How to create a better research poster in less time (#betterposter Generation 2).
TLDRThis video script advocates for a revolution in scientific poster design to enhance knowledge dissemination. It criticizes the traditional 'wall of text' approach and introduces 'Better Poster' layouts that prioritize clarity and efficiency. The speaker shares principles of user experience design, information foraging theory, and practical tips to create posters that are more engaging and informative, ultimately aiming to accelerate scientific progress through improved communication.
Takeaways
- 🔬 **Scientific Poster Revolution**: Traditional scientific poster designs are outdated and inefficient in conveying information, leading to a need for a revolution in their design.
- 📈 **Wall of Text Problem**: The conventional approach of cramming all paper details into a poster, known as the 'wall of text', is ineffective and hinders the dissemination of knowledge.
- 🌐 **Internet Age Relevance**: The design of scientific posters has remained stagnant for decades, despite advancements in the internet and our understanding of how people consume information.
- 🎨 **Better Poster Version One**: A new design approach, termed 'Better Poster Version One', aims to make posters more engaging and informative, similar to billboards, with a focus on key findings and easy-to-scan information.
- 🔗 **QR Code Integration**: Incorporating QR codes in posters allows attendees to quickly access full papers, enhancing the efficiency of information retrieval.
- 🎓 **User Experience Design**: The principles of user experience (UX) design should be applied to scientific posters to improve their effectiveness, focusing on reducing cognitive load and making them more user-friendly.
- 🌱 **Information Foraging Theory**: People approach information like they would forage for food, seeking out the most valuable insights with the least effort, which should inform the design of posters.
- 🏆 **Cognitive Load Reduction**: Reducing the cognitive load on attendees by simplifying poster content can make them more accessible and easier to understand quickly.
- 🌟 **Strong Information Scent**: A poster's effectiveness can be enhanced by providing a strong 'information scent', i.e., clear and concise information that aligns with the viewer's goals.
- 🎉 **Surprise and Delight**: Adding unexpected, fun elements to posters can make them more memorable and engaging, encouraging deeper interaction and learning.
Q & A
What is the main issue with traditional scientific posters according to the script?
-The main issue with traditional scientific posters is that they follow a stagnant design approach, often referred to as the 'wall of text,' which crams too much information and lacks effective communication, making it difficult for scientists to quickly grasp the key findings.
What is the 'Better Poster' initiative mentioned in the script?
-The 'Better Poster' initiative is an effort to redesign scientific posters to make them more efficient and engaging. It includes a layout that emphasizes the main findings, uses sidebars for quick information, incorporates QR codes for accessing full papers, and encourages the use of key figures and graphs to enhance understanding.
How many times has the free 'Better Poster' template been downloaded according to the script?
-The free 'Better Poster' template has been downloaded over 250,000 times.
What is the goal of the 'Better Poster' design in terms of scientific communication?
-The goal of the 'Better Poster' design is to speed up knowledge dissemination and learning across all of science by creating a layout that transmits knowledge more efficiently and is less likely to be ignored by viewers.
What is the 'UX Design' principle discussed in the script and how does it relate to poster design?
-User Experience (UX) Design is the process of enhancing user satisfaction by improving the usability and pleasure provided in the interaction between the user and a product. In the context of poster design, it involves making posters that are easy to understand and engaging, thus reducing cognitive load and increasing the likelihood of the poster being noticed and understood.
What is 'Information Foraging Theory' and how does it apply to poster design?
-Information Foraging Theory suggests that people seek out information in a similar way to how they foraged for food in the past. In poster design, this means creating posters that are inviting and easy to digest, so that viewers are more likely to 'forage' for the knowledge presented.
What is the 'Interaction Cost' in the context of poster sessions?
-The 'Interaction Cost' refers to the effort required from a viewer to understand and engage with the information presented on a poster. High interaction cost can deter viewers from stopping and learning from the poster, especially in a crowded and time-pressured environment like a poster session.
What is the significance of the 'Cognitive Load' in poster design?
-Cognitive Load refers to the amount of mental effort required to process information. In poster design, reducing cognitive load is crucial as it helps ensure that the viewer can quickly and easily understand the main points of the research, without being overwhelmed by too much information.
What are the two 'Golden Rules' of scientific poster design as summarized in the script?
-The two Golden Rules of scientific poster design are: 1) Don't put things on your poster that people will ignore, and 2) People will ignore most things, implying that designers should focus on the most critical and engaging elements.
What is the role of 'Surprise and Delight' in the context of the poster design discussed in the script?
-The role of 'Surprise and Delight' is to make the poster unexpectedly rewarding and memorable. This can be achieved by adding elements of humor, creativity, or novelty that catch the viewer's attention and make the learning experience more enjoyable.
How can a poster effectively communicate its main finding within 5 seconds according to the script?
-A poster can effectively communicate its main finding within 5 seconds by using a clear, concise statement as a title, incorporating a quick-to-interpret image or illustration, and using casual, conversational language that resonates with the viewer's thought process.
Outlines
📜 Scientific Poster Design Revolution
The paragraph discusses the outdated design of scientific posters and the need for a revolution in how scientists communicate their findings. It critiques the traditional 'wall of text' approach, which crams too much information into a poster, making it ineffective for knowledge dissemination. The speaker introduces the 'Better Poster' concept, which is likened to a billboard, aiming to make posters more engaging and easier to understand at a glance. The paragraph also highlights the importance of applying user experience design principles to scientific posters to improve their effectiveness.
🧠 Understanding the Poster Audience's Mindset
This section delves into the mindset of the audience at a scientific poster session, personified as 'Dummy,' who represents the average attendee's tendency to be lazy and distracted. It explains how attendees are under time pressure and have limited attention spans, which affects their ability to process information. The concept of 'information foraging theory' is introduced, comparing the browsing of posters to foraging for food, where attendees seek out 'knowledge food' that is easily accessible and not too 'thorny' or complex. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of designing posters that respect these cognitive limitations and the high cognitive load that attendees experience.
🎯 Enhancing Poster Impact with UX Design
The paragraph focuses on applying user experience (UX) design principles to improve the effectiveness of scientific posters. It discusses the importance of creating posters with a strong 'information scent' to attract attention and reduce the 'interaction cost' of engaging with the poster. The speaker suggests using casual language and imagery to quickly convey the main findings and to trigger emotions that reinforce learning. The goal is to make posters that are not only informative but also unexpectedly rewarding, thereby surprising and delighting the audience.
📈 Designing for Maximum Learning and Engagement
This section explores how to design posters that encourage deeper engagement and learning. It suggests strategies such as using a 'hero figure' layout to highlight key findings with impactful visuals and concise explanations. The paragraph also discusses the idea of encouraging 'patch switching' by designing posters that are easily digestible in short periods, similar to how exhibits are presented in museums. The speaker emphasizes the importance of making posters memorable and emotionally engaging to enhance learning and retention.
🌟 The Future of Scientific Poster Design
The final paragraph wraps up the discussion by summarizing the key principles of effective scientific poster design. It calls for a shift away from the traditional 'wall of text' approach and towards a new paradigm that prioritizes clarity, engagement, and learning. The speaker invites the audience to experiment with these principles and to share their creations, fostering a community of scientists committed to improving the way they communicate their research.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Scientific Poster
💡Wall of Text
💡UX Design
💡Information Foraging Theory
💡Cognitive Load
💡Information Scent
💡Interaction Cost
💡Better Poster
💡Desire Paths
💡Surprise and Delight
💡QR Code
Highlights
Scientists communicate thousands of findings through posters, but the design has remained largely unchanged for decades.
The traditional 'wall of text' poster design is ineffective for knowledge dissemination and learning.
A new poster design, resembling a billboard, aims to improve information transmission efficiency.
The 'Better Poster' layout encourages learning through a main finding, sidebar, and QR code for paper access.
The 'Better Poster' template has been downloaded over 250,000 times and received positive feedback from the scientific community.
User Experience (UX) design principles can be applied to scientific posters to enhance communication.
UX design focuses on reducing user frustration and improving efficiency in reaching goals.
Information Foraging Theory suggests that people approach information like foraging for food, avoiding 'thorny' or difficult sources.
Cognitive load should be minimized in poster design to help attendees process information more effectively.
Reducing the amount of information on a poster can decrease cognitive load and improve understanding.
A strong information scent, such as a direct statement of findings, can attract attention and communicate more effectively.
Using casual, conversational language can speed up interpretation and reduce cognitive load.
Incorporating imagery and emotion in poster design can enhance learning and retention.
Surprise and delight elements can make posters unexpectedly rewarding and memorable.
The 'Hero Figure' layout focuses on key figures with punch lines for quick understanding.
Encouraging 'patch switching' in poster design can mimic the museum experience, promoting learning from multiple sources.
Data visualizations can convey complex information quickly and effectively, suitable for the '30-second poster' concept.
The presenter can act as a live aid to the poster, providing additional information and answering questions.
Credits and author information can be placed at the bottom of the poster without detracting from the main content.
Two golden rules for scientific poster design: don't include ignored information, and expect most information to be ignored.
Transcripts
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