Resonate

In one of my other classes, I had to write a book review on Nancy Duarte's Resonate, a how-to guide for creating effective PowerPoint presentations. Many of the concepts covered seemed to mesh well with what we have been learning in class. What we've gone over has mainly dealt with the specifics of document design. Duarte's breakdown of presentation effectiveness--however--acts as a great guide for piecing all the parts together. 

Essentially, Duarte suggests that the basic story arch included in your everyday, run-of-the-mill novel.  

When we design documents to use in presentations or other such teaching situations, we should focus on making the audience our hero. This means that we should avoid abstract images, instead using only graphics that appeal to--and are meaningful to--our chosen audience. Additionally, we should seek to equip our audience--the heroes--with the knowledge and guidance they need as they embark on their quest. 

When determining whether or not the graphics designed suit their pedagogical or presentation purpose, we must focus on creating a S.T.A.R. moment. S.T.A.R. stands for something they'll always remember. Essentially, this refers to ensuring that your audience is left with a memorable moment.

 

The first element of S.T.A.R. is memorable dramatization. This can often include the use of props or other such realia that draws in the audience's attention.

The second element of S.T.A.R. is repeatable sound bites. When we think back on famous moments in history, we often associate these events with specific quotes. Just as famous speech-givers have done in the past, you too, as the presenter, can craft a catchy, pithy saying that will stick with your audience when they think back on the concepts covered in your presentation.

The third element of S.T.A.R. involves the use of compelling images. As mentioned before, abstract images are not exactly useful as they typically are not universally understood by the entire audience. Instead, more universally-known images must be used, such as that of the Liberty Bell to symbolize freedom or perhaps an image of Felix Baumgartner's skydiving attempt as a means of symbolizing success.

The fourth element of S.T.A.R. includes the use of emotive storytelling. This refers to storytelling that follows the story arch mentioned earlier.

The fifth--and final--element of S.T.A.R. involves the use of shocking statistics. Here, Duarte suggests that all statistics provided be accompanied with an easy-to-read visual, such as a pie chart or bar graph.

ACE: Analyze, Create, Evaluate

The ACE model is often used when creating images for educational purposes. In order to begin, we must first deconstruct. We can use ACE as a guide when evaluating graphics, thereby determining the effectiveness of the item.

Following the steps outlined by Lohr (2008), we can begin by analyzing our initial attempt at a visual, attempting to determine what purpose exactly this image will serve within the greater scheme of your lesson. From there,  we delve into the actual creation--the brainstorming--of the entire image. Experiment with different shapes, colors, etc. to see what works best with the overall theme and purpose of the graphic. Finally, we should attempt to evaluate the end result. It is helpful to get a second--or third--pair of eyes to look over your project and give you an objective perspective on what works and what doesn't.

ACE in practice: I have found that one of the best ways to evaluate a graphic is to test out its effectiveness in class. This does mean that the first class will have to act as guinea pigs, but it is incredibly useful to see how well your created image actually works in a classroom setting. 

One example--not my own but a classmate's--came up recently in a practicum course I'm taking. My classmate had prepared a hand-drawn mind-mapping graphic organizer that looked something like this:

This was part of an activity that required us to break up into five groups--each given a particular color as group name, e.g. Team Orange, etc.--and brainstorm about what we believed to be the cause/result of motivation. We were then to write these factors on the the appropriate side of "motivation," using the color markers that had been placed near the board.

After our classmate micro-taught, we provided feedback. The main points touched on included her 1) drawing three boxes on each side yet breaking us up into five groups and 2) not specifying that each group should only use group-color markers. Many students had become confused during the activity as they weren't sure if our classmate was attempting to indicate that there were only three underlying causes/effects of motivation when, in fact, this number had simply been chosen arbitrarily. 

Instead, as the activity had focused on what each group thought and did not attempt to group together all of our ideas, we suggested that it would probably be better if the graphic had included the same number of boxes as there were groups. Additionally, to further highlight the differences between the result of each group's brainstorming session, the micro-teacher could have instructed as to use the color appropriate for our group, e.g. Team Orange would use the orange marker, etc.

Controlling Eye Path

When creating any kind of document, the designer needs to take into consideration the path that the viewer’s eye will take as they process and attempt to interpret the document’s contents. The order in which viewers perceive various components of a web page often affects how they feel about the hierarchical order of the information being presented.

There are several elements within document design that can significantly affect eye path. These include the use of 1) form, 2) color, 3) contrast, 4) balance, 5) texture, and 6) location to emphasize particular parts of the page.

For instance, if there is a compilation of images arranged horizontally with the inclusion of one vertically-arranged image, this latter image is what will be most prominent within the document. Other examples are a splash of light amongst otherwise dark elements, or a triangular shape in a field of circular shapes.

Where the object is placed can also affect what exactly the eye focuses on. For instance, if the object is placed in the center of a background, then the eye is instinctively drawn to this center as a focal point.