3 Minute Thesis Single Slide Design

♪background music throughout♪ Hello and thanks for watching! In this video we’ll be talking about how to design a single slide for the 3-Minute Thesis Competition (3MT). While it may seem like a bit of an afterthought, the single slide is actually one consideration in the judging stage under engagement and communication.

The judging criteria states: “Did the PowerPoint slide enhance the presentation -- was it clear, legible, and concise? ” The rule is that you can only have one single static slide, with no animations, videos, or moving parts. So how you figure out what to put on that single slide?

Try asking yourself one or both of these questions: What do you NEED behind you when you present? OR, What do you WANT behind you when you present? If you’re not sure, or don’t have an answer for either of these questions, go back to the basics: Why did you do your thesis project?

How did you do your thesis project? Why is it important to the world? An answer to any one of these questions could be the content of your slide.

Let me put it a different way: What is the problem that your thesis is addressing? What methods did you use to go about solving the problem? What were your findings or results?

And how can others use those findings or results? I’m hoping by now you’re already starting to come up with some ideas for what you want to include on your slide. So now, let’s talk about how to actually visualize your ideas onto the slide.

Here are some simple guidelines to keep in mind when designing: First, let me start by saying that “Less is more. ” Avoid trying to put everything on this slide. Remember, we need it to be clear, legible, and concise, NOT a visual overload.

Keep the content to a single idea; chart or graph; or example, or maybe 2 if you need it. or maybe two if you really need it. You can’t include everything on your slide, so you need to think about what is most important.

Are your methods more important or your results? Sometimes you can’t include both, so that leads me to the second guideline… “Don’t forget the goal…” or maybe a better way to say this is: “Focus on the important part. ” Yes, you may have a fascinating tidbit about your research, experiments, or results, but if it doesn’t tie to the goal of your thesis, it probably shouldn’t be on your slide.

Third, “Keep it visual. ” A slide that is full of text is very distracting for an audience. It takes the attention of the audience away from what you are saying, so try to avoid it.

That doesn’t mean you can’t have any text, but you should avoid putting too many words on the screen. Also, I know some of you are wondering if you need to include your name, your thesis title, and/or your contact information on your slide. And the simple answer is that you don’t need to include any of that unless you really want to.

An introductory slide will be made by the organizers for the beginning of your video that includes that information. Fourth, “Don’t go over the top. ” It is going to be tempting to try to make the most visually stunning slide that you can, but make sure to be smart about it.

Use standard design principles. Keep the slide background simple. White or black is totally fine.

It doesn’t have to be bright orange or badger red to make it visually stunning. It also doesn’t need random accents. It is ok to have negative or blank space on the slide.

Side note… Also, I would avoid using a template. There are only about 20 templates that come with PowerPoint and most folks can recognize them easily. It doesn’t help your presentation be memorable if you start with a template… and also the alignment can be really thrown off.

Finally, “Use visual hierarchy. ” English speakers tend to read from left to right and top to bottom. So, if you want someone to follow along, use that to your advantage.

Put the start at the left or to the top and then work your way to the right and/or down. If you have a cycle process, make sure it is clockwise. Additionally, use larger sizes or accents for more important images and text, and keep those sizes consistent to help guide the audience.

We hope that you use these guidelines to help you design your 3-Minute Thesis slide! We recommend checking out the DesignLab website for more design tips and tricks. DesignLab is here to help you work effectively in digital media.

We offer free one-on-one or small group appointments to provide personalized recommendations and feedback on your projects. We can help you at any point in the creation process. We can help you brainstorm ideas and think through the organization, we can recommend tools, resources, and equipment, and we can be a second set of eyes throughout the creation and editing process.

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