Since there has been considerable interest in my previous post (Original Post here) on presenting qualitative data on research posters, I have decided to highlight another fantastic technique that I’ve seen recently. A fellow PhD student and researcher at the University of Windsor, Ashlyne O’Neil, used a word cloud to display the results of her thematic analysis (upper right corner). The cloud is familiar to many people and intuitive for those who are not, with the more frequent themes represented in larger font. It also gives people a “snap shot” of the major themes and poster topic without any in-depth reading.
And although not related to qualitative data in particular, this poster design draws your eye to the key messages in the poster and is immediately engaging through its use of graphics, comic elements, and diversion from the traditional three column format.
Michelle A. Krieger 