Creating PowerPoint Based on Research

My wish for PowerPoint in 2009 is we apply what we’ve learned from research.   Everyone has an opinion on what makes PowerPoint the best, but opinions vary widely.  Research confirms what actually works for most people.  There is not much, but there is some research that we can rely upon as we create PowerPoint.  My recently completed thesis research showed that audiences learn more when presented with multimedia PowerPoint that follows Dr. Mayer’s multimedia learning principles than when presented with bullet point PowerPoint.  Here is a quick summary of other research specific to PowerPoint slide design:
Alley (et. al.) found that students were better able to recall the main assertion of slides when presented with a full-sentence headline written as an assertion compared to a word or phrase headline.
    Alley, M., Schreiber, M., Ramsdell, K., & Muffo, J. (2006). How the Design of Headlines in        
    Presentation Slides Affects Audience Retention. Technical Communication, 53, 225-234.
Bartsch and Cobern discerned that PowerPoint with irrelevant pictures can be detrimental to learning.
    Bartsch, R.A. & Cobern, K.M. (2003). Effectiveness of PowerPoint presentations in lectures.
    Computers & Education, 41, 77-86.
Bradshaw found that test scores were lower when participants viewed slides that had interference (pink background, ornate font, transition sounds) compared to when they viewed interference-free slides (high-contrast color, easy-to-read text and graphics).
    Bradshaw, A. C. (2003). Effects of Presentation Interference in Learning with Visuals. Journal of
    Visual Literacy, 23, 41-68.
Mackiewicz found that audiences perceived 2D graphs more clearly than 3D graphs and that cool colors with high contrast were more attractive.
    Mackiewicz, J. (2007-1). Perceptions of Clarity and Attractiveness in PowerPoint Graph Slides.
    Technical Communication, 54, 145-156.
In a study comparing five serif and five sans-serif fonts in PowerPoint, Mackiewicz found two rose above the rest, Gill Sans and Souvenir Lt, in terms of professional, comfortable-to-read, and interesting variables.
    Mackiewicz, J. (2007-2). Audience Perceptions of Fonts in Projected PowerPoint Text Slides.     
    Technical Communication, 54, 295-306.
So what we learn from the research is:
1.    Follow multimedia learning principles (for summary of principles see http://www.jenniferkammeyer.com/research.htm )
2.    Use full-sentence declarative headlines
3.    Don’t add irrelevant pictures (or anything irrelevant for that matter)
4.    Keep the design interference-free with high-contrast, easy-to-read text & graphs
5.    Use 2D graphs with cool colors and high contrast
6.    Use Gill Sans or Souvenir Lt font
These recommendations are not opinions, but rather facts based on research done by academics following rigorous protocols.  So, my wish for 2009 is that we start listening to what the research says and developing PowerPoint presentations that will increase audience learning and satisfaction.

Comments

[internet marketing training]

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[9]

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[flash game rpg]

Excellent research summary! Thanks.
+1

[Steelers jerseys]

I agree with your main point that we should pay attention to research and consider it when developing presentations. And I appreciate that researchers (mostly) follow rigorous protocols.

[Jennifer Kammeyer]

I appreciate the interest in this topic. There are many valid points made, with which I completely agree:

1. Research has its limitations and shouldn't be used as the end-all for creating presentations.
2. A good speaker with a poor presentation is better that a bad speaker with a good presentation.
3. Any one method of presentation creation is not right for all situations.

Thanks for giving the conversation lively.

[Dave Gray]

Hi Jennifer,

I agree with your main point that we should pay attention to research and consider it when developing presentations. And I appreciate that researchers (mostly) follow rigorous protocols.

But I think there is a difference between applying these principles and following them slavishly. For example, limiting yourself to Gill Sans or Souvenir might make sense for an academic researcher with no design training. It's a safe bet, you could say. But as a general prescription for all presentations that just seems silly to me.

I took a look at the research paper you mention, and in this case the researchers tested ten fonts out of the thousands available. In addition, their research was survey-based, which means that the conclusions the researchers came to were based on opinion -- in this case the opinion of the test subjects.

I think it's also a good idea to take into account that a lot of this research is conducted at Universities, with students as the study participants, which is hardly a representative sample of presentation audiences in the wider world.

In this case the study was based on the survey responses of 37 participants.

So first we have to look at the bias introduced by the researchers' selection of the original ten fonts. Second we need to consider the additional bias introduced by the selection of the study participants. Third, we should consider the bias introduced by asking participants for their opinion of what is "comfortable to read, professional-looking, interesting and attractive."

For example, a recent Princeton study (http://web.princeton.edu/sites/opplab/papers/Diemand-Yauman_Oppenheimer_2010.pdf) concluded that student retention was significantly higher when information was more difficult to read. Does that mean that we should make our slides more difficult to read? Not necessarily.

I'm not saying we shouldn't pay attention to research and try to apply research-based principles in our presentations.

But the meaning and potential applications of research are often hotly debated by the researchers themselves, and it behooves us, I think, to consider the research carefully before we apply it, to read the research, and to try to understand the assumptions and methods behind the conclusions before we act on those conclusions.

[Kevin Kane]

Excellent research summary! Thanks.

[M Snow]

I'm currently a student in an online class learning how to teach online classes. Many of the other students are excited about bells and whistles, but this article and subsequent comments bring my thinking back down to the basics.

[justin tv]

i will take this into consideration. thanks.

[ssk sorgulama]

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