Presenting information on computers
Presenting information on computers
There are many different types of software and you have to decide which software is the best for you and your project. It's important to think about your audience who will see your final project.
Information needs to be presented clearly and in the most appropriate way possible. The layout, design and format must suit the purpose and audience. The following are all possible formats:
- essay
- leaflet
- poster
- website
- presentation (slideshow)
In each of the above you could include one or all of these:
- text
- image and photo
- graph or chart
- audio
- video
- animation
The final three cannot be used in print but the use of digital leaflets, newsletters and posters is common practice.
Before you start work on your information, ask yourself the following questions:
- What is its purpose?
- Who is going to read or look at it, ie who is the audience?
These questions will help you to decide the best way to present the information.
Applications
The applications you choose to use will depend on three things:
- how you’ve decided to present the information
- the software that you have access to
- your experience using different pieces of software
The table below gives suggestions of what software to use, depending on your approach.
Choosing the right software application
| Chosen approach | Suitable application | Example applications |
|---|---|---|
| Write an essay | Word processing | Microsoft Word; Open Office Writer; iWorks Pages |
| Design a leaflet or a poster | Desktop publishing | Scribus; iStudio Publisher; Microsoft Publisher |
| Make a presentation or slideshow | Presentation | iWorks Keynote; Microsoft PowerPoint; Open Office Impress |
| Create a graph or chart | Spreadsheet | Microsoft Excel; Open Office Calc; iWorks Numbers |
| Build a website | Web design | Google Sites; Adobe Dreamweaver; Serif WebPlus |
| Shoot and edit a video or a short film | Video editing | Final Cut; Adobe Premiere; Windows Movie Maker |
| Create an animation | Animation | Adobe Flash; Microsoft Silverlight; Pencil |
| Show edited pictures or photos | Draw/Paint | Windows Paint; Adobe Photoshop; Gimp |
Designing your work
It is helpful to create a design before starting work on the final product. One approach is to make a sketch that details layout, location of content and formatting. The same applies to written or digital content, eg for a video you could sketch a storyboard.
This prevents any obvious mistakes or oversights from making it into the final design. It’s good practice to show your design to others and ask for their feedback. This is called peer evaluation.
Before you start your design, ask yourself the following questions:
- Who is your audience?
- What steps will you take to ensure your work appeals to the audience?
- How much text will you include?
- What media will you include, eg audio, video, images and photos, animation, charts and graphs?
- Where will you get it from?
- How will your layout make good use of white space to avoid your work looking cluttered, eg how will you break the text up?