1 Technical Presentations Using Tables and Drawings Jeffrey Donnell MRDC

2 Agenda How to organize the talk The deliverables we need to see How to use and display graphics: –Specification lists –Function trees –Morph Charts –Concept drawings –Evaluation Tables Warnings about slide design

3 For Mini-project presentations Display Illustrations of your design(s) Planning or analysis tools (as called for) (Limit text to labels and table entries) Speak Identify and describe drawings Identify and describe planning tools

4 Before and After the Talk Face the audience Remove your cap Introduce yourself and your team End the talk with this statement: “Thank you. I’ll be happy to answer questions.”

5 Guidelines for Presenting Images Describe and explain the diagrams and charts that you display on the screen Use a pointer to highlight the things you talk about Use specific, descriptive words to name your concepts, their subsystems and their components Avoid Photographs

6 Questions to Address During the Talk For Systems or Subsystems –What makes [this] good or bad? –What should we remember about this design? For Evaluation Tables –Which two criteria have the biggest impact on the rankings? For Planning Tools, –How were values determined? –How will the information in [this tool] be used later?

7 Displaying Figures and Tables on slides Choose light backgrounds Show descriptive slide title OR figure number You must describe your figures and tables to the audience: –What is it? –Why is it presented? –What should the audience notice about it? Some planning tools require reformatting for screen display

8 Specifications Slide Title (compress to make room for image) Spec sheet is cropped to allow for larger fonts Focus on Your Input !

9 Function Tree Slide Title Text boxes use one noun and one verb per box Rows align to demonstrate consistency

10 Morph Chart small diagrams Row heads from Function Tree Two or three words per cell

11 Conveyor Concept Claw arm Conveyor Belt Wheels Grabbing Arm This Drawing: Fills the slide Has labels Shows complete system Descriptive Title is shown on the slide

12 Second Level Evaluation Matrix Concepts identified by name, by drawing or both Fonts around 20 pt. Large font makes criteria easy to see

13 Focus, color and information Important information must visually dominate any figure or table When possible, important information should be clustered and centered Color is best used to highlight important information Pastel colors give you the greatest flexibility

14 Clustered information permits focus

15 Motion, Sound and information Motion should highlight important information Animated concept drawings are very helpful Sound is best avoided Unless the sound IS the information

16 Don’t make anything move unless it needs to move! Any motion is more interesting than you are

17 Claw arm Conveyor Belt Wheels Arm to steal Opponent Rats/insects

18 Strong colors obscure information. Motion can make us look away from the drawing

19 Mousetraps Sliders for mobility Gravity- deployed ramp Pneumatics for whacking arms Photographs are not good enough

20 Light is hard to control

21 Return motor/spindle subsystem Control boxRat-whacking arm/mousetrap subsystem Primary release solenoid Drawer slider arms Cross support/diversion arm mounting bracket Diversion arm Weight for arms Bug chute Diversion arm launch mousetrap You control the light in drawings