Prepare and Present a Technical Poster for Computer Science’s Corporate Affiliates Day

1. Prepare and Present a Technical Poster for Computer Science’s Corporate Affiliates Day The Cain Project in Engineering and Professional Communication

2. Posters Present a Challenge • Posters must be lean and clean • Posters must stand alone • Audiences come and go

3. Today’s Plan • Review and apply design principles • Promote your “News”

4. What’s “The News”?

5. What’s YOUR News? • What problem are you solving? • What are your results/conclusions? • What sets your work apart? • New theoretical approach / methods / interpretation of data • Why does your work matter? • How can your work be applied?

6. Connect with the Audience Why are they interested? What are their backgrounds? How will they benefit? What are their questions?

7. Make “The News” Accessible • Include problem statement/objectives or an abstract • Use informative headings • Reduce jargon

8. Visualize “The News”

9. Visualize “The News” • Is it problem / solution? • Is it an image? • Is it a contrast? (old vs. new) • Is it a demonstration?

10. Relate News to Layout • Match visualization to layout • Left-to-right flow in vertical columns • Left-to-right flow in horizontal rows • Centered image with explanations • Two fields in contrast

11. L-to-R Flow in Vertical Columns Flows top to bottom, left to right Title & Authors

12. Title & Authors Methods Problem Table 1 Fig 2 Goals Results Conclusions

14. L-to-R Flow in Rows Title & Authors Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

17. Centered Image & Explanations Title & Authors Abstract

19. Two Fields in Contrast Title & Authors

21. Guide the Reader • Scale expresses relative importance • Indenting shows subordination • As in this example • White space directs gaze • Color adds emphasis or coherence

22. Font Style and Size • Title (6 – 8 words) • Sans Serif • 90 - 120 pt • Headings (3 words) • Sans Serif • 36 - 48 pt • Text • Sans serif • 30 - 36 pt.

23. Disk Traffic Trace-driven analysis of file activity on time-shared UNIX BSD systems Results: even small file caches reduce disk traffic, but bigger is better => should hold in a network environment 32 words Disk Traffic BSD study [5] Small caches reduce disk traffic Large caches reduce disk traffic by 90% 16 words Fat Text Lean Text

24. Produce Effective Visuals • Size • Labels • Units • Colors

25. Label Important Features of Graphs and Images Shehu, Amarda. MS thesis: “Sampling Biomolecular Conformations with Spatial and Energetic Constraints,” Rice University, 2006. Sandler, Daniel. MS thesis: “Feedtree: Scalable and prompt delivery for Web feeds,” Rice University, 2007.

26. Performance Eliminate chartjunk

27. Microbenchmark Performance

28. Details Matter • Check for consistent formatting • Check grammar & spelling • Use a correct bibliography • Give credit to others • Identify funding agents • Include contact info

29. Who authored this poster?

30. Present “The News”

31. SHOW What You Know! • Prepare 1, 2, and 5 minute talks • Begin by summarizing “News” • Reinforce key findings • Catch up newcomers quickly • Ask audience questions

32. Communicate with Confidence • Talk to audience • Stand up straight • Integrate gestures • Use voice to convey enthusiasm • Adjust pacing