working and how your solution addressed those behavioral patterns.

For instance, if your case study focuses on improving a website’s conversion rate, you could mention how applying the “scarcity principle” by highlighting limited-time offers or low stock availability can incentivize purchase decisions.

Help your readers understand how exactly you solved the problem:

• Explain your approach: Detail the steps you took to address the client’s problem. Be clear about the specific strategies or methodologies you implemented
• Highlight expertise: Showcase your unique knowledge and expertise. If you developed a custom framework or used innovative techniques, explain them here

The result of your case study shows your success. Ensure you make it appealing to your readers:

• Showcase results with data: Present the positive outcomes achieved through your solution. Quantify the results whenever possible using the data you gathered earlier. For example, if you helped a client increase website traffic, mention the specific percentage increase observed
• Include client testimonials: Weave in positive quotes or testimonials from the client expressing their satisfaction with the results

Now that you know what exactly to put in your case study, you must understand how to present it:

• Organize for clarity: Structure your case study logically. Common sections include Introduction, Client Background, The Challenge, The Solution, Results, and Conclusion
• Pay attention to readability: Use clear and concise language. Break down complex concepts into digestible terms for a wider audience
• Proofread with precision: Ensure your case study is free of grammatical errors and typos. A polished presentation reflects professionalism

While the above steps provide a general framework, case studies can be structured using various methodologies. Here are two common approaches:

• Challenge-Solution-Benefit: This linear structure directly addresses the problem, presents the solution, and highlights the resulting benefits for the client
• Customer journey: This method focuses on the customer’s experience throughout the process. It showcases how your solution helped them navigate challenges and achieve success at each stage of their journey

The chosen methodology depends on the case study’s specific goals and the message you want to convey.

By following these steps and considering different approaches, you can craft compelling case studies that not only inform but also inspire your target audience. 

Remember, a well-written case study is a powerful marketing tool demonstrating your expertise and the value you deliver to clients.

ClickUp is an all-in-one productivity tool. Its intuitive interface and powerful features make it easy to conduct further research, collaborate with team members, and produce high-quality case studies. 

Its marquee feature, ClickUp Brain , is great for writing, editing, and summarizing case studies. This AI-powered tool simplifies the entire process, making it faster and more efficient. 

With ClickUp Brain, you can generate comprehensive case studies from scratch, thanks to its intuitive prompts and suggestions that guide you through each section, ensuring you cover all essential points. Just give it a few bullet points of instruction, and it will help you outline the case study, gather and organize your data, and create a compelling narrative highlighting your achievements and solutions.

Editing is a breeze with ClickUp Brain. The AI can review your content, providing insights and suggestions for improvement. It checks for clarity, coherence, and grammatical accuracy, ensuring your case study reads well and conveys your message effectively. This saves you time and effort, allowing you to focus on fine-tuning your content rather than doing the heavy lifting!

When it comes to summarizing, ClickUp Brain excels by distilling lengthy case studies with too much detail into concise, impactful summaries. This is particularly useful for creating an executive summary of your case study that won’t overwhelm your audience with too much information at once while still sharing the key details with them. 

By leveraging ClickUp Brain, you can produce polished, professional case studies that effectively communicate your successes and expertise.

Case Study Formats

Case studies have various formats, depending on their purpose and audience. This also determines their length. Marketing case studies are usually 500–700 words long. 

In-depth ones for academic, financial, or scientific purposes can exceed 1,000 words, including detailed data, analysis, methodologies, and interviews. Here are some common case study formats with examples:

They tell the story of the case in a linear format . This narrative form is ideal for engaging readers and making complex information more accessible. For instance, a narrative case study about a startup’s journey from inception to success will captivate readers by walking them through each milestone, highlighting challenges and triumphs. A customer success story can be another example.

This format provides a detailed description of the case and its context . It’s useful for presenting a comprehensive overview of a particular situation. An example would be a case study on a company’s operational processes describing how a specific change in workflow improved efficiency, with detailed descriptions of each step and the overall impact on productivity.

Investigates a phenomenon in a preliminary way to lay the groundwork for future studies . This format is often used in academic research to explore new areas of interest. For example, an exploratory case study might examine the initial effects of remote work on employee productivity during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, setting the stage for more extensive research.

This format is ideal for understanding the cause-and-effect relationships in complex scenarios. A case study explaining how a particular marketing strategy led to a significant increase in sales can provide insights into the specific tactics used, customer responses, and overall outcomes, helping clarify the strategy’s direct impact on sales performance.

Each format serves a distinct purpose and can be tailored to the specific needs of your audience and the goals of your case study.

Having templates to structure your case study will save you a great deal of time. 

They help streamline your case study creation process and ensure consistency in formatting. They also provide a framework for organizing your information and presenting it well.

Try the ClickUp Case Study Template to get a head start on your case studies. It helps capture critical information such as project background, challenges faced, strategies implemented, and measurable outcomes. 

This template includes prompts and sections that cover all necessary aspects of a case study, from initial analysis to final results. Its intuitive format helps streamline the writing process, making it easier to organize data and insights coherently, eventually allowing you to showcase the tangible benefits of your work.

If you’re looking to craft visually appealing and well-structured case studies, the ClickUp Case Study Design Template is what you need. This template provides a comprehensive layout that guides you through the essential components of a case study, such as problem statements, solutions, methodologies, and results.

With its pre-designed sections, you can easily organize your content, ensuring that each part of your case study is clearly defined and logically presented. The template’s customizable elements allow you to tailor the design to match your brand’s aesthetics , making your case study informative, engaging, and professional-looking. 

By using this template, you can save time on formatting and focus more on the important stuff.

Case studies illustrate how solutions are applied in various scenarios, offering valuable insights and practical lessons. Here are some other real-world examples:

Business case study: This type of case study analyzes a company’s strategy and outcomes. For example, this is a ClickUp case study featuring Cartoon Network that doubled its output in 50% less time. It outlines systematic ways the business cut short on duplicative efforts, facilitated deeper real-time collaboration, and leveraged insights to boost its productivity.

Medical case study: It examines a patient’s history and treatment. This National Institutes of Health example details a patient’s symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and recovery, providing a comprehensive view of the medical journey. It offers medical practitioners valuable insights into diagnosing and managing similar cases.

Technology implementation case study: This details how an organization implemented new technology. For example, a Microsoft case study explores how a company adopted Microsoft Azure to enhance its cloud computing capabilities. It covers the challenges faced, the implementation process, and the positive impact on business operations.

Marketing case study: This form of case study analyzes a marketing campaign’s strategy and results. For instance, Comedy Central launched an innovative search campaign using YouTube videos to introduce Trevor Noah as the new host of “The Daily Show” and engage fans through an interactive Easter egg hunt. The campaign generated 38M impressions and 2.8M views with high engagement rates.

We’ve curated a set of business best practices for writing and promoting impactful case studies to help you create them. 

Incorporate key elements

• Start with a strong introduction: Grab the reader’s attention and set the stage for your analysis. A compelling introduction can draw readers in and make them want to learn more about your case study. This introduction draws on a historical timeline and sets a very strong narrative

• Be clear and concise: Keep your writing concise and focused. Avoid unnecessary jargon and complex language that might confuse readers
• Use visuals: Enhance your case study with charts, graphs, and images to illustrate important sections. Visuals can help make complex information more accessible and engaging

• Include real data: Support your analysis with real data and statistics. Providing concrete evidence can strengthen your arguments and add credibility to your case study

• Tell a story: Make your case study engaging by telling a compelling customer story. Use narrative techniques to bring your case study to life and make it more relatable to readers

Promoting case studies 

Your case study must be supported by a structured  marketing plan . To reach a wider audience, leverage social media marketing and content distribution. Share your case studies on LinkedIn, Twitter, and industry-specific forums to generate interest and engagement.

You can repurpose key elements of the case study into bite-sized LinkedIn posts or Tweets. You can even capture client video testimonials to support the results highlighted in the case studies and share them on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Additionally, consider using SEO best practices to ensure your case studies are easily discoverable online.

Presenting a Case Study

Presenting a case study effectively is crucial for conveying your findings and recommendations. Follow these steps:

• Prepare a clear outline: Organize your presentation logically with a clear outline. This helps ensure that your presentation is easy to follow and that you cover all key points
• Use visual aids: Enhance your presentation with slides, charts, and graphs. Visual aids can help make your presentation more engaging and easier to understand
• Engage your audience: Encourage questions and discussions to engage your audience. Interaction can help reinforce your message and make your presentation more memorable
• Highlight key points: Emphasize the most important findings and recommendations. Make sure your audience leaves with a clear understanding of the main takeaways from your case study

Create dedicated landing pages to showcase your case studies. Use effective onboarding techniques to guide readers through your content. 

For example, you can create a landing page on your website with a strong headline, an overview of your case study, key findings, and a call to action encouraging readers to download the full report. 

Here’s an example from the National Library of Medicine

Another best practice most businesses follow is a landing page featuring the full collection of their case studies . This helps your target audience quickly review all the powerful business stories you have on offer and select the one that’s most relevant to them. 

Take a look at ClickUp’s landing page for case studies below.

Case studies are used across various fields to provide in-depth analysis of relevant theories and insights.

Nursing  

Case studies in nursing help understand patient care and treatment outcomes. 

For example, a case study detailing a diabetic patient’s journey can highlight effective management strategies and complications, such as monitoring blood sugar levels, dietary adjustments, and medication adherence. 

This comprehensive account can offer valuable lessons for healthcare providers, contributing to better patient care practices and education.

Public policy

Public policy case studies provide a detailed analysis of policy decisions and their impact. 

For instance, a case study on a city’s implementation of a new public transportation system can showcase successful interventions, such as increased ridership and reduced traffic congestion. It can also identify areas for improvement, such as the need for better infrastructure or more frequent service. 

These insights can guide future policy decisions, helping policymakers design more effective and efficient public services.

Business case study examples in marketing illustrate successful campaigns and strategies. 

For instance, a case study on Apple’s marketing strategy for the iPhone highlights how they arrived at their creative briefs , positioning, branding, and targeted advertising to capture a significant market share. 

This detailed account of Apple’s approach to market research, consumer behavior analysis, and creative advertising techniques can offer valuable lessons for other businesses looking to enhance their marketing efforts and connect more effectively with their target audience.

Operations management

These case studies provide insights into process improvements and operational efficiency. 

For example, this case study on Toyota’s implementation of lean manufacturing principles shows how the company reduced waste, improved production efficiency, and increased overall product quality. 

By examining the specific steps Toyota took to streamline its operations, such as adopting just-in-time inventory systems and continuous improvement practices, other businesses can learn how to optimize their processes and achieve higher productivity.

Strategic planning

Case studies in strategic planning demonstrate how companies navigate complex business environments. 

For example, a case study on Netflix’s transition from a DVD rental service to a global streaming giant reveals the strategic decisions that fueled its growth. This includes their investment in original content, adoption of new technologies, and expansion into international markets. 

By understanding the strategic choices and challenges Netflix faces, other businesses can gain insights into how to adapt their strategies to changing market conditions and emerging opportunities.

These examples illustrate how case studies in various fields provide actionable insights and practical knowledge to help companies innovate, improve efficiency, and make informed strategic decisions.

Writing an effective case study is more than just presenting data; it’s about telling a story that resonates with your audience and showcases the impact of your solutions. 

By focusing on clear objectives, customer quotes, thorough research, and engaging narratives, you can create strong case studies that not only highlight your successes with previous customers but also build trust with prospective clients and future customers. Remember, a well-crafted case study can help you achieve your marketing goals .

One tool that can significantly streamline the process of creating impactful case studies is ClickUp. With its robust project management features, ClickUp helps you organize your case study research, track progress, and collaborate seamlessly with your team. 

Its AI-powered features streamline the writing process , allowing you to focus on in-depth analysis and creativity. 

Use ClickUp’s templates to structure your case study, set deadlines, and capture every detail accurately. Its document and task management capabilities ensure that your case study is well-organized, visually appealing, and professional. Don’t take our word for it. Try it yourself. 

Sign up for your free ClickUp account today!

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Methodology

• What Is a Case Study? | Definition, Examples & Methods

What Is a Case Study? | Definition, Examples & Methods

Published on May 8, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on November 20, 2023.

A case study is a detailed study of a specific subject, such as a person, group, place, event, organization, or phenomenon. Case studies are commonly used in social, educational, clinical, and business research.

A case study research design usually involves qualitative methods , but quantitative methods are sometimes also used. Case studies are good for describing , comparing, evaluating and understanding different aspects of a research problem .

Table of contents

When to do a case study, step 1: select a case, step 2: build a theoretical framework, step 3: collect your data, step 4: describe and analyze the case, other interesting articles.

A case study is an appropriate research design when you want to gain concrete, contextual, in-depth knowledge about a specific real-world subject. It allows you to explore the key characteristics, meanings, and implications of the case.

Case studies are often a good choice in a thesis or dissertation . They keep your project focused and manageable when you don’t have the time or resources to do large-scale research.

You might use just one complex case study where you explore a single subject in depth, or conduct multiple case studies to compare and illuminate different aspects of your research problem.

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Once you have developed your problem statement and research questions , you should be ready to choose the specific case that you want to focus on. A good case study should have the potential to:

• Provide new or unexpected insights into the subject
• Challenge or complicate existing assumptions and theories
• Propose practical courses of action to resolve a problem
• Open up new directions for future research

TipIf your research is more practical in nature and aims to simultaneously investigate an issue as you solve it, consider conducting action research instead.

Unlike quantitative or experimental research , a strong case study does not require a random or representative sample. In fact, case studies often deliberately focus on unusual, neglected, or outlying cases which may shed new light on the research problem.

Example of an outlying case studyIn the 1960s the town of Roseto, Pennsylvania was discovered to have extremely low rates of heart disease compared to the US average. It became an important case study for understanding previously neglected causes of heart disease.

However, you can also choose a more common or representative case to exemplify a particular category, experience or phenomenon.

Example of a representative case studyIn the 1920s, two sociologists used Muncie, Indiana as a case study of a typical American city that supposedly exemplified the changing culture of the US at the time.

While case studies focus more on concrete details than general theories, they should usually have some connection with theory in the field. This way the case study is not just an isolated description, but is integrated into existing knowledge about the topic. It might aim to:

• Exemplify a theory by showing how it explains the case under investigation
• Expand on a theory by uncovering new concepts and ideas that need to be incorporated
• Challenge a theory by exploring an outlier case that doesn’t fit with established assumptions

To ensure that your analysis of the case has a solid academic grounding, you should conduct a literature review of sources related to the topic and develop a theoretical framework . This means identifying key concepts and theories to guide your analysis and interpretation.

There are many different research methods you can use to collect data on your subject. Case studies tend to focus on qualitative data using methods such as interviews , observations , and analysis of primary and secondary sources (e.g., newspaper articles, photographs, official records). Sometimes a case study will also collect quantitative data.

Example of a mixed methods case studyFor a case study of a wind farm development in a rural area, you could collect quantitative data on employment rates and business revenue, collect qualitative data on local people’s perceptions and experiences, and analyze local and national media coverage of the development.

The aim is to gain as thorough an understanding as possible of the case and its context.

In writing up the case study, you need to bring together all the relevant aspects to give as complete a picture as possible of the subject.

How you report your findings depends on the type of research you are doing. Some case studies are structured like a standard scientific paper or thesis , with separate sections or chapters for the methods , results and discussion .

Others are written in a more narrative style, aiming to explore the case from various angles and analyze its meanings and implications (for example, by using textual analysis or discourse analysis ).

In all cases, though, make sure to give contextual details about the case, connect it back to the literature and theory, and discuss how it fits into wider patterns or debates.

If you want to know more about statistics , methodology , or research bias , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

• Normal distribution
• Degrees of freedom
• Null hypothesis
• Discourse analysis
• Control groups
• Mixed methods research
• Non-probability sampling
• Quantitative research
• Ecological validity

Research bias

• Rosenthal effect
• Implicit bias
• Cognitive bias
• Selection bias
• Negativity bias
• Status quo bias

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What Is a Case Study? How to Write, Examples, and Template

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How to write a case study

Case study template, case study examples, types of case studies, what are the benefits of case studies , what are the limitations of case studies , case study vs. testimonial.

In today's marketplace, conveying your product's value through a compelling narrative is crucial to genuinely connecting with your customers.

Your business can use marketing analytics tools to understand what customers want to know about your product. Once you have this information, the next step is to showcase your product and its benefits to your target audience. This strategy involves a mix of data, analysis, and storytelling. Combining these elements allows you to create a narrative that engages your audience. So, how can you do this effectively?

What is a case study? 

A case study is a powerful tool for showcasing a business's success in helping clients achieve their goals. It's a form of storytelling that details real-world scenarios where a business implemented its solutions to deliver positive results for a client.

In this article, we explore the concept of a case study , including its writing process, benefits, various types, challenges, and more.

Understanding how to write a case study is an invaluable skill. You'll need to embrace decision-making – from deciding which customers to feature to designing the best format to make them as engaging as possible.  This can feel overwhelming in a hurry, so let's break it down.

Step 1: Reach out to the target persona

If you've been in business for a while, you have no shortage of happy customers. But w ith limited time and resources, you can't choose everyone.  So, take some time beforehand to flesh out your target buyer personas. 

Once you know precisely who you're targeting, go through your stable of happy customers to find a buyer representative of the audience you're trying to reach. The closer their problems, goals, and industries align, the more your case study will resonate.

What if you have more than one buyer persona? No problem. This is a common situation for companies because buyers comprise an entire committee. You might be marketing to procurement experts, executives, engineers, etc. Try to develop a case study tailored to each key persona. This might be a long-term goal, and that's fine. The better you can personalize the experience for each stakeholder, the easier it is to keep their attention.  

Here are a few considerations to think about before research:

• Products/services of yours the customer uses (and how familiar they are with them)
• The customer's brand recognition in the industry
• Whether the results they've achieved are specific and remarkable
• Whether they've switched from a competitor's product/service
• How closely aligned they are with your target audience

These items are just a jumping-off point as you develop your criteria.  Once you have a list, run each customer through it to determine your top targets. Approach the ones on the top (your "dream" case study subjects) and work your way down as needed.

Who to interview

You should consider interviewing top-level managers or executives because those are high-profile positions. But consider how close they are to your product and its results.

Focusing on an office manager or engineer who uses your product daily would be better. Look for someone with a courtside view of the effects.

The ways to request customer participation in case studies can vary, but certain principles can improve your chances:

• Make it easy for customers to work with you, respecting their valuable time. Be well-prepared and minimize their involvement.
• Emphasize how customers will benefit through increased publicity, revenue opportunities, or recognition for their success. 
• Acknowledge their contributions and showcase their achievements.
• Standardizing the request process with a script incorporating these principles can help your team consistently secure case study approvals and track performance.

Step 2: Prepare for the interview

Case study interviews are like school exams. The more prepared you are for them, the better they turn out. Preparing thoroughly also shows participants that you value their time. You don't waste precious minutes rehashing things you should have already known. You focus on getting the information you need as efficiently as possible.

You can conduct your case study interview in multiple formats, from exchanging emails to in-person interviews. This isn't a trivial decision.  As you'll see in the chart below, each format has its unique advantages and disadvantages. 

You'll also have to consider who will ask and answer the questions during your case study interview. It's wise to consider this while considering the case study format.  The number of participants factors into which format will work best. Pulling off an in-person interview becomes much harder if you're trying to juggle four or five people's busy schedules. Try a video conference instead.

Before interviewing your case study participant, it is crucial to identify the specific questions that need to be asked.  It's essential to thoroughly evaluate your collaboration with the client and understand how your product's contributions impact the company. 

Remember that structuring your case study is akin to crafting a compelling narrative. To achieve this, follow a structured approach:

• Beginning of your story. Delve into the customer's challenge that ultimately led them to do business with you. What were their problems like? What drove them to make a decision finally? Why did they choose you?
• The middle of the case study.  Your audience also wants to know about the experience of working with you. Your customer has taken action to address their problems. What happened once you got on board?
• An ending that makes you the hero.  Describe the specific results your company produced for the customer. How has the customer's business (and life) changed once they implemented your solution?

Sample questions for the case study interview

If you're preparing for a case study interview, here are some sample case study research questions to help you get started:

• What challenges led you to seek a solution?
• When did you realize the need for immediate action? Was there a tipping point?
• How did you decide on the criteria for choosing a B2B solution, and who was involved?
• What set our product or service apart from others you considered?
• How was your experience working with us post-purchase?
• Were there any pleasant surprises or exceeded expectations during our collaboration?
• How smoothly did your team integrate our solution into their workflows?
• How long before you started seeing positive results?
• How have you benefited from our products or services?
• How do you measure the value our product or service provides?

Step 3: Conduct the interview

Preparing for case study interviews can be different from everyday conversations. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

• Create a comfortable atmosphere.  Before diving into the discussion, talk about their business and personal interests. Ensure everyone is at ease, and address any questions or concerns.
• Prioritize key questions.  Lead with your most crucial questions to respect your customer's time. Interview lengths can vary, so starting with the essentials ensures you get the vital information.
• Be flexible.  Case study interviews don't have to be rigid. If your interviewee goes "off script," embrace it. Their spontaneous responses often provide valuable insights.
• Record the interview.  If not conducted via email, ask for permission to record the interview. This lets you focus on the conversation and capture valuable quotes without distractions.

Step 4: Figure out who will create the case study

When creating written case studies for your business, deciding who should handle the writing depends on cost, perspective, and revisions.

Outsourcing might be pricier, but it ensures a professionally crafted outcome. On the other hand, in-house writing has its considerations, including understanding your customers and products. 

Technical expertise and equipment are needed for video case studies, which often leads companies to consider outsourcing due to production and editing costs. 

Tip: When outsourcing work, it's essential to clearly understand pricing details to avoid surprises and unexpected charges during payment.

Step 5: Utilize storytelling

Understanding and applying storytelling elements can make your case studies unforgettable, offering a competitive edge. 

Source: The Framework Bank

Every great study follows a narrative arc (also called a "story arc"). This arc represents how a character faces challenges, struggles against raising stakes, and encounters a formidable obstacle before the tension resolves.

In a case study narrative, consider:

• Exposition. Provide background information about the company, revealing their "old life" before becoming your customer.
• Inciting incident. Highlight the problem that drove the customer to seek a solution, creating a sense of urgency.
• Obstacles (rising action). Describe the customer's journey in researching and evaluating solutions, building tension as they explore options.
• Midpoint. Explain what made the business choose your product or service and what set you apart.
• Climax. Showcase the success achieved with your product.
• Denouement. Describe the customer's transformed business and end with a call-to-action for the reader to take the next step.

Step 6: Design the case study

The adage "Don't judge a book by its cover" is familiar, but people tend to do just that quite often!

A poor layout can deter readers even if you have an outstanding case study. To create an engaging case study, follow these steps:

• Craft a compelling title. Just like you wouldn't read a newspaper article without an eye-catching headline, the same goes for case studies. Start with a title that grabs attention.
• Organize your content. Break down your content into different sections, such as challenges, results, etc. Each section can also include subsections. This case study approach divides the content into manageable portions, preventing readers from feeling overwhelmed by lengthy blocks of text.
• Conciseness is key. Keep your case study as concise as possible. The most compelling case studies are precisely long enough to introduce the customer's challenge, experience with your solution, and outstanding results. Prioritize clarity and omit any sections that may detract from the main storyline.
• Utilize visual elements. To break up text and maintain reader interest, incorporate visual elements like callout boxes, bulleted lists, and sidebars.
• Include charts and images. Summarize results and simplify complex topics by including pictures and charts. Visual aids enhance the overall appeal of your case study.
• Embrace white space. Avoid overwhelming walls of text to prevent reader fatigue. Opt for plenty of white space, use shorter paragraphs, and employ subsections to ensure easy readability and navigation.
• Enhance video case studies. In video case studies, elements like music, fonts, and color grading are pivotal in setting the right tone. Choose music that complements your message and use it strategically throughout your story. Carefully select fonts to convey the desired style, and consider how lighting and color grading can influence the mood. These elements collectively help create the desired tone for your video case study.

Step 7: Edits and revisions

Once you've finished the interview and created your case study, the hardest part is over. Now's the time for editing and revision. This might feel frustrating for impatient B2B marketers, but it can turn good stories into great ones.

Ideally, you'll want to submit your case study through two different rounds of editing and revisions:

• Internal review. Seek feedback from various team members to ensure your case study is captivating and error-free. Gather perspectives from marketing, sales, and those in close contact with customers for well-rounded insights. Use patterns from this feedback to guide revisions and apply lessons to future case studies.
• Customer feedback. Share the case study with customers to make them feel valued and ensure accuracy. Let them review quotes and data points, as they are the "heroes" of the story, and their logos will be prominently featured. This step maintains positive customer relationships.

Case study mistakes to avoid

• Ensure easy access to case studies on your website.
• Spotlight the customer, not just your business.
• Tailor each case study to a specific audience.
• Avoid excessive industry jargon in your content.

Step 8: Publishing

Take a moment to proofread your case study one more time carefully. Even if you're reasonably confident you've caught all the errors, it's always a good idea to check. Your case study will be a valuable marketing tool for years, so it's worth the investment to ensure it's flawless. Once done, your case study is all set to go!

Consider sharing a copy of the completed case study with your customer as a thoughtful gesture. They'll likely appreciate it; some may want to keep it for their records. After all, your case study wouldn't have been possible without their help, and they deserve to see the final product.

Where you publish your case study depends on its role in your overall marketing strategy. If you want to reach as many people as possible with your case study, consider publishing it on your website and social media platforms. 

Tip: Some companies prefer to keep their case studies exclusive, making them available only to those who request them. This approach is often taken to control access to valuable information and to engage more deeply with potential customers who express specific interests. It can create a sense of exclusivity and encourage interested parties to engage directly with the company.

Step 9: Case study distribution

When sharing individual case studies, concentrate on reaching the audience with the most influence on purchasing decisions

Here are some common distribution channels to consider:

• Sales teams. Share case studies to enhance customer interactions, retention , and upselling among your sales and customer success teams. Keep them updated on new studies and offer easily accessible formats like PDFs or landing page links.
• Company website. Feature case studies on your website to establish authority and provide valuable information to potential buyers. Organize them by categories such as location, size, industry, challenges, and products or services used for effective presentation.
• Events. Use live events like conferences and webinars to distribute printed case study copies, showcase video case studies at trade show booths, and conclude webinars with links to your case study library. This creative approach blends personal interactions with compelling content.
• Industry journalists. Engage relevant industry journalists to gain media coverage by identifying suitable publications and journalists covering related topics. Building relationships is vital, and platforms like HARO (Help A Reporter Out) can facilitate connections, especially if your competitors have received coverage before.

Want to learn more about Marketing Analytics Software? Explore Marketing Analytics products.

It can seem daunting to transform the information you've gathered into a cohesive narrative.  We’ve created a versatile case study template that can serve as a solid starting point for your case study.

With this template, your business can explore any solutions offered to satisfied customers, covering their background, the factors that led them to choose your services, and their outcomes.

The template boasts a straightforward design, featuring distinct sections that guide you in effectively narrating your and your customer's story. However, remember that limitless ways to showcase your business's accomplishments exist.

To assist you in this process, here's a breakdown of the recommended sections to include in a case study:

• Title.  Keep it concise. Create a brief yet engaging project title summarizing your work with your subject. Consider your title like a newspaper headline; do it well, and readers will want to learn more. 
• Subtitle . Use this section to elaborate on the achievement briefly. Make it creative and catchy to engage your audience.
• Executive summary.  Use this as an overview of the story, followed by 2-3 bullet points highlighting key success metrics.
• Challenges and objectives. This section describes the customer's challenges before adopting your product or service, along with the goals or objectives they sought to achieve.
• How product/service helped.  A paragraph explaining how your product or service addressed their problem.
• Testimonials.  Incorporate short quotes or statements from the individuals involved in the case study, sharing their perspectives and experiences.
• Supporting visuals.  Include one or two impactful visuals, such as graphs, infographics, or highlighted metrics, that reinforce the narrative.
• Call to action (CTA).  If you do your job well, your audience will read (or watch) your case studies from beginning to end. They are interested in everything you've said. Now, what's the next step they should take to continue their relationship with you? Give people a simple action they can complete. 

Case studies are proven marketing strategies in a wide variety of B2B industries. Here are just a few examples of a case study:

• Amazon Web Services, Inc.  provides companies with cloud computing platforms and APIs on a metered, pay-as-you-go basis. This case study example illustrates the benefits Thomson Reuters experienced using AWS.
• LinkedIn Marketing Solutions combines captivating visuals with measurable results in the case study created for BlackRock. This case study illustrates how LinkedIn has contributed to the growth of BlackRock's brand awareness over the years. 
• Salesforce , a sales and marketing automation SaaS solutions provider, seamlessly integrates written and visual elements to convey its success stories with Pepe Jeans. This case study effectively demonstrates how Pepe Jeans is captivating online shoppers with immersive and context-driven e-commerce experiences through Salesforce.
• HubSpot offers a combination of sales and marketing tools. Their case study demonstrates the effectiveness of its all-in-one solutions. These typically focus on a particular client's journey and how HubSpot helped them achieve significant results.

There are two different types of case studies that businesses might utilize:

Written case studies 

Written case studies offer readers a clear visual representation of data, which helps them quickly identify and focus on the information that matters most. 

Printed versions of case studies find their place at events like trade shows, where they serve as valuable sales collateral to engage prospective clients.  Even in the digital age, many businesses provide case studies in PDF format or as web-based landing pages, improving accessibility for their audience. 

Note: Landing pages , in particular, offer the flexibility to incorporate rich multimedia content, including images, charts, and videos. This flexibility in design makes landing pages an attractive choice for presenting detailed content to the audience.

Written case study advantages

Here are several significant advantages to leveraging case studies for your company:

• Hyperlink accessibility.  Whether in PDF or landing page format, written case studies allow for embedded hyperlinks, offering prospects easy access to additional information and contact forms.
• Flexible engagement.  Unlike video case studies, which may demand in-person arrangements, written case studies can be conducted via phone or video streaming, reducing customer commitment and simplifying scheduling.
• Efficient scanning . Well-structured written case studies with a scannable format cater to time-strapped professionals. Charts and callout boxes with key statistics enhance the ease of information retrieval.
• Printable for offline use.  Written case studies can be effortlessly printed and distributed at trade shows, sales meetings, and live events. This tangible format accommodates those who prefer physical materials and provides versatility in outreach, unlike video content, which is less portable.

Written case study disadvantages

Here are some drawbacks associated with the use of case studies:

• Reduced emotional impact.  Written content lacks the emotional punch of live video testimonials, which engage more senses and emotions, making a stronger connection.
• Consider time investment.  Creating a compelling case study involves editing, proofreading, and design collaboration, with multiple revisions commonly required before publication.
• Challenges in maintaining attention.  Attention spans are short in today's ad-saturated world. Using graphics, infographics, and videos more often is more powerful to incite the right emotions in customers.

Video case studies

Video case studies are the latest marketing trend. Unlike in the past, when video production was costly, today's tools make it more accessible for users to create and edit their videos. However, specific technical requirements still apply.

Like written case studies, video case studies delve into a specific customer's challenges and how your business provides solutions. Yet, the video offers a more profound connection by showcasing the person who faced and conquered the problem.

Video case studies can boost brand exposure when shared on platforms like YouTube. For example, Slack's engaging case study video with Sandwich Video illustrates how Slack transformed its workflow and adds humor, which can be challenging in written case studies focused on factual evidence.

Source : YouTube

This video case study has garnered nearly a million views on YouTube.

Video case study advantages

Here are some of the top advantages of video case studies. While video testimonials take more time, the payoff can be worth it. 

• Humanization and authenticity.  Video case studies connect viewers with real people, adding authenticity and fostering a stronger emotional connection.
• Engaging multiple senses.  They engage both auditory and visual senses, enhancing credibility and emotional impact. Charts, statistics, and images can also be incorporated.
• Broad distribution.  Videos can be shared on websites, YouTube, social media, and more, reaching diverse audiences and boosting engagement, especially on social platforms.

Video case study disadvantages

Before fully committing to video testimonials, consider the following:

• Technical expertise and equipment.  Video production requires technical know-how and equipment, which can be costly. Skilled video editing is essential to maintain a professional image. While technology advances, producing amateurish videos may harm your brand's perception.
• Viewer convenience.  Some prospects prefer written formats due to faster reading and ease of navigation. Video typically requires sound, which can be inconvenient for viewers in specific settings. Many people may not have headphones readily available to watch your content.
• Demand on case study participants.  On-camera interviews can be time-consuming and location-dependent, making scheduling challenging for case study participants. Additionally, being on screen for a global audience may create insecurities and performance pressure.
• Comfort on camera.  Not everyone feels at ease on camera. Nervousness or a different on-screen persona can impact the effectiveness of the testimonial, and discovering this late in the process can be problematic.

Written or video case studies: Which is right for you?

Now that you know the pros and cons of each, how do you choose which is right for you?

One of the most significant factors in doing video case studies can be the technical expertise and equipment required for a high level of production quality. Whether you have the budget to do this in-house or hire a production company can be one of the major deciding factors.

Still, written or video doesn't have to be an either-or decision. Some B2B companies are using both formats. They can complement each other nicely, minimizing the downsides mentioned above and reaching your potential customers where they prefer.

Let's say you're selling IT network security. What you offer is invaluable but complicated. You could create a short (three- or four-minute) video case study to get attention and touch on the significant benefits of your services. This whets the viewer's appetite for more information, which they could find in a written case study that supplements the video.

Should you decide to test the water in video case studies, test their effectiveness among your target audience. See how well they work for your company and sales team. And, just like a written case study, you can always find ways to improve your process as you continue exploring video case studies.

Case studies offer several distinctive advantages, making them an ideal tool for businesses to market their products to customers. However, their benefits extend beyond these qualities. 

Here's an overview of all the advantages of case studies:

Valuable sales support

Case studies serve as a valuable resource for your sales endeavors. Buyers frequently require additional information before finalizing a purchase decision. These studies provide concrete evidence of your product or service's effectiveness, assisting your sales representatives in closing deals more efficiently, especially with customers with lingering uncertainties.

Validating your value

Case studies serve as evidence of your product or service's worth or value proposition , playing a role in building trust with potential customers. By showcasing successful partnerships, you make it easier for prospects to place trust in your offerings. This effect is particularly notable when the featured customer holds a reputable status.

Unique and engaging content

By working closely with your customer success teams, you can uncover various customer stories that resonate with different prospects. Case studies allow marketers to shape product features and benefits into compelling narratives. 

Each case study's distinctiveness, mirroring the uniqueness of every customer's journey, makes them a valuable source of relatable and engaging content. Storytelling possesses the unique ability to connect with audiences on an emotional level, a dimension that statistics alone often cannot achieve. 

Spotlighting valuable customers

Case studies provide a valuable platform for showcasing your esteemed customers. Featuring them in these studies offers a chance to give them visibility and express your gratitude for the partnership, which can enhance customer loyalty . Depending on the company you are writing about, it can also demonstrate the caliber of your business.

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It's important to consider limitations when designing and interpreting the results of case studies. Here's an overview of the limitations of case studies:

Challenges in replication

Case studies often focus on specific individuals, organizations, or situations, making generalizing their findings to broader populations or contexts challenging. 

Time-intensive process

Case studies require a significant time investment. The extensive data collection process and the need for comprehensive analysis can be demanding, especially for researchers who are new to this method.

Potential for errors

Case studies can be influenced by memory and judgment, potentially leading to inaccuracies. Depending on human memory to reconstruct a case's history may result in variations and potential inconsistencies in how individuals recall past events. Additionally, bias may emerge, as individuals tend to prioritize what they consider most significant, which could limit their consideration of alternative perspectives.

Challenges in verification

Confirming results through additional research can present difficulties. This complexity arises from the need for detailed and extensive data in the initial creation of a case study. Consequently, this process requires significant effort and a substantial amount of time.

While looking at case studies, you may have noticed a quote. This type of quote is considered a testimonial, a key element of case studies.

If a customer's quote proves that your brand does what it says it will or performs as expected, you may wonder: 'Aren't customer testimonials and case studies the same thing?' Not exactly.

Testimonials are brief endorsements designed to establish trust on a broad scale. In contrast, case studies are detailed narratives that offer a comprehensive understanding of how a product or service addresses a specific problem, targeting a more focused audience. 

Crafting case studies requires more resources and a structured approach than testimonials. Your selection between the two depends on your marketing objectives and the complexity of your product or service.

Case in point!

Case studies are among a company's most effective tools. You're  well on your way to mastering them.

Today's buyers are tackling much of the case study research methodology independently. Many are understandably skeptical before making a buying decision. By connecting them with multiple case studies, you can prove you've gotten the results you say you can. There's hardly a better way to boost your credibility and persuade them to consider your solution.

Case study formats and distribution methods might change as technology evolves. However, the fundamentals that make them effective—knowing how to choose subjects, conduct interviews, and structure everything to get attention—will serve you for as long as you're in business. 

We covered a ton of concepts and resources, so go ahead and bookmark this page. You can refer to it whenever you have questions or need a refresher.

Dive into market research to uncover customer preferences and spending habits.

Kristen McCabe

Kristen’s is a former senior content marketing specialist at G2. Her global marketing experience extends from Australia to Chicago, with expertise in B2B and B2C industries. Specializing in content, conversions, and events, Kristen spends her time outside of work time acting, learning nature photography, and joining in the #instadog fun with her Pug/Jack Russell, Bella. (she/her/hers)

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How to Write a Case Study: A Step-by-Step Guide (+ Examples)

by Todd Brehe

on Jan 3, 2024

If you want to learn how to write a case study that engages prospective clients, demonstrates that you can solve real business problems, and showcases the results you deliver, this guide will help.

We’ll give you a proven template to follow, show you how to conduct an engaging interview, and give you several examples and tips for best practices.

Let’s start with the basics.

What is a Case Study?

A business case study is simply a story about how you successfully delivered a solution to your client.

Case studies start with background information about the customer, describe problems they were facing, present the solutions you developed, and explain how those solutions positively impacted the customer’s business.

Do Marketing Case Studies Really Work?

Absolutely. A well-written case study puts prospective clients into the shoes of your paying clients, encouraging them to engage with you. Plus, they:

• Get shared “behind the lines” with decision makers you may not know;
• Leverage the power of “social proof” to encourage a prospective client to take a chance with your company;
• Build trust and foster likeability;
• Lessen the perceived risk of doing business with you and offer proof that your business can deliver results;
• Help prospects become aware of unrecognized problems;
• Show prospects experiencing similar problems that possible solutions are available (and you can provide said solutions);
• Make it easier for your target audience to find you when using Google and other search engines.

Case studies serve your clients too. For example, they can generate positive publicity and highlight the accomplishments of line staff to the management team. Your company might even throw in a new product/service discount, or a gift as an added bonus.

But don’t just take my word for it. Let’s look at a few statistics and success stories:

5 Winning Case Study Examples to Model

Before we get into the nuts and bolts of how to write a case study, let’s go over a few examples of what an excellent one looks like.

The five case studies listed below are well-written, well-designed, and incorporate a time-tested structure.

1. Lane Terralever and Pinnacle at Promontory

This case study example  from Lane Terralever  incorporates images to support the content and effectively uses subheadings to make the piece scannable.

2. WalkMe Mobile and Hulyo

This case study  from WalkMe Mobile  leads with an engaging headline and the three most important results the client was able to generate.

In the first paragraph, the writer expands the list of accomplishments encouraging readers to learn more.

3. CurationSuite Listening Engine

This is an example of a well-designed printable case study . The client, specific problem, and solution are called out in the left column and summarized succinctly.

4. Brain Traffic and ASAE

This long format case study (6 pages) from Brain Traffic  summarizes the challenges, solutions, and results prominently in the left column. It uses testimonials and headshots of the case study participants very effectively.

5. Adobe and Home Depot

This case study  from Adobe and Home Depot  is a great example of combining video, attention-getting graphics, and long form writing. It also uses testimonials and headshots well.

Now that we’ve gone over the basics and showed a few great case study examples you can use as inspiration, let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work.

A Case Study Structure That Pros Use

Let’s break down the structure of a compelling case study:

Choose Your Case Study Format

In this guide, we focus on written case studies. They’re affordable to create, and they have a proven track record. However, written case studies are just one of four case study formats to consider:

• Infographic

If you have the resources, video (like the Adobe and Home Depot example above) and podcast case studies can be very compelling. Hearing a client discuss in his or her own words how your company helped is an effective content marketing strategy

Infographic case studies are usually one-page images that summarize the challenge, proposed solution, and results. They tend to work well on social media.

Follow a Tried-and-True Case Study Template

The success story structure we’re using incorporates a “narrative” or “story arc” designed to suck readers in and captivate their interest.

Note:  I recommend creating a blog post or landing page on your website that includes the text from your case study, along with a downloadable PDF. Doing so helps people find your content when they perform Google and other web searches.

There are a few simple SEO strategies that you can apply to your blog post that will optimize your chances of being found. I’ll include those tips below.

Craft a Compelling Headline

The headline should capture your audience’s attention quickly. Include the most important result you achieved, the client’s name, and your company’s name. Create several examples, mull them over a bit, then pick the best one. And, yes, this means writing the headline is done at the very end.

SEO  Tip:  Let’s say your firm provided “video editing services” and you want to target this primary keyword. Include it, your company name, and your client’s name in the case study title.

Write the Executive Summary

This is a mini-narrative using an abbreviated version of the Challenge + Solution + Results model (3-4 short paragraphs). Write this after you complete the case study.

SEO  Tip:  Include your primary keyword in the first paragraph of the Executive Summary.

Provide the Client’s Background

Introduce your client to the reader and create context for the story.

List the Customer’s Challenges and Problems

Vividly describe the situation and problems the customer was dealing with, before working with you.

SEO  Tip:  To rank on page one of Google for our target keyword, review the questions listed in the “People also ask” section at the top of Google’s search results. If you can include some of these questions and their answers into your case study, do so. Just make sure they fit with the flow of your narrative.

Detail Your Solutions

Explain the product or service your company provided, and spell out how it alleviated the client’s problems. Recap how the solution was delivered and implemented. Describe any training needed and the customer’s work effort.

Show Your Results

Detail what you accomplished for the customer and the impact your product/service made. Objective, measurable results that resonate with your target audience are best.

List Future Plans

Share how your client might work with your company in the future.

Give a Call-to-Action

Clearly detail what you want the reader to do at the end of your case study.

Talk About You

Include a “press release-like” description of your client’s organization, with a link to their website. For your printable document, add an “About” section with your contact information.

And that’s it. That’s the basic structure of any good case study.

Now, let’s go over how to get the information you’ll use in your case study.

How to Conduct an Engaging Case Study Interview

One of the best parts of creating a case study is talking with your client about the experience. This is a fun and productive way to learn what your company did well, and what it can improve on, directly from your customer’s perspective.

Here are some suggestions for conducting great case study interviews:

When Choosing a Case Study Subject, Pick a Raving Fan

Your sales and marketing team should know which clients are vocal advocates willing to talk about their experiences. Your customer service and technical support teams should be able to contribute suggestions.

Clients who are experts with your product/service make solid case study candidates. If you sponsor an online community, look for product champions who post consistently and help others.

When selecting a candidate, think about customer stories that would appeal to your target audience. For example, let’s say your sales team is consistently bumping into prospects who are excited about your solution, but are slow to pull the trigger and do business with you.

In this instance, finding a client who felt the same way, but overcame their reluctance and contracted with you anyway, would be a compelling story to capture and share.

Prepping for the Interview

If you’ve ever seen an Oprah interview, you’ve seen a master who can get almost anyone to open up and talk. Part of the reason is that she and her team are disciplined about planning.

Before conducting a case study interview, talk to your own team about the following:

• What’s unique about the client (location, size, industry, etc.) that will resonate with our prospects?
• Why did the customer select us?
• How did we help the client?
• What’s unique about this customer’s experience?
• What problems did we solve?
• Were any measurable, objective results generated?
• What do we want readers to do after reading this case study analysis?

Pro Tip:  Tee up your client. Send them the questions in advance.

Providing questions to clients before the interview helps them prepare, gather input from other colleagues if needed, and feel more comfortable because they know what to expect.

In a moment, I’ll give you an exhaustive list of interview questions. But don’t send them all. Instead, pare the list down to one or two questions in each section and personalize them for your customer.

Nailing the Client Interview

Decide how you’ll conduct the interview. Will you call the client, use Skype or Facetime, or meet in person? Whatever mode you choose, plan the process in advance.

Make sure you record the conversation. It’s tough to lead an interview, listen to your contact’s responses, keep the conversation flowing, write notes, and capture all that the person is saying.

A recording will make it easier to write the client’s story later. It’s also useful for other departments in your company (management, sales, development, etc.) to hear real customer feedback.

Use open-ended questions that spur your contact to talk and share. Here are some real-life examples:

Introduction

• Recap the purpose of the call. Confirm how much time your contact has to talk (30-45 minutes is preferable).
• Confirm the company’s location, number of employees, years in business, industry, etc.
• What’s the contact’s background, title, time with the company, primary responsibilities, and so on?

Initial Challenges

• Describe the situation at your company before engaging with us?
• What were the initial problems you wanted to solve?
• What was the impact of those problems?
• When did you realize you had to take some action?
• What solutions did you try?
• What solutions did you implement?
• What process did you go through to make a purchase?
• How did the implementation go?
• How would you describe the work effort required of your team?
• If training was involved, how did that go?

Results, Improvements, Progress

• When did you start seeing improvements?
• What were the most valuable results?
• What did your team like best about working with us?
• Would you recommend our solution/company? Why?

Future Plans

• How do you see our companies working together in the future?

Honest Feedback

• Our company is very focused on continual improvement. What could we have done differently to make this an even better experience?
• What would you like us to add or change in our product/service?

During the interview, use your contact’s responses to guide the conversation.

Once the interview is complete, it’s time to write your case study.

How to Write a Case Study… Effortlessly

Case study writing is not nearly as difficult as many people make it out to be. And you don’t have to be Stephen King to do professional work. Here are a few tips:

• Use the case study structure that we outlined earlier, but write these sections first: company background, challenges, solutions, and results.
• Write the headline, executive summary, future plans, and call-to-action (CTA) last.
• In each section, include as much content from your interview as you can. Don’t worry about editing at this point
• Tell the story by discussing their trials and tribulations.
• Stay focused on the client and the results they achieved.
• Make their organization and employees shine.
• When including information about your company, frame your efforts in a supporting role.

Also, make sure to do the following:

Add Testimonials, Quotes, and Visuals

The more you can use your contact’s words to describe the engagement, the better. Weave direct quotes throughout your narrative.

Strive to be conversational when you’re writing case studies, as if you’re talking to a peer.

Include images in your case study that visually represent the content and break up the text. Photos of the company, your contact, and other employees are ideal.

If you need to incorporate stock photos, here are three resources:

• Deposit p hotos

And if you need more, check out Smart Blogger’s excellent resource: 17 Sites with High-Quality, Royalty-Free Stock Photos .

Proofread and Tighten Your Writing

Make sure there are no grammar, spelling, or punctuation errors. If you need help, consider using a grammar checker tool like Grammarly .

My high school English teacher’s mantra was “tighten your writing.” She taught that impactful writing is concise and free of weak, unnecessary words . This takes effort and discipline, but will make your writing stronger.

Also, keep in mind that we live in an attention-diverted society. Before your audience will dive in and read each paragraph, they’ll first scan your work. Use subheadings to summarize information, convey meaning quickly, and pull the reader in.

Be Sure to Use Best Practices

Consider applying the following best practices to your case study:

• Stay laser-focused on your client and the results they were able to achieve.
• Even if your audience is technical, minimize the use of industry jargon . If you use acronyms, explain them.
• Leave out the selling and advertising.
• Don’t write like a Shakespearean wannabe. Write how people speak. Write to be understood.
• Clear and concise writing is not only more understandable, it inspires trust. Don’t ramble.
• Weave your paragraphs together so that each sentence is dependent on the one before and after it.
• Include a specific case study call-to-action (CTA).
• A recommended case study length is 2-4 pages.
• Commit to building a library of case studies.

Get Client Approval

After you have a final draft, send it to the client for review and approval. Incorporate any edits they suggest.

Use or modify the following “Consent to Publish” form to get the client’s written sign-off:

Consent to Publish

Case Study  Title:

I hereby confirm that I have reviewed the case study listed above and on behalf of the [Company Name], I provide full permission for the work to be published, in whole or in part, for the life of the work, in all languages and all formats by [Company publishing the case study].

By signing this form, I affirm that I am authorized to grant full permission.

Company Name:

E-mail Address:

Common Case Study Questions (& Answers)

We’ll wrap things up with a quick Q&A. If you have a question I didn’t answer, be sure to leave it in a blog comment below.

Should I worry about print versions of my case studies?

Absolutely.

As we saw in the CurationSuite  and Brain Traffic  examples earlier, case studies get downloaded, printed, and shared. Prospects can and will judge your book by its cover.

So, make sure your printed case study is eye-catching and professionally designed. Hire a designer  if necessary.

Why are good case studies so effective?

Case studies work because people trust them.

They’re not ads, they’re not press releases, and they’re not about how stellar your company is.

Plus, everyone likes spellbinding stories with a hero [your client], a conflict [challenges], and a riveting resolution [best solution and results].

How do I promote my case study?

After you’ve written your case study and received the client’s approval to use it, you’ll want to get it in front of as many eyes as possible.

Try the following:

• Make sure your case studies can be easily found on your company’s homepage.
• Tweet and share the case study on your various social media accounts.
• Have your sales team use the case study as a reason to call on potential customers. For example: “Hi [prospect], we just published a case study on Company A. They were facing some of the same challenges I believe your firm is dealing with. I’m going to e-mail you a copy. Let me know what you think.”
• Distribute printed copies at trade shows, seminars, or during sales presentations.
• If you’re bidding on a job and have to submit a quote or a Request for Proposal (RFP), include relevant case studies as supporting documents.

Ready to Write a Case Study That Converts?

If you want to stand out and you want to win business, case studies should be an integral part of your sales and marketing efforts.

Hopefully, this guide answered some of your questions and laid out a path that will make it faster and easier for your team to create professional, sales-generating content.

Now it’s time to take action and get started. Gather your staff, select a client, and ask a contact to participate. Plan your interview and lead an engaging conversation. Write up your client’s story, make them shine, and then share it.

Get better at the case study process by doing it more frequently. Challenge yourself to write at least one case study every two months.

As you do, you’ll be building a valuable repository of meaningful, powerful content. These success stories will serve your business in countless ways, and for years to come.

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Blog Graphic Design 15+ Case Study Examples for Business, Marketing & Sales

15+ Case Study Examples for Business, Marketing & Sales

Written by: Alice Corner Jan 12, 2023

Have you ever bought something — within the last 10 years or so — without reading its reviews or without a recommendation or prior experience of using it?

If the answer is no — or at least, rarely — you get my point.

Positive reviews matter for selling to regular customers, and for B2B or SaaS businesses, detailed case studies are important too.

Wondering how to craft a compelling case study ? No worries—I’ve got you covered with 15 marketing case study templates , helpful tips, and examples to ensure your case study converts effectively.

Click to jump ahead:

What is a case study?

What to include in a professional case study, business case study examples, simple case study examples, marketing case study examples, sales case study examples.

• Case study FAQs

A case study is an in-depth, detailed analysis of a specific real-world situation. For example, a case study can be about an individual, group, event, organization, or phenomenon. The purpose of a case study is to understand its complexities and gain insights into a particular instance or situation.

In the context of a business, however, case studies take customer success stories and explore how they use your product to help them achieve their business goals.

As well as being valuable marketing tools , case studies are a good way to evaluate your product as it allows you to objectively examine how others are using it.

It’s also a good way to interview your customers about why they work with you.

Related: What is a Case Study? [+6 Types of Case Studies]

A professional case study showcases how your product or services helped potential clients achieve their business goals. You can also create case studies of internal, successful marketing projects. A professional case study typically includes:

• Company background and history
• The challenge
• How you helped
• Specific actions taken
• Visuals or Data
• Client testimonials

Here’s an example of a case study template:

Whether you’re a B2B or B2C company, business case studies can be a powerful resource to help with your sales, marketing, and even internal departmental awareness.

Business and business management case studies should encompass strategic insights alongside anecdotal and qualitative findings, like in the business case study examples below.

Conduct a B2B case study by researching the company holistically

When it comes to writing a case study, make sure you approach the company holistically and analyze everything from their social media to their sales.

Think about every avenue your product or service has been of use to your case study company, and ask them about the impact this has had on their wider company goals.

In business case study examples like the one above, we can see that the company has been thought about holistically simply by the use of icons.

By combining social media icons with icons that show in-person communication we know that this is a well-researched and thorough case study.

This case study report example could also be used within an annual or end-of-year report.

Highlight the key takeaway from your marketing case study

To create a compelling case study, identify the key takeaways from your research. Use catchy language to sum up this information in a sentence, and present this sentence at the top of your page.

This is “at a glance” information and it allows people to gain a top-level understanding of the content immediately. 

You can use a large, bold, contrasting font to help this information stand out from the page and provide interest.

Learn  how to choose fonts  effectively with our Venngage guide and once you’ve done that.

Upload your fonts and  brand colors  to Venngage using the  My Brand Kit  tool and see them automatically applied to your designs.

The heading is the ideal place to put the most impactful information, as this is the first thing that people will read.

In this example, the stat of “Increase[d] lead quality by 90%” is used as the header. It makes customers want to read more to find out how exactly lead quality was increased by such a massive amount.

If you’re conducting an in-person interview, you could highlight a direct quote or insight provided by your interview subject.

Pick out a catchy sentence or phrase, or the key piece of information your interview subject provided and use that as a way to draw a potential customer in.

Use charts to visualize data in your business case studies

Charts are an excellent way to visualize data and to bring statistics and information to life. Charts make information easier to understand and to illustrate trends or patterns.

Making charts is even easier with Venngage.

In this consulting case study example, we can see that a chart has been used to demonstrate the difference in lead value within the Lead Elves case study.

Adding a chart here helps break up the information and add visual value to the case study. 

Using charts in your case study can also be useful if you’re creating a project management case study.

You could use a Gantt chart or a project timeline to show how you have managed the project successfully.

Use direct quotes to build trust in your marketing case study

To add an extra layer of authenticity you can include a direct quote from your customer within your case study.

According to research from Nielsen , 92% of people will trust a recommendation from a peer and 70% trust recommendations even if they’re from somebody they don’t know.

So if you have a customer or client who can’t stop singing your praises, make sure you get a direct quote from them and include it in your case study.

You can either lift part of the conversation or interview, or you can specifically request a quote. Make sure to ask for permission before using the quote.

This design uses a bright contrasting speech bubble to show that it includes a direct quote, and helps the quote stand out from the rest of the text.

This will help draw the customer’s attention directly to the quote, in turn influencing them to use your product or service.

Less is often more, and this is especially true when it comes to creating designs. Whilst you want to create a professional-looking, well-written and design case study – there’s no need to overcomplicate things.

These simple case study examples show that smart clean designs and informative content can be an effective way to showcase your successes.

Use colors and fonts to create a professional-looking case study

Business case studies shouldn’t be boring. In fact, they should be beautifully and professionally designed.

This means the normal rules of design apply. Use fonts, colors, and icons to create an interesting and visually appealing case study.

In this case study example, we can see how multiple fonts have been used to help differentiate between the headers and content, as well as complementary colors and eye-catching icons.

Marketing case studies are incredibly useful for showing your marketing successes. Every successful marketing campaign relies on influencing a consumer’s behavior, and a great case study can be a great way to spotlight your biggest wins.

In the marketing case study examples below, a variety of designs and techniques to create impactful and effective case studies.

Show off impressive results with a bold marketing case study

Case studies are meant to show off your successes, so make sure you feature your positive results prominently. Using bold and bright colors as well as contrasting shapes, large bold fonts, and simple icons is a great way to highlight your wins.

In well-written case study examples like the one below, the big wins are highlighted on the second page with a bright orange color and are highlighted in circles.

Making the important data stand out is especially important when attracting a prospective customer with marketing case studies.

Use a simple but clear layout in your case study

Using a simple layout in your case study can be incredibly effective, like in the example of a case study below.

Keeping a clean white background, and using slim lines to help separate the sections is an easy way to format your case study.

Making the information clear helps draw attention to the important results, and it helps improve the  accessibility of the design .

Business case study examples like this would sit nicely within a larger report, with a consistent layout throughout.

Use visuals and icons to create an engaging and branded business case study

Nobody wants to read pages and pages of text — and that’s why Venngage wants to help you communicate your ideas visually.

Using icons, graphics, photos, or patterns helps create a much more engaging design. 

With this Blue Cap case study icons, colors, and impactful pattern designs have been used to create an engaging design that catches your eye.

Use a monochromatic color palette to create a professional and clean case study

Let your research shine by using a monochromatic and minimalistic color palette.

By sticking to one color, and leaving lots of blank space you can ensure your design doesn’t distract a potential customer from your case study content.

In this case study on Polygon Media, the design is simple and professional, and the layout allows the prospective customer to follow the flow of information.

The gradient effect on the left-hand column helps break up the white background and adds an interesting visual effect.

Did you know you can generate an accessible color palette with Venngage? Try our free accessible color palette generator today and create a case study that delivers and looks pleasant to the eye:

Add long term goals in your case study

When creating a case study it’s a great idea to look at both the short term and the long term goals of the company to gain the best understanding possible of the insights they provide.

Short-term goals will be what the company or person hopes to achieve in the next few months, and long-term goals are what the company hopes to achieve in the next few years.

Check out this modern pattern design example of a case study below:

In this case study example, the short and long-term goals are clearly distinguished by light blue boxes and placed side by side so that they are easy to compare.

Use a strong introductory paragraph to outline the overall strategy and goals before outlining the specific short-term and long-term goals to help with clarity.

This strategy can also be handy when creating a consulting case study.

Use data to make concrete points about your sales and successes

When conducting any sort of research stats, facts, and figures are like gold dust (aka, really valuable).

Being able to quantify your findings is important to help understand the information fully. Saying sales increased 10% is much more effective than saying sales increased.

While sales dashboards generally tend it make it all about the numbers and charts, in sales case study examples, like this one, the key data and findings can be presented with icons. This contributes to the potential customer’s better understanding of the report.

They can clearly comprehend the information and it shows that the case study has been well researched.

Use emotive, persuasive, or action based language in your marketing case study

Create a compelling case study by using emotive, persuasive and action-based language when customizing your case study template.

In this well-written case study example, we can see that phrases such as “Results that Speak Volumes” and “Drive Sales” have been used.

Using persuasive language like you would in a blog post. It helps inspire potential customers to take action now.

Keep your potential customers in mind when creating a customer case study for marketing

82% of marketers use case studies in their marketing  because it’s such an effective tool to help quickly gain customers’ trust and to showcase the potential of your product.

Why are case studies such an important tool in content marketing?

By writing a case study you’re telling potential customers that they can trust you because you’re showing them that other people do.

Not only that, but if you have a SaaS product, business case studies are a great way to show how other people are effectively using your product in their company.

In this case study, Network is demonstrating how their product has been used by Vortex Co. with great success; instantly showing other potential customers that their tool works and is worth using.

Related: 10+ Case Study Infographic Templates That Convert

Case studies are particularly effective as a sales technique.

A sales case study is like an extended customer testimonial, not only sharing opinions of your product – but showcasing the results you helped your customer achieve.

Make impactful statistics pop in your sales case study

Writing a case study doesn’t mean using text as the only medium for sharing results.

You should use icons to highlight areas of your research that are particularly interesting or relevant, like in this example of a case study:

Icons are a great way to help summarize information quickly and can act as visual cues to help draw the customer’s attention to certain areas of the page.

In some of the business case study examples above, icons are used to represent the impressive areas of growth and are presented in a way that grabs your attention.

Use high contrast shapes and colors to draw attention to key information in your sales case study

Help the key information stand out within your case study by using high contrast shapes and colors.

Use a complementary or contrasting color, or use a shape such as a rectangle or a circle for maximum impact.

This design has used dark blue rectangles to help separate the information and make it easier to read.

Coupled with icons and strong statistics, this information stands out on the page and is easily digestible and retainable for a potential customer.

Case study examples summary

Once you have created your case study, it’s best practice to update your examples on a regular basis to include up-to-date statistics, data, and information.

You should update your business case study examples often if you are sharing them on your website .

It’s also important that your case study sits within your brand guidelines – find out how Venngage’s My Brand Kit tool can help you create consistently branded case study templates.

Case studies are important marketing tools – but they shouldn’t be the only tool in your toolbox. Content marketing is also a valuable way to earn consumer trust.

Case study FAQ s

Why should you write a case study.

Case studies are an effective marketing technique to engage potential customers and help build trust.

By producing case studies featuring your current clients or customers, you are showcasing how your tool or product can be used. You’re also showing that other people endorse your product.

In addition to being a good way to gather positive testimonials from existing customers, business case studies are good educational resources and can be shared amongst your company or team, and used as a reference for future projects.

How should you write a case study?

To create a great case study, you should think strategically. The first step, before starting your case study research, is to think about what you aim to learn or what you aim to prove.

You might be aiming to learn how a company makes sales or develops a new product. If this is the case, base your questions around this.

You can learn more about writing a case study  from our extensive guide.

Related: How to Present a Case Study like a Pro (With Examples)

Some good questions you could ask would be:

• Why do you use our tool or service?
• How often do you use our tool or service?
• What does the process of using our product look like to you?
• If our product didn’t exist, what would you be doing instead?
• What is the number one benefit you’ve found from using our tool?

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How To Write A Case Study [Template plus 20+ Examples]

In an era where every niche seems completely saturated, learning how to write a case study is one of the most important time investments you can make in your business.

That’s because case studies help you present a compelling story of success to bottom-of–funnel decision makers. Do it right, and a solid case study can greatly increase your chances of closing new deals.

A 2023 study from the Content Marketing Institute found that 36% of B2B marketers consider case studies to be effective tools for converting prospects into customers.

In this article, I’ll show you step-by-step exactly how to write a case study that makes an impact. Along the way, I’ll highlight several stellar case studies that illustrate how to do it right.

What you will learn

• What a case study is and what it's not.
• How an effective case study can help establish you as an expert and land more clients.
• How to choose the right topic for your case study, taking into account client successes and broad appeal in your customer's industry.
• The essential parts of a good case study and how to write each one.
• Style and formatting points that will make your case study stand out for readers to understand.
• 4 tips for conducting an effective client interview.
• 6 real-life case studies that you can use as examples for creating your own customer stories.

What is a case study?

A case study is a detailed story about how your products or services helped a client overcome a challenge or meet a goal. Its main purpose is to prove to potential customers that you understand their problems and have the experience and expertise to help solve them.

But, even though a case study can help you attract and win customers, it's not just an advertisement for your offerings.

In truth, your company shouldn’t even be the main focus of a good case study.

Instead, a winning case study follows a successful business transformation from beginning to end and shows how you made it all possible for your client.

An example of a case study that conveys a strong customer story is the deep dive we did into how ClickUp used SurferSEO to boost their blog traffic by 85% in a year.

Why you should write a case study

The most obvious reason why you should write a case study is that it's a great way to show potential customers how others in their position have benefited from your product or service.

Here are a few of the key benefits of writing a case study, all of which can help you turn readers into customers.

Demonstrates expertise 

A well-written case study shows clearly how your company solved a complex problem or helped a particular customer make improvements using your solution.

This is the sort of expertise other potential clients will look for when they run into the same sort of issues.

For instance, one of CrowdStrike's case studies shows how they helped Vijilan scale its logging capacity so they could stop turning away business.

This positions CrowdStrike as experts in helping deal with log management issues.

Other companies dealing with their own logging problems will definitely find this to be a compelling story. And you can bet CrowdStrike will be on their short list of potential solution providers after reading this case study.

Educates potential customers 

You might have the best product on the market, but it won't do you any good if potential clients don't understand how it might help them.

A case study breaks down those barriers by showing real-life examples of your product in action, helping other customers solve their problems.

A good example is the Trello case study library .

Each story gives detailed examples showing how the customer uses Trello and includes actual screenshots from their workflows.

Here is an interesting snapshot from the BurgerFi example.

Here, you get a glimpse of a live Trello board that BurgerFi uses to manage their marketing assets.

By showing how existing clients use your product, you make it a lot easier for future customers to imagine how it might work for their needs, too.

Generates leads 

A strong case study is a valuable piece of content that provides insights and can help companies make decisions.

Many of them would be happy to give you their contact information in exchange for the chance to read about potential solutions to their problems.

That combination of valuable content and a hungry market makes case studies great tools for lead generation.

You can either gate part of your case study and leave the rest of it public, or require an email address and other contact information in order to download the full study.

That's the approach Pulsara took in detailing how their telehealth communication platform helped EvergreenHealth improve efficiency:

The names and addresses you collect with this approach will be about as warm as you could ever hope for since they probably have the same sort of problems you solved in your case study.

Along the same lines, case studies can be extremely effective in upselling or cross-selling other products to the decision-makers who read them.

And they are great tools for persuading a client to make a purchase with you.

Indeed, a great case study can often be the "final straw" that lands you a client considering your services.

A 2023 survey by Uplift Content , for example, found that 39% of SaaS marketers ranked case studies as being very effective for increasing sales.

That made it their #1 tactic for the second year in a row.

Builds trust 

Potential clients want to know that they can trust you to handle their business with care and to deliver on your promises.

A case study is the perfect vehicle to show that you can do just that.

Take advantage of that opportunity to present statistics, client testimonials, graphics, and any other proof that you can get results.

For example, in their case study about helping a law firm uncover critical data for a tricky case, Kroll shows us just how much they were able to cut through the noise:

Any law firm staring at its own pile of documents to search through would love to have that haystack reduced by a factor of 32.5x, too.

And Sodexo makes good use of customer testimonials in their case studies, like this quote from the procurement lead for a Montana mining company.

Having existing customers tell the world that they count on you is powerful free advertising and builds trust with your readers. That can help transform them into customers down the road.

Provides social proof 

You can also use your case study to show that your product or service works in a specific industry.

Real-world examples of customer success stories position you as someone their peers and competitors can turn to, too.

For instance, Stericycle details how they helped seven children's hospitals get a handle on their "sharps" management:

They also include glowing quotes from hospital leaders in the same study.

Other hospitals looking for help in disposing of their hazardous waste will know right away after reading this study that Stericycle understands their needs.

This is the type of social proof that can really help establish you as a go-to solution for the industries you serve.

How to choose a subject for your case study

In order to get the most bang for your buck from your case study, you need to make sure you pick a topic that resonates with your target audience. And one that can make your solution look its best.

Below are 4 ways to select the best subject for your case study.

1. Choose a popular topic

Make sure the topic you tackle in your case study is one that most of your potential clients are searching for.

You may be tempted to highlight an unusual project that you find especially interesting. But that usually won't have the same sort of selling power as a topic with more broad appeal.

For instance, Aruba Networks has helped colleges and universities with all sorts of networking projects. Some of those involve really fascinating edge cases like research labs, esports arenas, and other innovative solutions.

But what most schools are looking for in a network upgrade is improving connectivity across campus while enhancing security and saving money.

Those are exactly the outcomes Aruba focuses on in its Doane University case study .

Remember that your case study is likely to be read by decision-makers at the bottom of the sales funnel who are ready to buy.

Your content needs to resonate with them and address the questions they want answered in order to make their decision.

Aruba tackles their customers' concerns head-on throughout the Doane study, as you can see from their section headings:

• "Realizing a hyper-connected vision"
• "10X throughput eliminates academic barriers"
• "More secure with less effort"
• "Greener and more resilient at better insurance rates"

College administrators can see at a glance that Aruba understands their needs and has helped other institutions with similar problems.

2. Consider relevance and attractiveness

Although you want to choose a popular subject for your case study (as discussed above), it's also important to make sure it's relevant to your target audience.

For instance, if you provide design services, a one-off project you did to help a local company set up its website might have taught you a lot. But most of your potential readers will be much more interested in reading about how your designs helped that client improve brand perception.

It’s also best to choose a situation where your product or service is used in a way that you expect most potential users to adopt. 

For example, Allegion's Mount Holyoke case study (PDF) details how one campus used their products to move to contactless and mobile entry systems.

Students today demand more control over their physical security than ever before. And the administrative overhead of managing thousands of doors and physical keys on a college campus is enormous.

As a result, most schools are interested in using technology to enable their students and reduce staffing costs.

Allegion hits those points dead-on with this case study.

An added benefit of choosing a topic with broad appeal among your target client base is that you can use the content in your normal distribution channels.

For example, you can publish all or part of it as a blog post, include it in your newsletter, or use it as the basis for a YouTube video. Wherever your audience is, that's probably a good place to promote your case study.

3. Identify a 5 star use case

A case study is like a sales executive for your company.

It needs to show your product or service in the best possible light and highlight its features and benefits while distinguishing it from other products.

Choose a client example that really makes your solution look like a superstar and showcases its most outstanding attributes.

You should also avoid showing your product or service being used in a novel or completely innovative way. While that can provide some solid insight, you risk alienating your typical client who needs to know that you can solve their specific problem.

Instead, your case study should demonstrate how your solution took on a common industry problem and delivered stellar results.

A great example is Beckman Coulter's case study that details their work with Alverno Labs.

The objective was to reduce the time it took Alverno to deliver lab test results while reducing operating costs, which are common goals for many testing labs.

The case study presents a detailed description of how Beckman Coulter implemented a continuous improvement process for Alverno. They enhance the discussion with several meaty visuals like this project roadmap:

They also include plenty of tangible data to prove their success.

And of course, include direct client testimonials:

From top to bottom, this case study proves that Beckman Coulter understands their customers business needs and can offer top-notch solutions.

4. Find a satisfied customer

You're going to need input from your client in order to build the most complete and accurate case study that you can.

So when you're trying to choose a customer story to use, look for a client who is happy to share their positive experience working with you.

Try to find one who seems genuinely eager to talk so that they will be timely with their responses to your questions.

If you have a customer who is willing to sit down for an actual interview with you, they're a great candidate. You'll get answers quickly, and the client is obviously comfortable enough with your relationship to talk with you directly.

A good example that focuses on a satisfied client comes from Aerofloat, an Australian wastewater treatment company.

In their Norco Food Case Study , Aerofloat reports that Norco hired them for additional projects as a result of their successful prior engagement:

It's always good to show prospective clients that your existing customers stick with you.

So try to pick a case study done in collaboration with a current client, not one from the past.

Aerofloat also highlights their ongoing relationship with Norco by also including them in the customer list on their About page:

How to write a case study

Now that we’ve covered the benefits of writing a case study and figured out how to pick the best topic for your situation, it’s time to get down to the business of writing.

Below is a rundown of the sections that make up the structure of a typical case study. For each piece, I’ll show you what types of content you should include and give you an example of a study that does it right.

Here are 8 tips to writing a case study.

1. Attention grabbing title

The title of your case study needs to grab potential readers attention and convince them that this is a valuable piece of content.

Make your title catchy, concise, and descriptive, just like you would for a good blog post. But you also need to make sure you give your readers a clear idea of what the case study is about.

Offer them at least a hint of the type of results you were able to deliver, too.

It’s a good idea to use numbers here – the higher, the better. It's especially effective if you can show how quickly you got results and how much money your client saved or made as a result of working with you.

Our ClickUp case study that I mentioned earlier is a good example. The full title is

SurferSEO Helps ClickUp Publish 150+ Articles And Achieve Blog Traffic Growth of 85% in 12 Months.

Here are some other case studies that make effective use of numbers in their titles:

• Healthcare Administrative Partners Increases Online Patient Payments by 20% in Two Months
• Case Study: Taylor Kotwa, Sprinter, Increases FTP 7% in 4 months
• Case Study: Lakeview Farms Reduced Downtime by 36% in 6 Months
• CASELY case study: Improved first response time by 10x while experiencing 16,954% growth

This type of headline gives potential clients a sense that you will work with urgency to improve their bottom-line results.

2. Hook readers in your introduction

The introduction of your case study should set the stage for the comprehensive narrative that follows.

Give a brief description of the problem for context and quickly introduce the customer's story. Touch on the results you helped them achieve, but don't go overboard on details.

Overall, the introduction should give your reader just enough information to keep them engaged and ready to move into the heart of the case study.

It should also establish that they're in the right place and that you are the right person to be telling this story.

This case study about the cybersecurity program at Investors Bank includes a solid example of an effective introduction:

3. Highlight the challenge

This section should clearly outline the problem or challenge that your customer is facing.

Help your readers understand why a solution was necessary, and why that specific pain point was bothering the client. 

And, since this is the entire motivation for the project in the first place, don't skimp on details.

For instance, one of Verkada's case studies explains why maintaining security cameras is a huge challenge for Crystal Mountain Resort in Washington state. They start off with a direct quote from the resort's IT director:

The elevation tops out at a little over 7,000 feet, so the weather conditions can get extreme. We needed durable cameras capable of handling everything from snowstorms to 100 MPH winds.

That makes it crystal clear what sort of problem Crystal Mountain was facing.

The case study then adds more detail with separate subsections about hardware durability, image quality, and cumbersome footage retrieval.

By the time they finish reading this section, your readers should have no doubt about what the problem is and why a solution is needed.

4. Solve their problem

The solution section is one of the most important parts of a case study.

This is your chance to describe how your product or service provided a solution to the problem or challenge your client was having.

It's where you can really start to make a connection with potential new clients by showing them that you understand the issue at hand.

First, provide some details about how you analyzed the situation. The Kroll case study on handling critical legal data mentioned earlier does a great job of this with bullet points describing their research process.

This type of analysis helps build confidence that you take a thorough approach to your engagements and are looking out for your clients best interests.

Now you can move on to describe the solution you and your client chose based on your investigation.

In their legal case study, Kroll determined that the best solution involved digitizing thousands of paper documents and using AI to analyze more than a million documents.

Kroll describes in detail how they used their RelativityOne system to achieve those goals:

This level of detail helps prospective customers better understand the root cause of their problems and positions you as the right company to solve them.

5. Showcase your results

The results section is all about proving that you can actually deliver on the promise of your proposed solution. Go heavy on the details here, too, and make sure your readers understand the results you achieved.

Wherever possible, use specific numbers and data points to show exactly how effective your solution was for your client.

A good example is this BetterBricks case study showing how they helped an aerospace company slash energy costs.

They distilled their bottom line results into a simple table:

The text of the study then goes into more detail about what these numbers mean, but this quick graphic lets readers know right away the scope of the results achieved.

Here is a sampling of BetterBrick’s more detailed explanation of their results in this case:

This is your place to really crow about the success you achieved with your client, so make it as obvious as possible just how impactful you were.

6. Use multimedia well

One way to make a lasting impression on potential clients is to include relevant visuals throughout your case study.

Graphs, screenshots, and product photos help break up the text and make your study more engaging overall.

But they can also add details to your story and make a memorable visual impact beyond what mere words can accomplish.

We got a taste of that with the table of results in the BetterBricks example above, but that's just the start.

Inrix is a good example of a company that loads up its case studies with insightful and engaging media to tell a better story.

For instance, in their breakdown of a collaboration with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (DOT), Inrix uses charts, tables, and graphs throughout.

One innovative example is this diagram about crash distances:

This really brings the idea to life in a way that words alone can't, and it's likely to stick with readers long after they've clicked off the case study.

Other types of media that companies use to good effect in their case studies include pictures of key client stakeholders, interactive charts, tables, and simple graphs.

You can see in this high-level overview that Inrix includes most of these in their Pennsylvania DOT case study:

You can even use video to demonstrate your solution or to share a client testimonial.

If possible, include direct quotes from your client to add authenticity to the case study.

This will show potential customers that you and your existing client have a good relationship and that they value your work.

It’s pretty compelling stuff to have a ringing endorsement like this one from an EnergyCAP case study , to show your readers:

You can place customer quotes throughout the case study to highlight important points, and you should definitely try to include at least one that shows overall customer satisfaction.

Chances are you have some of these quotes already in the form of testimonials or as part of the customer interview you conducted in preparing for your case study (more on that later).

You can use those quotes here if they fit the context of your case study.

That will save time and red tape for both you and your client since they'll be reviewing your final case study before it goes live anyway.

8. Conclusion

The conclusion should summarize the key points of the case study and reinforce the success of the solution. It could also include a call to action, encouraging readers to try your product or service or to get in touch for more information.

You might also include information about future plans with the client to reinforce the idea that your relationship is strong and ongoing.

That's the approach that Gravitate Design used in their case study about helping GoBeyond with their bounce rates and time on page:

Like the introduction, the conclusion section of a case study should be short and sweet, giving just enough detail to make the reader want to hear more from you.

Checklist for case studies

Beyond the story that you want to tell in your case study, you also need to pay attention to several other factors. Indeed, the layout and format of your study can have a big impact on how effective it is at keeping your readers engaged and delivering your message.

Here is a quick checklist for creating case studies.

Break up the text with headings and subheadings

Big blocks of text can be intimidating and make it tough for your audience to stay on track.

In contrast, a case study with clear headings and subheadings throughout breaks up the story and gives readers visual clues about what's coming.

This also makes the case study easier for readers to scan and helps you keep each section focused on a single idea.

Use bullet points for lists or key points

Along the same lines, bullet points let you present important information in small bits that are easy for readers to digest.

Some of the best uses of bullet points include:

• A series of facts or tips
• A list of product features or benefits
• A quick summary of results
• Steps in a how-to procedure
• A rundown of multiple statistics

For these bite-sized hunks of detail, bullets often make for a much cleaner and readable list than jamming all the information into a single paragraph. 

Bullet point lists also make great quick references for readers to come back to later.

Highlight key points with bold or italic text

Bold and italic text draws the reader’s eyes to the words you highlight, which lets you really drive home key ideas in your case study.

You can use this technique to introduce new terms, place emphasis on a sentence, and showcase important parts of your approach or results.

Like bullet points, bold and italic text also give readers a visual anchor for reference as they’re working through your document.

Make paragraphs short and to-the-point

Aim for 3-4 sentences per paragraph to keep the text readable and engaging. Each paragraph should focus on one main idea to support the subject of the section it’s in.

Using short paragraphs tells readers at a glance that there are break points throughout your case study and helps keep them engaged.

Keep consistent length across the case study 

Throughout all parts of your case study, try to cover your main points in detail without overwhelming the reader.

Your potential clients are there to find a possible solution to their problems, not to read a novel.

Give them an inviting document structure and then lead them through each section with clear explanations and no fluff.

Adjust the length based on the complexity of the subject 

The flip side of the tip above about keeping your case study tight and focused is that you need to make sure you cover your topic in detail.

Very complex topics will require more explanation and longer overall case studies than simpler subjects.

For example, a case study about paving a church parking lot might be pretty short.

But a story about implementing a comprehensive information security program for a state government will likely be much longer and more detailed.

Include a summary with some takeaways 

At the end of your case study, summarize the key takeaways and results to reinforce the message you’re trying to get across.

Briefly recap the problem your client was facing, the solution you came up with, and the results you achieved. Think of this as an executive summary that gives business leaders the TL;DR version of your customer’s success story.

Content Snare includes an eye-catching summary in the case study detailing their efforts to grow their email list:

The overall goal is to leave potential clients with a good last impression and invite them to contact you with questions.

Use visuals to break up text and illustrate points

As we saw in the "How to write a case study" section above, graphs, charts, or images can make your case study more engaging and help illustrate key ideas or results. They also add visual variety and help break up the monotony of text-heavy studies.

Use these types of visuals to help keep your readers interested and make your story more complete.

Below is a high-level view of a portion of Advanced HPC’s Philips case study , which does a great job of incorporating the points in this section. It pulls together all the visual elements to create a very appealing reader experience.

4 tips to create an effective case study

You’re going to need your customer’s input in order to craft the most effective case study possible. It’s their story, after all, and they’re the ones who know what it was like to work with you throughout the process.

They also hold key details that you probably don’t know.

So, once you have their permission to write about the project, you’ll need to talk to them about the specifics. But you also want to respect their time.

Here are 4 tips on how to conduct an interview for your case study.

Prepare questions in advance

Know what information you need and prepare questions to pull that information from your client.

Doing this in advance will help you formulate the questions and sequence them properly to avoid bias and wasting time.

Have a few follow-up or emergency questions ready, too, in case you run into a dead end. 

Record the interview

With your client’s permission, record the interview to ensure accuracy and so you can come back to listen to important points again.

This helps you avoid bothering your clients with follow-up questions and also gives you more freedom to let the interview evolve in a natural conversational manner. 

Make the interviewee comfortable

Explain the interview process to your client, why you're asking them to talk, and how the information will be used. Remember that you are the one who “needs” the case study, not them. 

So you go the extra mile to ensure that your guest is as comfortable as possible.

That also means being flexible with the format of your interview.

If your client doesn’t have time for calls, offer to trade voice notes. Or give them a shared Google document for trading questions and answers.

And if you do end up conducting a live interview, agree to meet at a time that’s best for them.

No matter how you end up conducting your interview, make it clear that your client will be able to review the final version before you make it live.

Give them veto power over any of the information you put together.

Ask open-ended questions

Even though you’ll start out with a series of questions you need answered, don’t limit yourself to those. Instead, encourage your interviewee to share their story in their own words. 

Leave some room to ask open-ended questions and let the conversation evolve naturally.

Here are a few examples of the types of questions for discussion:

• What would you do differently if you were starting this project again?
• What do you think about XYZ emerging technology in relation to your industry's challenges?
• What sorts of other projects do you think Acme's solution might help with?
• How do your company's day-to-day operations and needs from how the relevant theories describe the industry?

Especially if you’re recording the interview, as suggested above, you can go back later and put things in a logical order.

Once you have all of the raw material, then you can curate the information and edit it to come up with your final product.

6 case study examples to follow

Now that you know what makes a great case study and how to write one, let's finish up with a few more top-notch business case study examples.

Each of the case studies below hits many of the points in this article, but they all take a different approach. Use them for inspiration or when you need a little refresher on how to write a case study.

This case study provides a detailed account of how Monograph, a B2B SaaS company, improved its marketing projects and reporting using Databox.

It's a pretty straightforward example of the best practices we've discussed in this article, with an introduction followed by background information on the company (Monograph) and the challenges they faced with manual tracking of each data point.

It describes the solution that Databox helped put in place and then shows clear evidence of the results their customer achieved:

Case studies don't come much more textbook than this one, which makes it a great example to follow.

Growth Design on Airbnb

Growth Design takes a totally unique approach to case studies, each one is an online comic book!

Read through their case study about Airbnb , though, and you'll see that it meets all the criteria for a complete case study even if the setup is a little different than most.

Here is a look at the landing page for this beauty of a study.

The author starts out with a problem: the need to book a place to stay in a foreign country in a hurry. So he heads to Airbnb but ends up overwhelmed by choices and bounces to Google Maps to make his reservation.

He concludes that Airbnb was not the full solution for him in this case and suggests several places they could make improvements.

It's a pretty neat dive into a well-known user experience, and it's also a great lesson in how to use visuals to keep your readers engaged in your case study.

This case study about how Grubhub used Webflow to build a viral marketing campaign hits you with stunning results right off the bat.

From there, the study tells the full story of how they achieved these results. Even though the author doesn't explicitly break out the problem, solution, and results sections, she still takes the reader through that journey.

It's a concise but complete story broken up by a few choice graphics.

This case study dives into how Employment Hero uses Slack to keep their remote employees engaged and productive as the company grows.

It details how Employee Hero continuously reevaluates its app usage to identify possible solutions to issues that arise and how Slack consistently helps meet the challenges.

This case study is a great example of picking a use case that is relevant to most of Slack's user base -- improving communication and productivity among remote employees.

Slack also makes effective use of quotes from the decision makers at Employment Hero.

We already talked about our ClickUp case study a little earlier in this article, but it's worth a deeper look as an example to help guide your writing.

As you would expect, this case study hits main points we've covered here: problem statement, solution, and results.

But there are a couple of "extras" that make this one stand out.

For starters, it doesn't just present a single solution. It presents three , each one addressing a different aspect of ClickUp's objectives and each one showcasing a different Surfer feature set. 

For example, solution #1 describes how ClickUp improved their on-page SEO with the help of Surfer’s Content Editor . 

This case study also provides a high-level view of ClickUp’s project management processes and describes how they incorporated Surfer into their content workflows.

It’s a really instructive example of how you can use a case study to help prospective clients envision how your product might fit their situation.

Zoom’s library

This one isn't a single case study at all but a library full of case studies designed to help potential clients understand how Zoom can benefit them.

Here you'll find stories about how very recognizable organizations like Capital One, Vox Media, and the University of Miami are using Zoom to boost connectivity and productivity among remote workers.

There are plenty of good examples here that you can consult when you get stuck writing your own case study.

And the entire library is a great example of using case studies to demonstrate expertise with the help of social proof:

The Zoom case study library also makes liberal use of video, which might give you some good ideas about how you can, too.

Key takeaways

• Case studies are one of the best ways to generate leads and convert readers into customers.
• By showcasing the success you've had helping previous customers, case studies position you as an expert in your field.
• Good case studies can be the final push businesses need in their decision making process to buy your products or services.
• Pick a use case for your study that has broad appeal in your industry and that showcases your products and services in the best light possible.
• Effective case studies follow a predictable format: introduction, problem statement, solution, results, and conclusion.
• Make your case studies as readable as possible by including visual elements like graphs and images, and by breaking up the text into smaller sections, subsections, and concise paragraphs.
• Be as thorough and accurate as possible by conducting client interviews to gather background information for your case studies.
• Follow top-notch case studies for inspiration and ideas about how to make your own case studies as good as possible.

A well-written case study shines a light on your products and services like nothing else and helps position you as an expert in your field.

By showing that you understand their problems and have helped others overcome similar issues, you can prove to prospective clients that you are well-suited to help them, too.

Use the step-by-step instructions in this article to craft a case study that helps you and your company stand out from the competition.

https://surferseo.com/blog/write-case-study/

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How To Outline a Case Study: 15 Examples & Templates

Written by: Christopher Jan Benitez

They allow you to make your business more appealing to your target audience, resulting in more leads and customers moving forward.

By definition, you should create more of these studies to show your business’s effectiveness to people, right?

But before you do, you must learn how to outline them first.

This post discusses how you can develop a case study outline, which templates to use, and best practices to follow.

Here’s a short selection of 8 easy-to-edit case study templates you can edit, share and download with Visme. View more templates below:

Table of Contents

What is a case study, what is a case study outline, how do you write a case study outline, 15 case study outline examples, design tips for your case study outline, create your case study with visme.

A case study is a real-life success story of a customer who faced challenges and managed to overcome them by using your products or services. It's like a narrative that tells the tale of how someone benefited from what you have to offer. It's a way to showcase the practical application of your solutions in a specific situation and demonstrate the value they bring. So, it's not just a theoretical explanation but an engaging story that highlights the positive outcomes achieved by your customer.

Beyond business, case studies are commonly used in other settings, like academics, social sciences, medicine, psychology, and education. A case study is an in-depth examination and analysis of a specific individual, group, organization, event, or situation. It involves gathering detailed information and data to gain an extensive understanding of the subject being studied.

A case study outline is a roadmap for creating a solid case study report. It helps you organize and present all the important elements in a structured way. Think of it as a blueprint that guides you through the process. Of course, the specific outline can vary depending on why you're doing the case study and the specific situation you're studying. So, it's adaptable to fit your needs and make sure you cover everything necessary.

Made with Visme Infographic Maker

Below are the main parts of a typical case study outline:

• Introduction: Describe the customer or client who is the focus of the case study.
• Problem: Identify the client's issue, which is why they sought your help in the first place.
• Goals/Solutions: Enumerate the goals you wish to achieve with the strategy you developed for this client. Then, discuss the tactics you used in the hopes of achieving these objectives.
• Results/Achievements: Talk about the positive results of your campaign using data and figures. This section should emphasize the effectiveness of your business in solving the problem through your products and services.

If you want a head start with your case studies, use any of Visme's templates below.

Most of these templates contain the main parts mentioned above. Once you’ve chosen a case study template , simply edit it to best explain your case to prospects.

Choose from built-in graphics ranging from video backgrounds to fonts and place them in the presentation using Visme's drag-and-drop builder.

You can also collaborate with team members when editing the case study online template to finish the presentation ahead of time.

1. Medical Case Study

This blue-themed outline template is for you if you're in the medical field and doing a case study on a patient. It contains a table of laboratory findings and clinical manifestations, which lead to your diagnosis and conclusions.

2. Intel Case Study

This simple light-red template is perfect for tech companies looking to quickly present their case study with an overview of its background, goals, and strategy. It ends the presentation by going through the study’s figures and data.

3. UX Case Study

This zesty template tackles how a change in a site or app's user interface generated massive results in conversions. It lays down the site's problem and approach to solving it before dealing with the results.

4. Bit.ly Case Study

For marketers looking to track campaign results launched across various marketing channels, this template is for them. It briefly explains the background and goal of the case in the first place and the obstacles and results in the next.

5. Adobe Case Study

This orange and blue magenta template is heavy on text as it explains how your brand achieved positive results for a client campaign. Show this to similar prospects whom you're looking to turn into clients.

6. Fuji Xerox Australia Business Equipment Case Study

Marketing agencies looking for print businesses or similar to turn into clients won't go wrong with this blue three-page template. It details the case study background, goals, and achievements before concluding with its key results.

7. College For Adult Learning Training Organization Case Study

Marketers with a great track record of helping educational institutions will have great use for this red and blue-magenta template. From here, they can convert similar prospects into clients by showing your case study’s achievements and goals.

8. NVISIONCenters Case Study

A marketing strategy that works is what turns business owners into your clients. With this pink and medium blue template, your agency can showcase your expertise by featuring the results of your strategy with a previous client.

9. Neutrogena Case Study

This blue-themed template shows how a marketing agency could integrate mobile technology to generate sales in a client’s retail stores. It uses a fair share of images and text to communicate its solution and results.

10. Social Media Case Study

This red-on-blue template features the transformative power of social media when used correctly in a marketing campaign. Companies that offer social media marketing can use this to showcase their own successful campaigns.

11. Weebly Case Study

This template uses waves in the layout to add texture to your case study presentation . It's also short enough to help you share your marketing achievements with prospects looking to grow their ROI.

12. Small Business Accounting Case Study

Accounting firms looking to leverage case studies to bolster their leads will find this cyan-themed template useful. This text-heavy template shows prospects how they helped clients manage their receipts and expenditures.

13. Real Estate Development During COVID 19 Case Study

Lots of businesses were hit hard during COVID-19, but not all. If you find yourself in the latter and wish to share with potential clients the progress your clients during this period have made with your help, this theme template is for you.

14. Digital Marketing in Consumer Goods Case Study

This dynamic case study template benefits from its healthy balance of text and image and orange and cyan-blue theme. It allows marketing companies to make their case to prospects looking to promote their new line of products.

15. Automobile Company Case Study

B2B companies benefit the most from case studies due to their complex pricing structure. Therefore, this template is the best for such companies, as it breaks down the entire process to help justify their costs and enable prospects to make informed decisions.

RELATED: 15 Real-Life Case Study Examples & Best Practices

Below are design tips you must keep in mind when outlining your case study:

Use White Space

Great attention to detail in a case study allows you to show off your initiative or campaign to your audience.

However, information becomes detrimental if you overload your audience with too much exposition page after page.

The best way to design your case study or any presentation is to utilize white space as much as possible.

It may sound counterintuitive to leave certain sections of your case study blank as if you’re wasting valuable real estate.

On the contrary, white space is simply a good design principle that enables information on your case study to breathe, giving your audience ample time to digest the information before hopping onto the next section properly.

To help create white space in your case study, limit your paragraphs to two s hort sentences each. Using graphics also enables you to create more white space due to their size.

Maximize Visuals

Case studies require lots of words so you can adequately present your exposition and explain how you achieved the positive results with your process.

But when designing your case study online, you should consider using visuals to explain things much easier for your audience.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, as the saying goes, using images correctly allows you to use fewer words in your case study.

And because people process images much faster than words, they can comprehend the details in your presentation much easier.

The most common example of visuals in case studies is graphs and charts when presenting figures.

From Visme’s editor, click on the Data button from the side menu on the left to see templates of charts, tables, and radials you can drag and drop onto your presentation.

But using icons and graphics helps you communicate your message more effectively than just plain text.

From the editor again, click on Graphics to choose from over 500,000 stock photos and icons.

You can also upload your images to make your case study even more unique.

Incorporate Branding

Throughout the case study, you want people to know the role your company played for the positive results your clients experienced with their business.

And it’s just not slapping your logo on the cover of the case study. You must also use the color , font , and other elements that are part of your brand guidelines in your case study outline.

Doing so enables you to remain consistent with your visual identity , which makes associating your company with the case study much easier for people.

If you’re constantly designing visual content for presentations and reports, Visme’s Brand Wizard lets you build your brand kit on the platform by importing your website URL.

To do this, log in to your dashboard and click the “My Brand” button on the left.

Once the page loads, you’ll find the Brand Wizard link. Click on it so you can enter the URL of your domain.

From here, Visme will take the logo, colors, and fonts you used on your site and include them in your brand kit.

Aside from your visual brand, you should maintain your brand’s tone and voice in the case study’s copy. For example, how you write the background, solutions, and achievements should reflect how your website’s copy reads like.

Make It Interactive

Most case studies are factual presentations of work done for a specific client. Unfortunately, this lends to a certain dullness in which the audience has nothing to do but sit down and listen to them.

But there’s a way to make your case study engaging so that your audience can be part of it instead of just bystanders.

For example, you can have your highlighted customer share a screen recording or audio file about how your company helped this person improve their business. From here, you can embed the files into your case study, which your audience can play anytime they want.

With Visme, you can make these interactive content show as popups in your presentation.

Select the element that people will click on to trigger the popup. Then, choose Actions > Hotspot from the floating bar before linking the video uploaded onto the cloud to the case study.

Here’s a video on how to create popups with your interactive content:

You can also add a voiceover in your presentation to help people with reading disabilities understand the contents of your case study.

If you want to close your audience to clients or customers of your brand, you must present your case study in the best way possible.

Following the design tips above is a great place to start. But you probably won’t be able to implement them properly unless you possess the necessary design skills.

With Visme, however, you don’t have to be a professional designer to produce professional-looking case studies that will wow your audience.

Just choose from our case study outline templates and edit each using the platform’s built-in features.

Easily put together professional case studies in Visme

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About the Author

Christopher Jan Benitez is a freelance writer who specializes in digital marketing. His work has been published on SEO and affiliate marketing-specific niches like Monitor Backlinks, Niche Pursuits, Nichehacks, Web Hosting Secret Revealed, and others.

Free Case Study Templates

By Kate Eby | February 28, 2024

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We've collected free marketing case study templates for marketing managers, project coordinators, business strategists, and sales teams. Use these templates to organize and showcase your case studies for problem-solving and data analysis.

Simple Case Study Template

Download a Sample Simple Case Study Template for  Microsoft Word | Adobe PDF | Google Docs  

Download a Blank Simple Case Study Template for  Microsoft Word | Adobe PDF | Google Docs  

When to Use This Template:  This simple case study template available with or without sample copy has a straightforward, user-friendly format. It's ideal for junior marketers or entry-level associates who are just starting to write case studies. This template is also perfect for situations that require a quick, clear understanding of the basics.

Notable Template Features:  This simple case study template sports an easy-to-follow structure, focusing on the essentials without overwhelming the user with complex details. It features fundamental sections such as  Introduction, Challenge, Solution, and  Results , laid out in an intuitive, no-frills manner. 

While a marketing case study template showcases strategy outcomes, a  business case template evaluates broader business impacts.

Single-Slide Case Study Presentation Template

Download a Sample Single-Slide Case Study Presentation Template for  PowerPoint | Google Slides  

Download a Blank Single-Slide Case Study Presentation Template for PowerPoint | Google Slides  

When to Use This Template:   Ideal for sales representatives and quick-paced meetings, use  this single-slide case study presentation template to deliver a concise yet impactful presentation.

Notable Template Features:  The standout feature of this template is its ability to condense the entire case study into one slide. If you want some guidance on formatting, download the template with sample copy. This template differs from more elaborate versions by focusing on essential elements such as the problem, solution, and results.

Case Study Report Template

Download a Sample Case Study Report Template for  Microsoft Word | Google Docs  

Download a Blank Case Study Report Template for  Microsoft Word | Google Docs  

When to Use This Template:  Choose this case study report template when you need to create an in-depth, detailed analysis of a marketing case. It's especially useful for marketing managers and product managers who need to delve into extensive data analysis and provide a thorough overview of their findings. 

Notable Template Features:  The defining feature of this template — available with or without sample copy — is its detailed and comprehensive structure, which sets it apart from simpler formats. It facilitates an examination of complex cases, providing ample space for data presentation, detailed analyses, and in-depth discussions. This template is ideal for producing clear, professional, and exhaustive reports that cover every aspect of the case study in depth.

Data-Driven Case Study Template

Download a Sample Data-Driven Case Study Template for  Excel | Microsoft Word | Google Docs  

Download a Blank Data-Driven Case Study Template for  Excel | Microsoft Word | Google Docs  

When to Use This Template:  Utilize the data-driven case study template — available with or without example copy — to showcase the measurable outcomes and analytics of a case study. The template is ideal for marketers and analysts who want to emphasize the quantitative results and data-backed aspects of their strategies and campaigns. 

Notable Template Features:  This template emphasizes data visualization and metrics. It incorporates graphs, charts, and tables to present for a clear and detailed presentation of statistical information. Its strength lies in transforming complex data sets into understandable, visually engaging formats.

Marketing Case Study Template

Download a Sample Marketing Case Study Template for  Microsoft Word | Google Docs  

Download a Blank Marketing Case Study Template for  Microsoft Word | Google Docs 

When to Use This Template:  Turn to this marketing case study template to showcase marketing strategies, campaigns, and their outcomes. It’s particularly well suited for marketing managers, sales representatives, and content creators who aim to clearly illustrate the impact and success of their marketing efforts. 

Notable Template Features:  What sets this template apart is its focus on the storytelling aspects of marketing. Download the version with sample data to see how to structure the section on your company details, the challenge, and the solution.

One-Page Case Study Template

Download a Sample One-Page Case Study Template for  Microsoft Word | Google Docs

Download a Blank One-Page Case Study Template for  Microsoft Word | Google Docs

When to Use This Template:  Choose this one-page case study template to deliver a powerful message quickly and succinctly. The template is ideal for sales representatives and marketing managers who need to present a compelling, brief summary of a case study when time is limited and the impact is crucial, such as in sales pitches or high-stakes meetings.

Notable Template Features:  The hallmark of this template is its streamlined, one-page format, which sets it apart from more extensive options. Download the version with example text to see how it distills the case study into key highlights and results, presented in an easy-to-digest format. 

Check out this  article featuring free Google Docs case study templates for more options.

Problem-Solution-Impact Case Study Template

Download a Sample Problem-Solution-Impact Case Study Template for  Microsoft Word | PowerPoint | Google Docs

Download a Blank Problem-Solution-Impact Case Study Template for  Microsoft Word | PowerPoint | Google Docs  

When to Use This Template:  This problem-solution-impact case study template is effective for projects where you need to delineate a specific problem, outline the applied solutions, and discuss the subsequent effects. Download the version with sample text to see how to use the template to craft a case study with a logical flow and clear outcome. 

Notable Template Features:  This template's distinctive feature is its structured approach, dividing the case study into  Problem, Solution,  and Impact  sections. Unlike templates that might blend these elements together, this one provides a distinct, sequential framework.

In-Depth Analysis Case Study Template

Download a Sample In-Depth Analysis Case Study Template for  Microsoft Word | Adobe PDF | Google Docs  

Download an Blank In-Depth Analysis Case Study Template for  Microsoft Word | Adobe PDF | Google Docs  

When to Use This Template:  Deploy this in-depth analysis case study template and delve into a complex case study. It's perfect for situations where a thorough understanding and comprehensive analysis of all aspects of the case are needed, such as in research-heavy projects, detailed marketing strategy reviews, or complex product development scenarios.

Notable Template Features:  This template — available with or without sample data — has an expansive and detailed structure. Use the  In-Depth Analysis section to thoroughly explore the various facets of the case, including situation analysis, stakeholder analysis, and a deep dive into relevant data and evidence. Unlike simpler templates, this one offers a platform for comprehensive dissection and examination of intricate case studies, providing space for a detailed problem-specific analysis (such as  SWOT or PESTLE).

Testimonial-Based Case Study Template

Download a Sample Testimonial-Based Case Study Template for Microsoft Word | Adobe PDF | Google Docs  

Download a Blank Testimonial-Based Case Study Template for Microsoft Word | Adobe PDF | Google Docs  

When to Use This Template:  Utilize this testimonial-based case study template to emphasize the real-world impact and customer satisfaction of your service or product, especially in scenarios where customer experiences and endorsements are crucial. This template is ideal when you have strong, positive feedback from clients that can illustrate the benefits of your offerings. 

Notable Template Features:  This template focuses on customer testimonials. Unlike other case study formats, this one dedicates a significant portion to showcasing direct quotes and stories from clients. The sample-text version includes real-life examples and endorsements, demonstrating the practical benefits and satisfaction of your clients.

Key Elements in a Case Study Template

The key elements in a case study template include a clear title, executive summary, background information, and problem statement. They also cover objectives, solutions, results, and lessons learned to help you create a complete, engaging story of a project's success.  

The following elements help to structure a case study:   

• Title:  Add a concise and informative title that captures the essence of the case study. 
• Executive Summary:  Provide a brief overview of the case study, summarizing the problem, solution, and results. 
• Background Information: Include detailed context about the company, situation, or environment relevant to the case study. 
• Problem Statement:  Clearly define the challenge or issue addressed.
• Objectives: Outline what the case study aims to achieve or resolve. 
• Methodology or Approach: Describe the methods or strategies used to address the problem. 
• Solution: Detail the specific actions taken or solutions implemented to solve the problem. 
• Results: Provide quantifiable outcomes and data showing the impact of the solution.
• Analysis: Write a critical examination of the solution's effectiveness and the achieved results. 
• Visuals (Charts, Graphs, Images): These visuals should help viewers understand complex data and break up text-heavy content. 
• Testimonials/Quotes: Add credibility with direct quotes from clients, customers, or team members involved. 
• Challenges and Limitations: Discuss any obstacles faced during the project and how they were overcome. 
• Lessons Learned: Include any insights or knowledge gained from the experience. 
• Conclusion:  Summarize the main points, and restate the significance of the case study. 
• Call to Action (CTA):  Add content to encourage the audience to take a specific action, such as contacting the company or learning more about a service.

Types of Case Study Templates

Case study templates include single-slide overviews for quick summaries, in-depth analysis for detailed exploration, and customer testimonial templates that track the user's experience. Others focus on comparing strategies, showcasing data-driven results, and more. 

Here’s a list of case study templates:   

• Single-Slide Overview Case Study Template: Ideal for quick summaries, this template condenses the entire case study onto one slide, highlighting the problem, solution, and results. 
• In-Depth Analysis Case Study Template: Designed for detailed exploration, this template type has sections for background, market analysis, strategy implementation, and results. 
• Problem-Solution-Results Case Study Template: Structured around identifying a challenge, detailing the solution, and showcasing the outcomes, use this template when you want to take a narrative approach. 
• Data-Driven Case Study Template: Use this template to emphasize quantitative results and include charts and graphs to illustrate key metrics and successes.
• Testimonial-Based Case Study Template: This option uses customer reviews and testimonials to highlight real-world applications and satisfaction.

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Writing A Case Study

Case Study Examples

Brilliant Case Study Examples and Templates For Your Help

15 min read

People also read

A Complete Case Study Writing Guide With Examples

Simple Case Study Format for Students to Follow

Understand the Types of Case Study Here

It’s no surprise that writing a case study is one of the most challenging academic tasks for students. You’re definitely not alone here!

Most people don't realize that there are specific guidelines to follow when writing a case study. If you don't know where to start, it's easy to get overwhelmed and give up before you even begin.

Don't worry! Let us help you out!

We've collected over 25 free case study examples with solutions just for you. These samples with solutions will help you win over your panel and score high marks on your case studies.

So, what are you waiting for? Let's dive in and learn the secrets to writing a successful case study.

• 1. An Overview of Case Studies
• 2. Case Study Examples for Students
• 3. Business Case Study Examples
• 4. Medical Case Study Examples
• 5. Psychology Case Study Examples 
• 6. Sales Case Study Examples
• 7. Interview Case Study Examples
• 8. Marketing Case Study Examples
• 9. Tips to Write a Good Case Study

An Overview of Case Studies

A case study is a research method used to study a particular individual, group, or situation in depth. It involves analyzing and interpreting data from a variety of sources to gain insight into the subject being studied. 

Case studies are often used in psychology, business, and education to explore complicated problems and find solutions. They usually have detailed descriptions of the subject, background info, and an analysis of the main issues.

The goal of a case study is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the subject. Typically, case studies can be divided into three parts, challenges, solutions, and results. 

Here is a case study sample PDF so you can have a clearer understanding of what a case study actually is:

Case Study Sample PDF

How to Write a Case Study Examples

Learn how to write a case study with the help of our comprehensive case study guide.

Case Study Examples for Students

Quite often, students are asked to present case studies in their academic journeys. The reason instructors assign case studies is for students to sharpen their critical analysis skills, understand how companies make profits, etc.

Below are some case study examples in research, suitable for students:

Case Study Example in Software Engineering

Qualitative Research Case Study Sample

Software Quality Assurance Case Study

Social Work Case Study Example

Ethical Case Study

Case Study Example PDF

These examples can guide you on how to structure and format your own case studies.

Struggling with formatting your case study? Check this case study format guide and perfect your document’s structure today.

Business Case Study Examples

A business case study examines a business’s specific challenge or goal and how it should be solved. Business case studies usually focus on several details related to the initial challenge and proposed solution. 

To help you out, here are some samples so you can create case studies that are related to businesses: 

Here are some more business case study examples:

Business Case Studies PDF

Business Case Studies Example

Typically, a business case study discovers one of your customer's stories and how you solved a problem for them. It allows your prospects to see how your solutions address their needs. 

Medical Case Study Examples

Medical case studies are an essential part of medical education. They help students to understand how to diagnose and treat patients. 

Here are some medical case study examples to help you.

Medical Case Study Example

Nursing Case Study Example

Want to understand the various types of case studies? Check out our types of case study blog to select the perfect type.

Psychology Case Study Examples 

Case studies are a great way of investigating individuals with psychological abnormalities. This is why it is a very common assignment in psychology courses. 

By examining all the aspects of your subject’s life, you discover the possible causes of exhibiting such behavior. 

For your help, here are some interesting psychology case study examples:

Psychology Case Study Example

Mental Health Case Study Example

Sales Case Study Examples

Case studies are important tools for sales teams’ performance improvement. By examining sales successes, teams can gain insights into effective strategies and create action plans to employ similar tactics.

By researching case studies of successful sales campaigns, sales teams can more accurately identify challenges and develop solutions.

Sales Case Study Example

Interview Case Study Examples

Interview case studies provide businesses with invaluable information. This data allows them to make informed decisions related to certain markets or subjects.

Interview Case Study Example

Marketing Case Study Examples

Marketing case studies are real-life stories that showcase how a business solves a problem. They typically discuss how a business achieves a goal using a specific marketing strategy or tactic.

They typically describe a challenge faced by a business, the solution implemented, and the results achieved.

This is a short sample marketing case study for you to get an idea of what an actual marketing case study looks like.

 Here are some more popular marketing studies that show how companies use case studies as a means of marketing and promotion:

“Chevrolet Discover the Unexpected” by Carol H. Williams

This case study explores Chevrolet's “ DTU Journalism Fellows ” program. The case study uses the initials “DTU” to generate interest and encourage readers to learn more. 

Multiple types of media, such as images and videos, are used to explain the challenges faced. The case study concludes with an overview of the achievements that were met.

Key points from the case study include:

• Using a well-known brand name in the title can create interest.
• Combining different media types, such as headings, images, and videos, can help engage readers and make the content more memorable.
• Providing a summary of the key achievements at the end of the case study can help readers better understand the project's impact.

“The Met” by Fantasy

“ The Met ” by Fantasy is a fictional redesign of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, created by the design studio Fantasy. The case study clearly and simply showcases the museum's website redesign.

The Met emphasizes the website’s features and interface by showcasing each section of the interface individually, allowing the readers to concentrate on the significant elements.

For those who prefer text, each feature includes an objective description. The case study also includes a “Contact Us” call-to-action at the bottom of the page, inviting visitors to contact the company.

Key points from this “The Met” include:

• Keeping the case study simple and clean can help readers focus on the most important aspects.
• Presenting the features and solutions with a visual showcase can be more effective than writing a lot of text.
• Including a clear call-to-action at the end of the case study can encourage visitors to contact the company for more information.

“Better Experiences for All” by Herman Miller

Herman Miller's minimalist approach to furniture design translates to their case study, “ Better Experiences for All ”, for a Dubai hospital. The page features a captivating video with closed-captioning and expandable text for accessibility.

The case study presents a wealth of information in a concise format, enabling users to grasp the complexities of the strategy with ease. It concludes with a client testimonial and a list of furniture items purchased from the brand.

Key points from the “Better Experiences” include:

• Make sure your case study is user-friendly by including accessibility features like closed captioning and expandable text.
• Include a list of products that were used in the project to guide potential customers.

“NetApp” by Evisort 

Evisort's case study on “ NetApp ” stands out for its informative and compelling approach. The study begins with a client-centric overview of NetApp, strategically directing attention to the client rather than the company or team involved.

The case study incorporates client quotes and explores NetApp’s challenges during COVID-19. Evisort showcases its value as a client partner by showing how its services supported NetApp through difficult times. 

• Provide an overview of the company in the client’s words, and put focus on the customer. 
• Highlight how your services can help clients during challenging times.
• Make your case study accessible by providing it in various formats.

“Red Sox Season Campaign,” by CTP Boston

The “ Red Sox Season Campaign ” showcases a perfect blend of different media, such as video, text, and images. Upon visiting the page, the video plays automatically, there are videos of Red Sox players, their images, and print ads that can be enlarged with a click.

The page features an intuitive design and invites viewers to appreciate CTP's well-rounded campaign for Boston's beloved baseball team. There’s also a CTA that prompts viewers to learn how CTP can create a similar campaign for their brand.

Some key points to take away from the “Red Sox Season Campaign”: 

• Including a variety of media such as video, images, and text can make your case study more engaging and compelling.
• Include a call-to-action at the end of your study that encourages viewers to take the next step towards becoming a customer or prospect.

“Airbnb + Zendesk” by Zendesk

The case study by Zendesk, titled “ Airbnb + Zendesk : Building a powerful solution together,” showcases a true partnership between Airbnb and Zendesk. 

The article begins with an intriguing opening statement, “Halfway around the globe is a place to stay with your name on it. At least for a weekend,” and uses stunning images of beautiful Airbnb locations to captivate readers.

Instead of solely highlighting Zendesk's product, the case study is crafted to tell a good story and highlight Airbnb's service in detail. This strategy makes the case study more authentic and relatable.

Some key points to take away from this case study are:

• Use client's offerings' images rather than just screenshots of your own product or service.
• To begin the case study, it is recommended to include a distinct CTA. For instance, Zendesk presents two alternatives, namely to initiate a trial or seek a solution.

“Influencer Marketing” by Trend and WarbyParker

The case study "Influencer Marketing" by Trend and Warby Parker highlights the potential of influencer content marketing, even when working with a limited budget. 

The “Wearing Warby” campaign involved influencers wearing Warby Parker glasses during their daily activities, providing a glimpse of the brand's products in use. 

This strategy enhanced the brand's relatability with influencers' followers. While not detailing specific tactics, the case study effectively illustrates the impact of third-person case studies in showcasing campaign results.

Key points to take away from this case study are:

• Influencer marketing can be effective even with a limited budget.
• Showcasing products being used in everyday life can make a brand more approachable and relatable.
• Third-person case studies can be useful in highlighting the success of a campaign.

Marketing Case Study Template

Marketing Case Study Example

Now that you have read multiple case study examples, hop on to our tips.

Tips to Write a Good Case Study

Here are some note-worthy tips to craft a winning case study 

• Define the purpose of the case study This will help you to focus on the most important aspects of the case. The case study objective helps to ensure that your finished product is concise and to the point.
• Choose a real-life example. One of the best ways to write a successful case study is to choose a real-life example. This will give your readers a chance to see how the concepts apply in a real-world setting.
• Keep it brief. This means that you should only include information that is directly relevant to your topic and avoid adding unnecessary details.
• Use strong evidence. To make your case study convincing, you will need to use strong evidence. This can include statistics, data from research studies, or quotes from experts in the field.
• Edit and proofread your work. Before you submit your case study, be sure to edit and proofread your work carefully. This will help to ensure that there are no errors and that your paper is clear and concise.

There you go!

We’re sure that now you have secrets to writing a great case study at your fingertips! This blog teaches the key guidelines of various case studies with samples. So grab your pen and start crafting a winning case study right away!

Having said that, we do understand that some of you might be having a hard time writing compelling case studies.

But worry not! Our expert case study writing service is here to take all your case-writing blues away! 

With 100% thorough research guaranteed, our online essay service can craft an amazing case study within 24 hours! 

So why delay? Let us help you shine in the eyes of your instructor!

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Dr. Barbara is a highly experienced writer and author who holds a Ph.D. degree in public health from an Ivy League school. She has worked in the medical field for many years, conducting extensive research on various health topics. Her writing has been featured in several top-tier publications.

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• TemplateLab

Case Study Templates

49 free case study examples & templates.

A case study is a report of an event, problem or activity. A case study format usually contains a hypothetical or real situation. It would also include any intricacies you might come across in the workplace.

You can use a case study to help you see how these intricacies might affect decisions.

Table of Contents

• 1 Case Study Templates
• 2 Common types of case study templates
• 3 Case Study Examples
• 4 Benefits of using case study templates in businesses
• 5 Case Study Formats
• 6 Tips for writing a case study template
• 7.1 Decide on the type of case study you will perform
• 7.2 Reach out to potential participants for your case study
• 7.3 Prepare your questions
• 7.4 Lay out the case study

When you make a case analysis format, you would have to analyze the situation at hand. You have to apply your own thinking skills and knowledge when performing the case study.

Also, doing this will hone your reasoning skills and your ability to draw conclusions. An effective case study example should:

• Have their basis from real-life situations but you may conceal identities.
• Consist of a number of parts which would end with points for discussion.
• Include enough information the reader can use to deal with issues and problems.
• Be very believable for anyone who reads it.

A case study is a type of research methodology. It’s typically utilized in social sciences. When you do this, you’d have to study a phenomenon or issue from a real-life perspective.

Such studies are usually based on in-depth analysis of a person, a group or even an event. You perform them to investigate the underlying causes of specific principles.

Common types of case study templates

Anyone who wants to perform a collective study may use a case study format. You can create a case analysis format on your own or download a template from here.

When you use such templates, you won’t have to think about what you need to include in your document. You can focus more on the individual, group, or event that you’re studying.

You can use different types of templates you can use for your case study. These include:

• Student case study template
• Nursing case study template
• Clinical case study template
• Memorial hospital case study template
• Basic psychology case study template
• Treatment injury case study template

Create or find a template which would suit your own needs. There aren’t any strict formats for these documents. The process is more important. In fact, some people see a case study as a type of research strategy. You can use it to investigate a phenomenon and see its influence over time. When do the process, you’d need a template to input all the information from your study.

Case Study Examples

Benefits of using case study templates in businesses

Before we discuss how to write a case study, let’s go through its benefits. The document you create while conducting your study is very relevant. When decision-makers do research on a new product, they would use this document as a reference.

They can help you identify possible solutions to their problems. This is why it’s important to keep the documents along with other important files. Serving as a reference is only one of the benefits of creating and using such templates. Here are the other benefits:

• To help influence customers more effectively In businesses, customer testimonials are extremely important. You can use them to see what you need to do to keep your business going. A case study example can be a form of support from a satisfied customer given directly to the business. You can use the template to bulk up your marketing campaign. It can serve the same purpose as product reviews on online shops like Amazon. These reviews can sway the buyers in a positive way. So you can use the case study to raise awareness on how to serve your customers more effectively. This will help encourage your customers and increase sales .
• To help encourage empathy The information contained within the document may help encourage empathy in its readers. In businesses, it may help the customers see how the product will help or work for them. To make it more effective, the document should focus on the readers and not the product you’re selling. You can describe real-life issues and explain how your product helped solve them. This would make the customers see why they need your product. It may also help your customers see why they need to patronize your business over others.
• To show that you understand and care for the customers When it comes to businesses, case studies are usually focused on their products and sales. However, this isn’t advisable as customers aren’t really fooled by such strategies. Instead, your document should address questions and issues which your customers frequently encounter. When you create such a document through your study, it will show that you care about the customers. It will help them see that you put in an effort to understand them and cater to their needs.
• To strengthen the brand When you create a case study, you can use it to strengthen your brand. Since it’s typically based on real-life situations, it becomes relatable. Through this document, you can create an emotional connection with your customers. If you can execute the study and the document well, it will be very beneficial for your business . You can show the customers that you have what they need. This will help make your brand stronger and more established.
• To repurpose content Finally, you can also use the document’s content for other things. This serves as a benefit because repurposing the content will save you a lot of time and money. You can use the document as a reference to create other written works for your business. You can also use the document as a basis to create another case study in the future. Create a similar template which focuses on other types of customers. These customers are the ones who patronize your business.

Case Study Formats

Tips for writing a case study template

You can use case studies for different purposes. In social science, it can help you understand the situations and problems of other people. In education, it can help you see how certain factors affect student academics.

In businesses, it can help earn the trust of potential customers. But do you know how to write a case study?

For some people, writing a case analysis format comes easy. For some, they need to look at some case study examples before they start making their own document. You can also download a template from here if you want to make things easier for you.

Case Analysis Formats

If you want to prove something you believe in, you need to create a compelling case study template. When you’ve done so, this will have a powerfully positive impact on what you made it for. Here are some tips, steps, and guidelines to help you out:

Decide on the type of case study you will perform

First and foremost, you need to determine which type of case study you will perform. You need to plan your case study well. You don’t just pick a topic then write about it. You need to find a cause you really believe in or a problem you want to solve.

In business, you need to focus on your customers. If you want to sell your products and services, think about your customers. Here are some things you can consider when making a case study for your business:

• When you make your study, be sure you have an extensive knowledge of your products. Without this knowledge, you won’t be able to create an effective document. One which will connect with your readers or your customers.
• If you want to show the best side of your business, be smart when creating your document. Find customers who have wonderful things to say about your product. Use their testimonials in your document. Do this to encourage your readers to support your business.
• Remember that the case study can help strengthen your brand. That’s why it’s important to create a study which will really make your business stand out. Think about how you’d like to present your information.

Reach out to potential participants for your case study

Without participants, you won’t have a case study. Prepare everything you need to before reaching out to your potential participants. Ensure them that there will always be open communication throughout the process.

This means that you’d have to prepare your timeline and expectations right away. This will help avoid any delays in the process.

Before talking to participants, you should already know what you’ll ask of them. For instance, you may want to ask permission to share the information you gather publicly.

You can send a letter or an email to your participants asking them to be part of your study. In the letter, include what you expect from them and what they can expect from you.

This will give them a good idea of what they need to do and prepare. Your introductory letter should contain:

• A clear and concise explanation of your purpose for creating the case study. Also, indicate how you will use the information you collect.
• A statement which would define the information which you’re planning to include. This is especially important if you will add trademarked information about a company.
• A clear explanation of your expectations from the participants. If you have any expectations which extend beyond your case study, explain them too.
• A note about any compensation you’re offering to the participants.

You may also add other information as needed. After you’ve sent out your letter, there’s a whole process which would follow. From acceptance of your offer to the final approval, you need to know all the steps:

• First off, your participants need to accept your offer/proposal. Once they’ve done that, you can include them in your list of participants for the case study.
• Then, you can give your participants a questionnaire to complete. This would help you out as the information would come directly from them. A questionnaire is a very effective way to collect data from your participants.
• After this, you can interview your participants too. Schedule an interview with each of your participants. Before this though, you should have already prepared all your questions.
• Then you can start making a draft of your case study template. If you’re working with a team, have them review your draft before finalizing it. Otherwise, you can ask your superior or manager to review your document.
• After this, you can finalize your case study. Just make sure that you’ve checked and verified all the information on it.

If your participants ask for it, you can give them a copy of your finalized study. Either that or you can tell them where they can access the document. Do this if you’ve posted it online like on your company’s website .

Case study format may vary depending on different factors. These include the nature of the situation, how you intend to use the information, and more.

Prepare your questions

Let’s go back to the interview process. Before you give the questionnaires to your participants, prepare your questions. The same thing goes for your interviews. If you want to make a strong case study, you should have strong questions too.

Here are some examples to start you off. These are great questions to ask if you’re conducting a study for your business:

• What are you looking for in a product?
• Have you experienced any challenges before purchasing our product?
• What makes our product stand out?
• Why did you make the decision to choose our product?
• What benefits have you gained from using our product?

These are some excellent questions which will give you very useful information. The best part is, you’ll gather the data straight from your participants.

Lay out the case study

Finally, when you have all the information you need, you can start laying out your case study. There aren’t any standard rules for structuring this document. However, it’s important to include certain elements to make the document effective.

These include:

• The title which should be brief but compelling.
• The executive summary . This would describe the document in a brief but interesting way.
• The introduction which would contain information about you and your organization.
• The challenges which would describe the problem or issues. Those which pushed you to create the study.
• The description which states how you helped solve the problem.
• The results of your case study.

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What is case study research?

Last updated

8 February 2023

Reviewed by

Cathy Heath

Short on time? Get an AI generated summary of this article instead

Suppose a company receives a spike in the number of customer complaints, or medical experts discover an outbreak of illness affecting children but are not quite sure of the reason. In both cases, carrying out a case study could be the best way to get answers.

Organization

Case studies can be carried out across different disciplines, including education, medicine, sociology, and business.

Most case studies employ qualitative methods, but quantitative methods can also be used. Researchers can then describe, compare, evaluate, and identify patterns or cause-and-effect relationships between the various variables under study. They can then use this knowledge to decide what action to take. 

Another thing to note is that case studies are generally singular in their focus. This means they narrow focus to a particular area, making them highly subjective. You cannot always generalize the results of a case study and apply them to a larger population. However, they are valuable tools to illustrate a principle or develop a thesis.

Analyze case study research

Dovetail streamlines case study research to help you uncover and share actionable insights

• What are the different types of case study designs?

Researchers can choose from a variety of case study designs. The design they choose is dependent on what questions they need to answer, the context of the research environment, how much data they already have, and what resources are available.

Here are the common types of case study design:

Explanatory

An explanatory case study is an initial explanation of the how or why that is behind something. This design is commonly used when studying a real-life phenomenon or event. Once the organization understands the reasons behind a phenomenon, it can then make changes to enhance or eliminate the variables causing it. 

Here is an example: How is co-teaching implemented in elementary schools? The title for a case study of this subject could be “Case Study of the Implementation of Co-Teaching in Elementary Schools.”

Descriptive

An illustrative or descriptive case study helps researchers shed light on an unfamiliar object or subject after a period of time. The case study provides an in-depth review of the issue at hand and adds real-world examples in the area the researcher wants the audience to understand. 

The researcher makes no inferences or causal statements about the object or subject under review. This type of design is often used to understand cultural shifts.

Here is an example: How did people cope with the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami? This case study could be titled "A Case Study of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami and its Effect on the Indonesian Population."

Exploratory

Exploratory research is also called a pilot case study. It is usually the first step within a larger research project, often relying on questionnaires and surveys . Researchers use exploratory research to help narrow down their focus, define parameters, draft a specific research question , and/or identify variables in a larger study. This research design usually covers a wider area than others, and focuses on the ‘what’ and ‘who’ of a topic.

Here is an example: How do nutrition and socialization in early childhood affect learning in children? The title of the exploratory study may be “Case Study of the Effects of Nutrition and Socialization on Learning in Early Childhood.”

An intrinsic case study is specifically designed to look at a unique and special phenomenon. At the start of the study, the researcher defines the phenomenon and the uniqueness that differentiates it from others. 

In this case, researchers do not attempt to generalize, compare, or challenge the existing assumptions. Instead, they explore the unique variables to enhance understanding. Here is an example: “Case Study of Volcanic Lightning.”

This design can also be identified as a cumulative case study. It uses information from past studies or observations of groups of people in certain settings as the foundation of the new study. Given that it takes multiple areas into account, it allows for greater generalization than a single case study. 

The researchers also get an in-depth look at a particular subject from different viewpoints.  Here is an example: “Case Study of how PTSD affected Vietnam and Gulf War Veterans Differently Due to Advances in Military Technology.”

Critical instance

A critical case study incorporates both explanatory and intrinsic study designs. It does not have predetermined purposes beyond an investigation of the said subject. It can be used for a deeper explanation of the cause-and-effect relationship. It can also be used to question a common assumption or myth. 

The findings can then be used further to generalize whether they would also apply in a different environment.  Here is an example: “What Effect Does Prolonged Use of Social Media Have on the Mind of American Youth?”

Instrumental

Instrumental research attempts to achieve goals beyond understanding the object at hand. Researchers explore a larger subject through different, separate studies and use the findings to understand its relationship to another subject. This type of design also provides insight into an issue or helps refine a theory. 

For example, you may want to determine if violent behavior in children predisposes them to crime later in life. The focus is on the relationship between children and violent behavior, and why certain children do become violent. Here is an example: “Violence Breeds Violence: Childhood Exposure and Participation in Adult Crime.”

Evaluation case study design is employed to research the effects of a program, policy, or intervention, and assess its effectiveness and impact on future decision-making. 

For example, you might want to see whether children learn times tables quicker through an educational game on their iPad versus a more teacher-led intervention. Here is an example: “An Investigation of the Impact of an iPad Multiplication Game for Primary School Children.” 

• When do you use case studies?

Case studies are ideal when you want to gain a contextual, concrete, or in-depth understanding of a particular subject. It helps you understand the characteristics, implications, and meanings of the subject.

They are also an excellent choice for those writing a thesis or dissertation, as they help keep the project focused on a particular area when resources or time may be too limited to cover a wider one. You may have to conduct several case studies to explore different aspects of the subject in question and understand the problem.

• What are the steps to follow when conducting a case study?

1. Select a case

Once you identify the problem at hand and come up with questions, identify the case you will focus on. The study can provide insights into the subject at hand, challenge existing assumptions, propose a course of action, and/or open up new areas for further research.

2. Create a theoretical framework

While you will be focusing on a specific detail, the case study design you choose should be linked to existing knowledge on the topic. This prevents it from becoming an isolated description and allows for enhancing the existing information. 

It may expand the current theory by bringing up new ideas or concepts, challenge established assumptions, or exemplify a theory by exploring how it answers the problem at hand. A theoretical framework starts with a literature review of the sources relevant to the topic in focus. This helps in identifying key concepts to guide analysis and interpretation.

3. Collect the data

Case studies are frequently supplemented with qualitative data such as observations, interviews, and a review of both primary and secondary sources such as official records, news articles, and photographs. There may also be quantitative data —this data assists in understanding the case thoroughly.

4. Analyze your case

The results of the research depend on the research design. Most case studies are structured with chapters or topic headings for easy explanation and presentation. Others may be written as narratives to allow researchers to explore various angles of the topic and analyze its meanings and implications.

In all areas, always give a detailed contextual understanding of the case and connect it to the existing theory and literature before discussing how it fits into your problem area.

• What are some case study examples?

What are the best approaches for introducing our product into the Kenyan market?

How does the change in marketing strategy aid in increasing the sales volumes of product Y?

How can teachers enhance student participation in classrooms?

How does poverty affect literacy levels in children?

Case study topics

Case study of product marketing strategies in the Kenyan market

Case study of the effects of a marketing strategy change on product Y sales volumes

Case study of X school teachers that encourage active student participation in the classroom

Case study of the effects of poverty on literacy levels in children

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What Is a Case Study?

Weighing the pros and cons of this method of research

Verywell / Colleen Tighe

• Pros and Cons

What Types of Case Studies Are Out There?

Where do you find data for a case study, how do i write a psychology case study.

A case study is an in-depth study of one person, group, or event. In a case study, nearly every aspect of the subject's life and history is analyzed to seek patterns and causes of behavior. Case studies can be used in many different fields, including psychology, medicine, education, anthropology, political science, and social work.

The point of a case study is to learn as much as possible about an individual or group so that the information can be generalized to many others. Unfortunately, case studies tend to be highly subjective, and it is sometimes difficult to generalize results to a larger population.

While case studies focus on a single individual or group, they follow a format similar to other types of psychology writing. If you are writing a case study, we got you—here are some rules of APA format to reference.  

At a Glance

A case study, or an in-depth study of a person, group, or event, can be a useful research tool when used wisely. In many cases, case studies are best used in situations where it would be difficult or impossible for you to conduct an experiment. They are helpful for looking at unique situations and allow researchers to gather a lot of˜ information about a specific individual or group of people. However, it's important to be cautious of any bias we draw from them as they are highly subjective.

What Are the Benefits and Limitations of Case Studies?

A case study can have its strengths and weaknesses. Researchers must consider these pros and cons before deciding if this type of study is appropriate for their needs.

One of the greatest advantages of a case study is that it allows researchers to investigate things that are often difficult or impossible to replicate in a lab. Some other benefits of a case study:

• Allows researchers to capture information on the 'how,' 'what,' and 'why,' of something that's implemented
• Gives researchers the chance to collect information on why one strategy might be chosen over another
• Permits researchers to develop hypotheses that can be explored in experimental research

On the other hand, a case study can have some drawbacks:

• It cannot necessarily be generalized to the larger population
• Cannot demonstrate cause and effect
• It may not be scientifically rigorous
• It can lead to bias

Researchers may choose to perform a case study if they want to explore a unique or recently discovered phenomenon. Through their insights, researchers develop additional ideas and study questions that might be explored in future studies.

It's important to remember that the insights from case studies cannot be used to determine cause-and-effect relationships between variables. However, case studies may be used to develop hypotheses that can then be addressed in experimental research.

Case Study Examples

There have been a number of notable case studies in the history of psychology. Much of  Freud's work and theories were developed through individual case studies. Some great examples of case studies in psychology include:

• Anna O : Anna O. was a pseudonym of a woman named Bertha Pappenheim, a patient of a physician named Josef Breuer. While she was never a patient of Freud's, Freud and Breuer discussed her case extensively. The woman was experiencing symptoms of a condition that was then known as hysteria and found that talking about her problems helped relieve her symptoms. Her case played an important part in the development of talk therapy as an approach to mental health treatment.
• Phineas Gage : Phineas Gage was a railroad employee who experienced a terrible accident in which an explosion sent a metal rod through his skull, damaging important portions of his brain. Gage recovered from his accident but was left with serious changes in both personality and behavior.
• Genie : Genie was a young girl subjected to horrific abuse and isolation. The case study of Genie allowed researchers to study whether language learning was possible, even after missing critical periods for language development. Her case also served as an example of how scientific research may interfere with treatment and lead to further abuse of vulnerable individuals.

Such cases demonstrate how case research can be used to study things that researchers could not replicate in experimental settings. In Genie's case, her horrific abuse denied her the opportunity to learn a language at critical points in her development.

This is clearly not something researchers could ethically replicate, but conducting a case study on Genie allowed researchers to study phenomena that are otherwise impossible to reproduce.

There are a few different types of case studies that psychologists and other researchers might use:

• Collective case studies : These involve studying a group of individuals. Researchers might study a group of people in a certain setting or look at an entire community. For example, psychologists might explore how access to resources in a community has affected the collective mental well-being of those who live there.
• Descriptive case studies : These involve starting with a descriptive theory. The subjects are then observed, and the information gathered is compared to the pre-existing theory.
• Explanatory case studies : These   are often used to do causal investigations. In other words, researchers are interested in looking at factors that may have caused certain things to occur.
• Exploratory case studies : These are sometimes used as a prelude to further, more in-depth research. This allows researchers to gather more information before developing their research questions and hypotheses .
• Instrumental case studies : These occur when the individual or group allows researchers to understand more than what is initially obvious to observers.
• Intrinsic case studies : This type of case study is when the researcher has a personal interest in the case. Jean Piaget's observations of his own children are good examples of how an intrinsic case study can contribute to the development of a psychological theory.

The three main case study types often used are intrinsic, instrumental, and collective. Intrinsic case studies are useful for learning about unique cases. Instrumental case studies help look at an individual to learn more about a broader issue. A collective case study can be useful for looking at several cases simultaneously.

The type of case study that psychology researchers use depends on the unique characteristics of the situation and the case itself.

There are a number of different sources and methods that researchers can use to gather information about an individual or group. Six major sources that have been identified by researchers are:

• Archival records : Census records, survey records, and name lists are examples of archival records.
• Direct observation : This strategy involves observing the subject, often in a natural setting . While an individual observer is sometimes used, it is more common to utilize a group of observers.
• Documents : Letters, newspaper articles, administrative records, etc., are the types of documents often used as sources.
• Interviews : Interviews are one of the most important methods for gathering information in case studies. An interview can involve structured survey questions or more open-ended questions.
• Participant observation : When the researcher serves as a participant in events and observes the actions and outcomes, it is called participant observation.
• Physical artifacts : Tools, objects, instruments, and other artifacts are often observed during a direct observation of the subject.

If you have been directed to write a case study for a psychology course, be sure to check with your instructor for any specific guidelines you need to follow. If you are writing your case study for a professional publication, check with the publisher for their specific guidelines for submitting a case study.

Here is a general outline of what should be included in a case study.

Section 1: A Case History

This section will have the following structure and content:

Background information : The first section of your paper will present your client's background. Include factors such as age, gender, work, health status, family mental health history, family and social relationships, drug and alcohol history, life difficulties, goals, and coping skills and weaknesses.

Description of the presenting problem : In the next section of your case study, you will describe the problem or symptoms that the client presented with.

Describe any physical, emotional, or sensory symptoms reported by the client. Thoughts, feelings, and perceptions related to the symptoms should also be noted. Any screening or diagnostic assessments that are used should also be described in detail and all scores reported.

Your diagnosis : Provide your diagnosis and give the appropriate Diagnostic and Statistical Manual code. Explain how you reached your diagnosis, how the client's symptoms fit the diagnostic criteria for the disorder(s), or any possible difficulties in reaching a diagnosis.

Section 2: Treatment Plan

This portion of the paper will address the chosen treatment for the condition. This might also include the theoretical basis for the chosen treatment or any other evidence that might exist to support why this approach was chosen.

• Cognitive behavioral approach : Explain how a cognitive behavioral therapist would approach treatment. Offer background information on cognitive behavioral therapy and describe the treatment sessions, client response, and outcome of this type of treatment. Make note of any difficulties or successes encountered by your client during treatment.
• Humanistic approach : Describe a humanistic approach that could be used to treat your client, such as client-centered therapy . Provide information on the type of treatment you chose, the client's reaction to the treatment, and the end result of this approach. Explain why the treatment was successful or unsuccessful.
• Psychoanalytic approach : Describe how a psychoanalytic therapist would view the client's problem. Provide some background on the psychoanalytic approach and cite relevant references. Explain how psychoanalytic therapy would be used to treat the client, how the client would respond to therapy, and the effectiveness of this treatment approach.
• Pharmacological approach : If treatment primarily involves the use of medications, explain which medications were used and why. Provide background on the effectiveness of these medications and how monotherapy may compare with an approach that combines medications with therapy or other treatments.

This section of a case study should also include information about the treatment goals, process, and outcomes.

When you are writing a case study, you should also include a section where you discuss the case study itself, including the strengths and limitiations of the study. You should note how the findings of your case study might support previous research. 

In your discussion section, you should also describe some of the implications of your case study. What ideas or findings might require further exploration? How might researchers go about exploring some of these questions in additional studies?

Need More Tips?

Here are a few additional pointers to keep in mind when formatting your case study:

• Never refer to the subject of your case study as "the client." Instead, use their name or a pseudonym.
• Read examples of case studies to gain an idea about the style and format.
• Remember to use APA format when citing references .

Crowe S, Cresswell K, Robertson A, Huby G, Avery A, Sheikh A. The case study approach .  BMC Med Res Methodol . 2011;11:100.

Crowe S, Cresswell K, Robertson A, Huby G, Avery A, Sheikh A. The case study approach . BMC Med Res Methodol . 2011 Jun 27;11:100. doi:10.1186/1471-2288-11-100

Gagnon, Yves-Chantal.  The Case Study as Research Method: A Practical Handbook . Canada, Chicago Review Press Incorporated DBA Independent Pub Group, 2010.

Yin, Robert K. Case Study Research and Applications: Design and Methods . United States, SAGE Publications, 2017.

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

A Guide How to Create Social Media Case Studies that Convert (with Template)

Do you really need another piece of content to move leads through your sales pipeline?

With so much noise on social media platforms, many marketers might wonder if case studies are still relevant. The answer is yes, but only if they’re done right.

According to a 2024 survey from Statista , social media and video-sharing platforms are now the leading digital touchpoints for U.S. consumers, with 44% citing them as their primary interaction points. Ignoring these platforms means missing out on key opportunities to increase brand awareness and connect with potential customers.

Crafting a compelling social media marketing case study remains one of the best strategies for engaging future customers or digital agency clients.

But it’s not as simple as throwing together some numbers and calling it a day.

In this article, we’ll break down what makes a case study truly convert and how to strategically share it across social media channels. Plus, we’ll provide a template to help you get started.

Let’s jump in.

The importance of social media case studies in social media campaigns

There’s a lot of content out there.

Your potential customers are constantly bombarded with whitepapers, e-books, 10-step guides, newsletters and unpalatable sales hype. To get the attention of prospects today you have to demonstrate your product or service’s value, not just talk about it. 

B2B buyers today don’t have time to interpret marketing messages that aren’t concise and relevant. That means that instead of aimlessly beating around the bush about how great your company is and how terrific your products are, you have to share the real-life experiences customers are having with you and your products.

Traditional marketing tactics don’t work anymore. We already know that. People nowadays drive their own buying decisions through online research, and the importance of social proof cannot be understated. 

About 57% of the customers will only use or buy a business service if it has at least 4 or five-star ratings. It should be noted, however, that reviews aren’t enough. In fact,  88% of consumers view ratings and reviews as a personal suggestion, not definitive proof of a product’s efficacy. 

Reviews are all good, but creating in-depth, data-driven case studies is the way to go if you’re marketing B2B software or digital marketing agency services. Case studies are extremely effective in the consideration stage of the buyer’s journey when they actively compare solutions and providers to solve a problem they’re experiencing.

Examples are many, such as:

• Digital marketing agency : A digital marketing agency can use a social media case study to showcase how they helped a small business refine its social strategy and achieve specific campaign goals. The case study can highlight key metrics and impressive results like engagement rates, website traffic, and new clients acquired. It provides prospects with clear evidence of the agency’s ability to deliver results and helping them evaluate their options when comparing service providers.
• Influencer marketing consultancy : An influencer marketing consultancy can create a case study demonstrating how they connected brands with influencers who resonated deeply with the target audience. The study can emphasize the types of content created, the campaign’s success in driving engagement, and how it generated buzz around the brand..
• B2B software provider : A B2B software provider can present a case study illustrating how their solution helped a client streamline content creation efforts, leading to significant efficiency improvements and a noticeable rise in website traffic. Such a real-world success story provides valuable social proof during the consideration stage.
• Social media management platform : A social media management platform can share a case study that outlines how a brand utilized the platform to create and manage social media content across multiple channels. The case study could highlight the resulting improvements in engagement rates and alignment with campaign goals – all to help prospects see how the platform stacks up against competitors in the market.
• Creative agency : A creative agency can use a case study to demonstrate how they developed a successful new campaign for a brand, tapping into the latest trends and content formats to capture audience interest. Such a study can focus on the measurable impact, such as increased brand visibility and the acquisition of new clients.

As we already mentioned, your prospects are actively researching your products, and there’s quite a chance that they will stumble upon content from your competitors. Relevant resources like case studies can cement your brand as an authority figure. 

Now that you know why case studies are important, it’s time to tackle the creation process. 

The ingredients for a perfect case study 

1. detailed and data-driven info.

A great case study isn’t just a vague story of success – it’s built on concrete data. For example, instead of stating that a client “doubled traffic,” clarify what that actually means. Did visits jump from 50 to 100, or from 5,000 to 10,000? This level of specificity makes the impact of your work clear to prospective clients.

Highlight the exact ways your product or service made a difference. Include key metrics like a decrease in ad spend, an increase in organic followers, or improvements in engagement rates. Data like this gives your case study weight, especially for digital agencies where results speak louder than promises.

Remember, not everyone is an analytics expert. Break down complex data into digestible pieces so that anyone can understand the value of your work. Contextualize the numbers within the broader narrative to ensure they enhance your story rather than overwhelm the reader.

Checklist :

• Include specific metrics that clearly show the impact of your work.
• Simplify analytics and KPIs for a broad audience.
• Support data with visuals like graphs, real-time dashboards, or screenshots.

2. A compelling and complete story of a social media campaign

Storytelling allows your audience to connect emotionally and intellectually with your client’s journey. Begin with the customer’s challenges, walk through your solution’s impact, and finish with the results. This structure makes the story easy to follow and impactful.

When crafting your subject’s persona, focus on answering key questions: Who is the customer? What do they do? What were their goals and needs? The answers help paint a vivid picture that readers can relate to. Structure your narrative by splitting the main points into three clear sections: the challenge, the impact you had, and the final outcome.

A great story isn’t just about the hard facts—it’s also about the emotional benefits. Did your solution improve workplace morale, free up time, or reduce stress? Use quotes from the client to make the case study more personal and relatable. Additionally, include insights from your own team. Potential clients will appreciate learning how your team overcame specific challenges and delivered results.

• Structure the story with a clear beginning (challenge), middle (impact), and end (outcome).
• Include emotional benefits alongside data-driven results.
• Use quotes from both the client and your team to add a personal touch.

3. Relevant and engaging visuals

Visuals transform raw data into a more engaging experience. Each case study needs them! However, simply adding screenshots or images isn’t enough. The visuals need to be purposeful and align with your story.

Start with a catchy headline that clearly indicates what the case study is about. Then, arrange your visuals thoughtfully. Avoid cluttering the page. Leave plenty of negative space to keep the layout clean and easy on the eyes. Visuals should enhance the reader’s understanding of the data, not overwhelm them.

When gathering creative assets, focus on elements that genuinely add value. Include headshots of the actual customer to humanize the story, use dashboards of results to visually represent the data, and add screenshots of any relevant social media posts from the campaigns. If you’re looking to further engage your audience, consider multimedia elements like videos or interactive PDFs that make the content dynamic.

• Use visuals that enhance and complement the narrative and data.
• Include headshots, dashboards, and screenshots from relevant campaigns.
• Incorporate multimedia elements like videos or PDFs to increase engagement.

4. Personalization and audience relevance

We hate to break it to you – but your case study will be ineffective if it lacks relevancy and personalization. Your audience should see themselves in the story you’re telling.

When writing, always consider the specific industry, needs, and preferences of your target readers. The closer the match, the more impactful your case study will be.

If your audience is diverse, you may need to create multiple versions of your case study, each tailored to a different segment. For example, a visually-oriented client might appreciate a design-focused case study, while a data-driven client might prefer one packed with analytics. Personalization shows that you understand their unique challenges and can deliver customized solutions.

Finally, consider how your case study fits into the broader funnel. Readers of your case study are likely already familiar with your business and services. This is where you can really personalize the content to address their specific concerns and move them further along the buyer’s journey.

• Tailor each case study to your specific target audience.
• Create multiple versions for different client types or industries.
• Address specific concerns and demonstrate your understanding of their niche.

Various ways to deliver a social media marketing case study

If you just created an amazing case study that’s sure to knock readers’ socks off, you want people to find it. This means populating every channel at your disposal with your content so your potential customers can’t miss it. 

YouTube social media case study

 Youtube is the second-largest search engine in the world and the platform’s algorithm holds the potential to show your video to a whole new audience. While YouTube’s algorithm is often iffy, writing a catchy title, providing a detailed description, and creating an effective thumbnail are good ways to keep your video in the algorithm’s favor. 

In addition, you’ll want to link your full case study in the comments and get viewers to land on your website. That can be a great starting point for your complex social media campaign.

For example, here’s an Instantly CRM case study on a highly profitable cold email strategy:

General social media case study

If you’re creating a social media case study, using social media to share said case study should be a no-brainer.

 Break down the content of your case study into bite-sized chunks for Instagram or Facebook, post analytics dashboards from the study on Twitter, and link the study to a LinkedIn post to spice up your profile. The shareable nature of social media may lead to your case study going further than just your own site.

Embedded in other types of digital marketing content 

Case studies can also be embedded in other types of content like blog posts, newsletters, guides or ebooks. Go through your current pieces of relevant content and link to your case study to provide extra value. 

For example, Luzmo AI dashboard builder shared their case studies on YouTube, but embedded them in relevant blog posts on their site.

5 winning social media marketing case study examples 

Now that we’ve gone over the components of a winning social media case study, let’s check out some real-world examples. 

1. “How ERA Belgium Provides Great Content for Franchise Businesses with Kontentino,” by Kontentino 

A thing to note regarding this case study is how Kontentino not only highlighted the impressive data but also how the product helped solve a core pain point for ERA Belgium’s franchises .

Highlighted in the middle of the case study is a bold quote from the client that helps solidify Kontentino’s KontentBase product as a must-have tool for franchises. When creating your own case study, consider your product and who’s needs it addresses. Align your customer quotes and data and results reports to match exactly what your target audience is looking for. 

The Konetino case study also includes a CTA at the end so any potential prospects could directly contact the support team.

2. “How an SEO Agency Helped an Artisan Bakery Increase Organic Traffic by 214%,” is a very well written case study by Semrush

This comprehensive case study by Semrush is a perfect example of pinpoint narrative structure and proper formatting. The study flows like a well-written story and guides the reader through the subjects, conflicts and resolutions without a hitch. The tasteful addition of dashboards and bullet points ties the case study up perfectly. 

3. “How Good Dye Young Increased Their Monthly E-commerce Revenue by 305%,” an impressive storytelling case study by Mailchimp 

This case study by MailChimp is full of personality and storytelling. While MailChimp did include impressive numbers, the centerpiece of this case study is the people. The subjects in the case study are referenced casually by their first names, their journey is explored in-depth and there’s no shortage of quotes from them. The imaging MailChimp uses only emphasizes the human side of the relationship between them and the customer. 

4. A set of Capsule CRM Customer Stories

Capsule CRM’s Customer Stories page turns business success into compelling narratives. It’s a showcase of real people achieving great things with the help of Capsule.

From creative startups to financial firms, each story pulls you in with bold visuals and headlines that spark curiosity. These stories give a behind-the-scenes look at how Capsule CRM integrates into different industries, helping clients manage relationships, streamline operations, and grow their businesses.

The message is clear: these companies made it work with Capsule, and so can you. At the end of each story, a call to action awaits, inviting readers to start their own journey.

5. Short and crisp – Localazy Case Studies

Localazy’s Case Studies go beyond highlighting results, focusing on the specific features that brought those successes to life.

They detail how companies like digital business card creators and real estate platforms easily solved their localization challenges. Localazy’s intuitive interface and translation management tools make expanding into global markets feel simple.

These case studies offer a behind-the-scenes view into how businesses use Localazy to grow and thrive, showcasing the platform as a vital tool for managing continuous localization efforts across diverse industries.

Keeping your social media strategy on track with your social media case study 

So now you’ve got a solid idea of what a comprehensive case study should include and you’ve seen the techniques we’ve covered in action. Now it’s time to go over a full template to ensure you stay on track when creating your awesome social media case study. 

Social media marketing case study template 

Outline: Case Study Title

Customer: Customer’s full name 

Company: Company’s name 

Industry: The industry the customer operates in (if applicable) 

Video: Link to a video version (if applicable)

Author: Author’s name 

Case study title

A short introduction of the customer. 

 Be sure to highlight:

• The customer’s name and a little bit about them.
• Why you and your customer were a perfect fit 
• The key successes your customer had after working with you 

Introduce your customer 

In this section, provide a more in-depth overview of your customer. If it’s an individual, explain the person’s background in the context of your product/service. If it’s a business, talk about the company’s background, industry and any recent successes or milestones they have had. 

Describe the problem 

Explain the challenge or opportunity your customers faced before they did business with you. This could be either a reactive reason (i.e. the customer had an issue that needed to be addressed) or a proactive reason (i.e. there was an untapped potential that was unleashed by working with your business).

Why (Customer Name) Chose (Your Company)

In this section, speak about your customer’s decision-making process. Speak about how they discovered you, your possible competition and what made them ultimately decide to do business with you.

How (Your Company) Responded 

Here, explain what happened once your business started working with your customer. What was addressed first, and why? How did your customer feel about working with you in the early days?

The Results

In closing, speak to the results your customer saw after working with you. This section can be supported by statements, quotes, visuals, graphs, and metrics. Whatever you decide to include, be sure it illustrates how much of an impact your company made on your customer. 

Call-to-Action

Use this section to move your readers down the funnel. Add a CTA that encourages readers to either join your newsletter or get in touch with your sales team.

Key takeaways

• A strong social media strategy is essential for crafting compelling case studies that resonate with your target audience.
• Highlighting success stories in social media campaigns helps build credibility and attract new clients.
• Data-driven case studies are powerful tools for showcasing the effectiveness of social media advertising efforts.
• Creating content that aligns with your client’s goals can significantly boost engagement and conversation with users.
• Case studies should focus on how small businesses leverage different types of social media strategies to achieve their objectives.
• Short paragraphs and clear visuals make your social media marketing case study more accessible and engaging for readers.
• When creating content for case studies, emphasize the specific interests of your audience to keep them engaged.
• Case studies are an excellent way to show how your social media strategy helped promote your client’s brand and generate results.
• Personalize your case studies to demonstrate how your approach can be adapted to different types of businesses and industries.
• Use quotes and real-life examples to make your case study more relatable, allowing your audience to see themselves in the story you’re telling.

Crafting a powerful social media case study is more than just data and stories – you have to show the potential within each success. Your next campaign could be the turning point that shifts the conversation and draws in new opportunities.

Once your case study is ready, use tools like Kontentino to share it strategically across social media channels, where it can reach the right eyes at the right time.

Now it’s your move – what story will you tell next?

What are case studies in social media?

Case studies in social media showcase how a social media campaign or social media marketing strategy helped a business achieve its goals, typically through data, key metrics, and success stories, often improving website traffic or engagement.

What are some examples of case study studies?

Examples of social media case studies include successful social media campaigns where businesses improved website traffic, grew their following, or achieved digital marketing objectives through strategic social media advertising and tailored content creation.

How do you write a case study in social studies?

To write a case study in social media marketing, create content and focus on talking about the challenge, detailing the social media campaign, highlighting key metrics, and sharing the impact the campaign had on the business, all in a clear, concise format.

What are the studies about impacts of social media?

Studies on the impacts of social media often explore how effective social media campaigns influence digital marketing performance, from increasing engagement to driving website traffic and boosting overall brand visibility through targeted social media advertising efforts.

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837k+ scheduled posts in the past year by users just like you.

Pilgrims Barn – An exemplar Class Q Example with Scientific Significance 

2 September 2024

In the evolving landscape of sustainable architecture and innovative building practices, Pilgrims Barn stands out as a remarkable example of a Class Q conversion. This transformation from an agricultural structure to a beautiful, functional living space is not only a testament to modern design principles but also an embodiment of the pioneering work initiated by the internationally renowned Architects, Professors Brenda and Robert Vale, who brokered super-eco management solutions in their home, The New Autonomous House in 1991.   

Class Q conversion refers to the regulatory framework that allows for the transformation of agricultural buildings into residential dwellings without the need for full planning permission. This initiative, introduced to promote the reuse of existing structures, is particularly relevant in rural settings where preserving the character of the landscape is essential. Pilgrims Barn exemplifies how such conversions can be executed with creativity and respect for the environment.  

One of the exciting developments surrounding Pilgrims Barn is the scientific case study undertaken by Dr. Jerry Harrall, a respected colleague and friend of the barn’s creators, Nick and Saffy Woolley. Dr. Harrall sees Pilgrims Barn as an integral part of the ongoing promotion of sustainable practices in building design, a mission championed by the Professors Vale.  

Dr. Harrall’s case study explores various dimensions of Pilgrims Barn, including its energy efficiency, use of materials, cost and integration into the surrounding ecosystem. By documenting these aspects, he provides a comprehensive analysis that can serve as a reference for future conversions and sustainable building projects.  

Pilgrims Barn aligns perfectly with the Professor Vales’ vision. It serves as a living laboratory for the principles of sustainable design, showcasing how traditional structures can be revitalised for modern use.  

The project stands as a beacon of what can be achieved through thoughtful design and a commitment to sustainability. The collaboration between Dr. Harrall and the principles laid out by the Professors Vale highlights the importance of scientific inquiry in advancing sustainable architecture and encouraging a harmonious relationship between humanity and the environment.. Pilgrims Barn is not just a building; it is a symbol of progress in the quest for a more sustainable future, inspiring architects, builders, and communities to embrace the potential within existing structures. Through such endeavours, the legacy of innovative thinkers like the Professor s Vale continues to thrive,   

A copy of Dr Harrall’s case study can be found here.  Pilgrims Barn Case study 02.09.24

For more information or to discuss this project, please get in touch with Nick Woolley on 01638 721 540 and [email protected] .   

Business Case

Ai generator.

In today’s dynamic business environment, organizations must constantly evaluate new opportunities and projects to stay competitive. To make informed decisions, it’s essential to create a robust business case that outlines the potential benefits, risks, and costs of a proposed initiative. In this article, we’ll provide an overview of what a business case is, how to create one, and answer some common questions about the process.

One Page Business Case Template

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What is a Business Case?

A business case is a detailed document that outlines the rationale for initiating a new project or opportunity, along with the potential benefits, costs, and risks. It typically includes an analysis of the current situation, a proposed solution, a cost-benefit analysis, and an evaluation of the feasibility of the initiative.

How to Create a Business Case

Step 1: identify the problem or opportunity.

Start by identifying the problem or opportunity that your business case will address. Clearly define the issue and explain why it’s important to your organization.

Step 2: Develop a proposed solution

Next, develop a proposed solution to the problem or opportunity. Explain how this solution will address the issue and provide specific details on how it will work.

Step 3: Conduct a cost-benefit analysis

Perform a cost-benefit analysis to determine the financial impact of the proposed initiative. Estimate the costs and benefits of the project over its lifespan, and compare them to determine the net value.

Step 4: Evaluate the feasibility

Evaluate the feasibility of the initiative, taking into account factors like technical requirements, organizational capabilities, and legal considerations.

Step 5: Present your findings

Finally, present your findings in a clear and concise manner, using visual aids like graphs and charts to help convey your message.

What are some business case analysis examples?

Some examples of business case analyses include market research, feasibility studies, cost-benefit analyses, and SWOT analyses.

What are some case study examples of successful business cases?

Successful business case examples include Netflix’s decision to shift from DVD rentals to streaming, Amazon’s development of its Prime service, and Apple’s creation of the iPhone.

What are some project cost estimate examples?

Project cost estimate examples include direct costs (like labor and materials), indirect costs (like administrative expenses and marketing), and contingency costs (like unexpected expenses).

A well-crafted business case can help organizations make informed decisions about new opportunities and projects. By following the steps outlined above and incorporating best practices from successful case study examples, businesses can create a comprehensive and compelling case that drives strategic action planning and ensures success.

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Teach programming using task-driven case studies: pedagogical approach, guidelines, and implementation.

1. Introduction

1.1. task-driven teaching, 1.2. case studies, 1.3. task-driven case studies, 2. background, 2.1. problem-based learning, 2.2. case studies in teaching, 2.3. task-driven teaching methodology, 2.4. games in teaching and automatic feedback, 3. task-driven case studies’ pedagogical framework.

• Case study , a realistic project providing an opportunity to showcase most of the learned topics.
• Tasks defined in the context of the selected case study and corresponding to the learning objectives of the course.
• Written study guides , explaining the case study, leading students through the tasks, and providing enough context and explanation.

3.1. Reasons to Use Tasks

• We want to make sure that students are active during lessons. Both the teacher and the students are reminded that practical lessons should revolve around the students working and not the teacher lecturing.
• We want the student to use best practices while working. Finer-grained tasks help us to keep the student on the right track. In learning, the process is more important than the result.
• Instead of only showing the process and the students repeating after the teacher, we use task-driven case studies to make them try the process by themselves. Then it is harder to forget about the details.

3.2. Role of Written Study Guides

• A written form of the guide allows students to work at their own speed. If there is something unclear, they can get back to it anytime.
• Students can continue working at home without any impedance. If a student is unable to come to the lesson, he misses only individual consultations with a teacher. To a large degree, the lesson can be simulated by the study guide. This proved to be very useful during COVID restrictions.
• A study guide can be shared between universities or learning facilities.

3.3. Course and Case Study Relationship

3.4. task-driven case study lifecycle, 3.5. guidelines.

• Know the learning goals.
• Select a well-known domain.
• Find an interesting topic.
• Keep the project in industrial quality.
• Show the whole process.
• Prepare for incremental implementation.
• Support individual approach.
• Implement code first.
• Divide code into goals.
• Evaluate goals’ coverage.
• Find goal dependencies.
• Do the review.
• Always tell objectives.
• Describe the current state and expected increment.
• Show context and reasoning.
• Specify tasks clearly and precisely.
• Refine tasks with comments.
• Add supplementary tasks.
• Provide further reading.
• Use suitable software support.
• Verify continuity and consistency of the guide.
• Review the guide.
• Start with a minimal version and improve it.
• Monitor progress continuously.
• Favor individual achievements.
• Examine understanding.
• Get feedback from the “battlefield”.
• Update the case study.

4. Selection of the Case Study

4.1. know the learning goals.

• Students are familiar with Java language basics.
• Students can create a project and a class in the NetBeans IDE.
• Students understand the role of interfaces in object-oriented programming.
• Students can implement existing interfaces in Java.
• Students can create their own interfaces in the Java language.
• Students are familiar with the role and types of collections in the Java language.
• Students can work with the generic ArrayList collection.
• Students can use String class methods for working with strings.

4.2. Select a Well-Known Domain

• Example: You can imagine that, for example, the problem of luggage transport at an airport is not a very good choice. Most of the students never had to (or will never have to) deal with that problem, and some of them probably never even traveled by plane. That is the reason why we picked a Minesweeper game. Thanks to the Microsoft Windows operating system, it is one of the most known games. We could barely find a student in the Java technologies course who had never played Minesweeper.

4.3. Find an Interesting Topic

• Example: That is why we chose the Minesweeper game. In some of the other courses, games are used too. For example, we used the N-Puzzle game in the .NET programming course and Alien Breed clone in the object-oriented programming course.

4.4. Keep the Project in Industrial Quality

• Example: The solution to our Minesweeper case study is comparable to the professional Minesweeper game (see Figure 3 ). Students can see that they are able to implement a program comparable to the industry.

4.5. Show the Whole Process

• Example: In our Minesweeper case study, we chose the Minesweeper game because it is small enough to be implemented by a student in the time span of the course, and yet the result is a whole game that is comparable with industrial Minesweeper.

4.6. Prepare for Incremental Implementation

• Example: In the Minesweeper case study, the first case study lesson introduces the Minesweeper game. We are designing the game core together with students using standard UML notations. During this, they are led to our source code skeleton implementing best practices from object-oriented programming. In the next lesson, students implement the game logic—the game field and all its behavior. So far, their solution is not playable. However, we do not wait anymore, and in the third lesson, they start implementing a simple console user interface that would be able to present the current state of the field. Although, after the third lesson, they cannot play the game, they can already run the game and see whether their field generation works as it should. Since that moment, they are always able to run the game and see the increment they add during each particular lesson.

4.7. Support Individual Approach

• Example: In our Minesweeper case study, we suggest that students implement some additional features that the main project does not have. An example may be implementing the support for a simultaneous click of both mouse buttons to open also adjacent tiles and not merely the one that the mouse points to. We also support their own ideas on how to make the game even more interesting.

5. Solution Implementation

5.1. implement code first.

• Example: We implemented our own Minesweeper game before giving the case study to students. Before using the case study approach in the Java technologies course, the Minesweeper game was one of the examples that we used to show the students more complex examples implemented in Java. Then we decided to prepare a case study and reworked the old solution to incorporate all the topics of the course and to reflect our best knowledge.

5.2. Divide Code into Goals

• Example: To explicitly record implementation objectives in the code of the Minesweeper case study, TODO comments marked with the task identifiers were used. Each task represented an implementation objective. We started using TODO comments because of the tool support—see the automatically generated list of TODO comments in an IDE in Figure 4 . However, current IDEs have better support for source code annotations since they are first-class citizens of the language. The following code is an excerpt showing a TODO comment marking the getColumnCount() method as a part of the task identified as “getters” in the second module (lesson) of the course.
• //TODO: Task 2 - getters
• * Returns column count of the field.
• * @return column count.
• public int getColumnCount() { ...
• @Task(module = "02", id = "getters")

Click here to enlarge figure

5.3. Evaluate Goals’ Coverage

• Example: A simple help in checking the code coverage is, for example, the Action Items window in the NetBeans IDE (previously called the Tasks window). In  Figure 4 , there is a screenshot showing the list of tasks currently present in the Minesweeper teacher’s solution. It is easier to check the goals this way since the goals’ source code can be scattered throughout the whole project.    

5.4. Find Goal Dependencies

• Example: In the Java technologies course, the lectures are aligned with case study modules so that the students always have the theoretical knowledge that is needed for the current module of the case study. The alignment is depicted in Figure 6 .

5.5. Do the Review

6. writing study guide.

• Example: To get a better notion of how such a study guide looks, a specific example of one lesson from the Java technologies course can be found at https://kurzy.kpi.fei.tuke.sk/tjava-en/student/06.html (accessed on 30 August 2024).

6.1. Always Tell Objectives

• Example: Examples of learning goals are presented in Section 4 when we discussed making a list of the learning goals for the case study. However, there are also implementation objectives. These are specific to each case study. For example, in the following list, there are some implementation objectives from the Minesweeper case study.
• Students have to implement the generation of the game field.
• Students have to implement the presentation of the game field.
• Students have to implement a time-measuring feature for the game.
• Students have to implement the settings feature.
• Students have to implement a graphical user interface in Swing.

6.2. Describe the Current State and Expected Increment

• Example: We use class diagrams in each module to show the difference in the program structure before and after finishing the current lesson. In  Figure 8 , there is a class diagram of the Minesweeper case study in the fifth module. The yellow classes represent the current state, and the red ones are the increment for the fifth lesson. This helps the students to understand how the implementation goals will be projected into the program structure.

6.3. Show Context and Reasoning

• Example: In the Minesweeper case study, each step starts with an explanation of the current situation, the problem context, and the reasoning behind it. This part of the step is intertwined with the tasks that lead to solving the problem—each step of the module starts with the context and reasoning, and after that, the tasks follow.

6.4. Specify Tasks Clearly and Precisely

• Example: Following is an example of a task from our Minesweeper case study that tells the student to implement a method that will be a part of the Minesweeper marking tiles feature. This is one of the simpler tasks from earlier lessons of this introductory Java course.
• Task (id = markTile)
• Implement the void markTile(int row, int column) method in the Field class. This method allows marking/unmarking tiles specified by the row and column. In~case the tile is closed (Tile.CLOSED), its state will be marked (the state will change to Tile.MARKED). If~a tile is marked (Tile.MARKED), its state will be changed to closed (Tile.CLOSED). Rows and columns are numbered from 0.
• * Marks tile at specified indices.
• * @param row row number
• * @param column column number
• public void markTile(int row, int column) {
•     throw new UnsupportedOperationException("Method markTile not yet implemented");
•     final Tile tile = tiles[row][column];
•     if (tile.getState() == Tile.State.CLOSED) {
•         tile.setState(Tile.State.MARKED);
•     } else if (tile.getState() == Tile.State.MARKED) {
•         tile.setState(Tile.State.CLOSED);
• In the BestTimes class define a private void insertToDB(PlayerTime playerTime) method that will store a PlayTime object in the database.

6.5. Refine Tasks with Comments

• Example: The following is an example of a hint for the “markTile” task that was presented above. It advises using the implementation of the openTile(int row, int column) method for inspiration. The  openTile(int row, int column) method does a very similar job and is provided to students in the Minesweeper code skeleton at the beginning of the course. Most of the students should not have any serious problems in solving the task without this hint. However, below-average students or programming novices may struggle with it, and this hint should refer them to the right direction even before they will need to ask the teacher for help.
• When implementing the void markTile(int row, int column) method, you can use the implementation of void openTile(int row, int column) method as an inspiration.

6.6. Add Supplementary Tasks

• Example: In the Minesweeper case study, the implementation of new features is suggested, such as support for a new state in marking tile—using the question mark to signify that the user is not sure whether there is a mine or not.

6.7. Provide Further Reading

• Example: In the Java technologies course, we recommend the book Head First Java for further reading. For the advanced study, Effective Java is recommended. For particular topics, students are usually provided with links to specialized tutorials and blogs.

6.8. Use Suitable Software Support

• Example: At our university, we developed a specialized document generator for task-driven case study guides. This program transforms a set of Markdown files enriched with metadata representing the goals, tasks, etc. into a static website and possibly other formats, such as PDF. Utilizing custom software for this task also opens possibilities to check for inconsistencies, such as goals without any corresponding tasks.

6.9. Verify Continuity and Consistency of the Guide

6.10. review the guide, 6.11. start with a minimal version and improve it, 7. course execution, 7.1. monitor progress continuously, 7.2. favor individual achievements.

• Example: In the Java technologies course, we reward finishing the Minesweeper case study without any supplementary tasks by half of the maximum points available. The rest of the points can be obtained through additional tasks and custom features.

7.3. Examine Understanding

• Example: For our exams, an incomplete modified version of the Minesweeper solution is used. Students get to implement some missing part where they have to use the skills they should have acquired from the case study. The tasks are not the same as those in the case study, but they are similar in character. The following is an example of the exam task:
• Implement the processInput() method that will process input from the console using regular expressions. After~the implementation, the~game should be playable. After~each printing of the field, the~game would require typing some input. The~input is in the same format as in the case study: (X) EXIT, (MA1) MARK, (OB4) OPEN.

7.4. Get Feedback from the “Battlefield”

• Example: One of the important feedback entries we received from the students in the Java technologies course was the information that the task of implementing a method that counts adjacent mines to a tile is too difficult for many students (algorithmically). It did not look so difficult to us or our colleagues.

7.5. Update the Case Study

• Example: After finding out that the implementation of counting the adjacent mines is too difficult for the students, we decided to provide a hint to the task. If necessary, we could also include a note in the teachers’ version of the study guide about discussing the algorithm with students.

8. Experience

8.1. teachers’ view, 8.2. students’ view, 8.2.1. objective, 8.2.2. method, 8.2.3. results, 9. potential drawbacks, 10. conclusions, author contributions, institutional review board statement, informed consent statement, data availability statement, conflicts of interest.

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Share and Cite

Porubän, J.; Nosál’, M.; Sulír, M.; Chodarev, S. Teach Programming Using Task-Driven Case Studies: Pedagogical Approach, Guidelines, and Implementation. Computers 2024 , 13 , 221. https://doi.org/10.3390/computers13090221

Porubän J, Nosál’ M, Sulír M, Chodarev S. Teach Programming Using Task-Driven Case Studies: Pedagogical Approach, Guidelines, and Implementation. Computers . 2024; 13(9):221. https://doi.org/10.3390/computers13090221

Porubän, Jaroslav, Milan Nosál’, Matúš Sulír, and Sergej Chodarev. 2024. "Teach Programming Using Task-Driven Case Studies: Pedagogical Approach, Guidelines, and Implementation" Computers 13, no. 9: 221. https://doi.org/10.3390/computers13090221

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