Designing and Presenting a Student Poster

Common questions, and answers, about designing and presenting Student Posters:

1. How do I make sure that my poster presentation is appealing to conference attendees?

   Make your poster appealing and interesting but above all, make sure it is easy to read - from a distance. Fonts for text should be at least 24 point. Use mixed case (sentence capitalization) and an easy to read font (times, palatino or other serif font). A good size for titles is 72 point font. Ornamental, serif fonts in call capitals is fine for titles. Color can be used either as a background or foreground for your poster. Accents in various colors are also appealing. Graphics can also be used to convey information quickly and easily. Consider using illustrations, drawings, graphics or photographs where appropriate.

2. How much space will I have to display my poster?

   Student posters will each have a display of approximately 2.5m wide by 1.2m high (8' wide by 4' high) with a narrow table for other materials. The table is 1.8m wide by 0.38m deep (6' wide by 1.25' deep).

3. Will I have to be present at my poster?

   Posters will be on display throughout the conference. One time slot will be scheduled (to be determined) to feature the student posters and author(s) will be expected to be at their posters for informal discussions.

4. What facilities will there be at the conference?

   Practical information for setting up posters at the conference will be provided here when the details have been finalized.

5. Can I use a computer or a vcr for my presentation?

   Audio-visual and computing equipment will not be supplied. Power outlets will not be available.

6. What did posters from previous years look like?

   Two students who presented posters at CHI 98 graciously donated images of their posters to help give new students an idea of what a poster may look like. Click on the links below to see images of the posters.

   Henrik Gater, Viktoria Research Institute - PACCESS: Enabling Easy Access to Radiology Images at a Hospital
   Jacek Gwizdka, University of Toronto - Electronic Engineering Notebook: A Study in Structuring Design Meeting Notes

7. Can I put my supervisor's name on my poster?

   Posters MUST be authored only by students. The same is true for the two-page abstract for the student poster. If you would like to acknowledge your supervisor(s) for any help or support given, this should be done in an acknowledgements section on the poster and in the two-page abstract.