Delve under the hood of Powerpoint
No, these aren’t ancient runes. They’re PowerPoint slides reduced to their bare bones. In fact, this representation describes how information is presented on each slide. Every arrow represents a single slide, and every dot its content: either the centre of an image or the start of a written element. The arrow points in the expected direction of viewing: title, image, legend, text. For this study, it was five PowerPoint presentations on the topic of archaeology that were analysed by Fabienne Kilchör, a graphic designer and information design researcher at the Bern University of the Arts. Kilchör’s work shines light on the different forms of communication, running from the simplest to the most complex, represented by the zigzagging arrows. Only five percent have a single element – running counter to the well-known tip for preparing slides. Indeed, three quarters of them have up to four elements. “It seems that when it comes to science, images still don’t hold enough weight to stand alone”, says Kilchör. Having specialised in this kind of graphical data analysis, Kilchör’s recently submitted thesis to the University of Bern was entitled ‘Archaeology visualised’. She has this to say about it: “I’ve also looked into the way in which scientists annotate images and express uncertainty regarding interpretations. The graphic reading of data contained in a presentation or a text opens up new perspectives and reveals hidden motives”. Her other work has led her to count the frequency of dialogue in the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the oldest poems of ancient Mesopotamia, and the punctuation in Barack Obama’s 2008 acceptance speech (and the reactions of the public!). CC BY-NC-ND
Photo: Fabienne Kilchör/Emphase
No, these aren’t ancient runes. They’re PowerPoint slides reduced to their bare bones. In fact, this representation describes how information is presented on each slide. Every arrow represents a single slide, and every dot its content: either the centre of an image or the start of a written element. The arrow points in the expected direction of viewing: title, image, legend, text. For this study, it was five PowerPoint presentations on the topic of archaeology that were analysed by Fabienne Kilchör, a graphic designer and information design researcher at the Bern University of the Arts.
Kilchör’s work shines light on the different forms of communication, running from the simplest to the most complex, represented by the zigzagging arrows. Only five percent have a single element – running counter to the well-known tip for preparing slides. Indeed, three quarters of them have up to four elements. “It seems that when it comes to science, images still don’t hold enough weight to stand alone”, says Kilchör.
Having specialised in this kind of graphical data analysis, Kilchör’s recently submitted thesis to the University of Bern was entitled ‘Archaeology visualised’. She has this to say about it: “I’ve also looked into the way in which scientists annotate images and express uncertainty regarding interpretations. The graphic reading of data contained in a presentation or a text opens up new perspectives and reveals hidden motives”. Her other work has led her to count the frequency of dialogue in the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the oldest poems of ancient Mesopotamia, and the punctuation in Barack Obama’s 2008 acceptance speech (and the reactions of the public!).
