Drawing on the research of Richard Mayer, we discuss design theory to make your visual aids impactful.

2. Indicates Safety
Indicates
Danger
Further
Testing
Needed

3. Crafting Compelling Visuals
Matt Vassar
April 6, 2022
COM 88: High-Impact Tech Talk
Stanford Continuing Studies Program

4. Three things to think of…
Your
Audience
Design
Theory
Design
Visually

5. Three things to think of…
Your
Audience
Design
Theory
Design
Visually

7. Choosing the Right Tool for the Task
Pencil Computers
Complexity of Tool
Quick Sketches Complex Graphics
Animation
Reproducible
Casual Drawing
Unique Applications

9. Three things to think of…
Your
Audience
Design
Theory
Design
Visually

10. Multimedia Learning (Mayer)
How Much People Learn

11. Modality Principle
How Much People Learn
Imagecredit:NorskFolkehjelpNorwegianPeople'sAid[link]

12. Redundancy Principle
How Much People Learn
Why you should avoid text:
• Cognitive overload
• Text distracts from images
• Audiences learn less

15. Coherence Principle
How Much People Learn
Image credit: Geetesh Bajaj [link]

18. Segmentation Principle
How Much People Learn

19. Indicates Safety
Indicates
Danger
Further
Testing
Needed

22. Your
Audience
Design
Theory
Design
Visually
Three things to think of…

24. So often, uncomfortable speakers end up making matters
so much worse for themselves. They start off with a lack of
confidence, which manifests itself in their physical delivery.
Because they are unconfident, they may speak softly or
avoid eye contact. They may use a lot of filler words, or
begin stuttering over various words and phrases. Of
course, this poor delivery results in the audiences getting
bored, and then the speaker picks up on that. As speakers
feel that their audiences don’t care about what they have to
say, it only results in sapping their confidence further, which
starts the process all over again.
In order to avoid this, a speaker should always be confident
in him or herself. This will help with delivery and create
positive feedback from the audience.

25. Bullet Points Are Not Simple Enough
Not the best way . . . .
A problem with speaking
– Lack of confidence breeds poor delivery.
– Poor delivery bores audiences.
– Bored audiences sap a speaker’s confidence.

26. A Simpler Representation
A Problem with Public Speaking:
Lack of Confidence
Bored Audiences
Poor Delivery

27. Remove Unnecessary Lines
# of Worms Caught by Hour of Day
4 AM 5 AM 6 AM 7 AM 8 AM 9 AM 10 AM
Robin 10 9 9 5 3 2 0
Sparrow 7 7 6 4 3 1 1
Pigeon 6 5 5 3 2 0 0
Eagle 3 3 3 2 1 0 0
Ostrich 0 0 2 1 0 0 0
Average 5.2 4.8 5 3 1.8 0.6 0.2

28. Add Colors
# of Worms Caught by Hour of Day
4 AM 5 AM 6 AM 7 AM 8 AM 9 AM 10 AM
Robin 10 9 9 5 3 2 0
Sparrow 7 7 6 4 3 1 1
Pigeon 6 5 5 3 2 0 0
Eagle 3 3 3 2 1 0 0
Ostrich 0 0 2 1 0 0 0
Average 5.2 4.8 5 3 1.8 0.6 0.2

29. 4 AM 5 AM 6 AM 7 AM 8 AM 9 AM 10 AM
Robin 10 9 9 5 3 2 0
Sparrow 7 7 6 4 3 1 1
Pigeon 6 5 5 3 2 0 0
Eagle 3 3 3 2 1 0 0
Ostrich 0 0 2 1 0 0 0
Average 5.2 4.8 5 3 1.8 0.6 0.2
Highlight Key Information
# of Worms Caught by Hour of Day
Sparrows can catch worms late in the day

30. We Must Partner
with Sparrows!

31. Avoid Complex Pie Charts
13%
17%
13%
57%
Ads
Equip.
Salaries
Fun
Our Team’s Expenses

32. Remove 3D, Gaps, and Legend
13%
17%
57%
13%
Our Team’s Expenses
Salaries
Fun Ads
Equip.

33. Simplify Data and Regions
13%
87%
Fun
Other
Our Team’s Expenses

34. Three things to think of…
Your
Audience
Design
Theory
Design
Visually

36. Indicates Safety
Indicates
Danger
Further
Testing
Needed