White SpaceOverall, there seems to be a good visual balance between text, graphs, and the use of white space. With this being said, I have two major concerns with the use of white space. First, I believe that the images and text presented on the poster are somewhat too large and overwhelming; I think that your poster could be improved if you were to add more content, and place less of a focus on “filling the space,” so to speak. Second, the use of the tables under the background section leads to unnecessary white space, and again, it feels like you may be trying to fill the poster with graphics and large font instead of content. I was thrown off by this table in the background section because I expect to see information in tables that needs to be organized in some way. I do not believe that the information that is presented needs to be organized in table format.
Font Style/Size
Again, I do feel that the font and size of the text is a bit overwhelming to me at a visual/design level. I would like to see what this poster would look like if you used a slightly smaller font. I tend to prefer Arial narrow font, but that depends on the viewer. Nonetheless, I recommend experimenting with different font sizes in order to find a font size that is more visually appealing to the viewer.
Font Color/Background
I like how you attempted to use the same color scheme throughout the poster, and I think that you may be able to use this technique to highlight some aspects of your study. Namely, if you are able to consistently use the red and grey format in the results table, and in Figure 3, you can make your other figures stand out more. The poster, at present, seems to have a few too many colors, and I think that the greens and blues of Figure 3 are a little too distracting. Moving forward, I would recommend keeping the gray background color and the dark red graph/header scheme, but I would like to see you attempt to keep your images either in gray scale, or use them in a way that incorporates the color scheme. You may wish to highlight one photo, but I would keep in mind that whichever photo or image does not match the color scheme of the rest of the poster may be the one that draws the most attention.
Illustrations
The illustration that you used in Figure 3 appears to provide a great overview of the process. Again, as mentioned earlier, the only improvement would be to make this graphic in a manner that incorporates the color scheme. Moreover, the fact that the two of the boxes are rotated makes this illustration slightly distracting. I imagine that it may be very difficult for readers to view your poster easily when the text is presented in this slanted format. I would recommend making a similar figure on your own (if this figure was taken from another source online), so that you have control over how the text is placed.
Graphs
I see some areas for improvement with the graphs. First, the spacing between the bars is rather large. Second, I would like to see these labeled as “Table 1” and “Table 2.” Third, the graphs are a bit confusing with labels on the “x” and “y” axes. I noticed, especially, that I was becoming confused when viewing the second graph, since the title of the graph addresses two separate questions (you wearing the device and having another patient wear the device), but presents the information as one set of data. Fourth, the text is a bit too small in comparison to the rest of the poster and in relation to the size of the bars that are used.
Layout/Flow
I like the way in which you presented the information from background, to methods, to the technology used, to the results, and finally the conclusions. The flow was logical and it made sense. The only change I would make would be to use bullet points for the background so that your results are the main focal point of the poster (potentially along with your figures if you decide to retain these).
Areas of Strength
I think the layout and flow of your poster are great. You used good sources (e.g. Boatin et al., 2015; Miller and Miller, 2012; and Nageotte, 2015), and you may wish to include Cohen and colleagues’ (2012) study. The organization seems appropriate for the study, and you seem to have a good grasp on the basic layout for a poster. You chose a good color scheme, and I appreciate that you worked to try to make your poster visually appealing.
Areas for Growth
I would review the poster again for consistency and details. First, you use bullet points in the background and methods section, but not anywhere else in the poster. Second, I believe that the poster could be improved if you changed the font to a slightly smaller size, removed the table from the background sections, and added some more information and/or used bullet points to make the most important information stand out to the viewer. Third, I would address the graphs and the color scheme of the poster to ensure uniformity throughout. Overall, I think you have a great start for a poster, and with some attention to the viewer experience, you can have a great finished product that will highlight the hard work that you have done in conducting this important study.
- Boatin, A. A., Wylie, B., Goldfarb, I., Azevedo, R., Pittel, E., Ng, C., & Haberer, J. (2015). Wireless fetal heart rate monitoring in inpatient full-term pregnant women: Testing functionality and acceptability. Plos One,10(1), e0117043. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0117043
- Cohen, W.R., Ommani, S., Hassan, S., Mirza, F.G., Soloman, M., Brown, R., …Hayes-Gill, B.R. (2012). Accuracy and reliability of fetal heart rate monitoring using abdominal surface electrodes. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 91(11), 1306-1313.
- Miller, D., & Miller, L. (2012). Electronic fetal heart rate monitoring: Applying principles of patient safety.American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology,206(4), 278-283. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2011.08.016
- Nageotte, M. P. (2015). Fetal heart rate monitoring.Seminars in Fetal & Neonatal Medicine,20(3), 144-148. doi:10.1016/j.siny.2015.02.002
