The poster puzzle – The challenges in the process of creating scientific posters

Abstract

Scientific posters are a crucial part of scientific communication, facilitating the sharing of research findings and fostering networking within the scientific community. However, the lack of visual effectiveness in scientific poster designs has been a persistent issue, hindering effective knowledge exchange. Despite the recognition of this issue, there has been limited exploration of the poster creation process itself to identify process-related factors that may contribute to visual ineffectiveness of scientific posters. This thesis aims to address this gap by investigating the poster creation process to answer the research question: What challenges do biomedical PhD students encounter in the process of creating scientific posters?

The study's theoretical foundation is built on a literature review covering scientific communication, scientific posters, and visual communication design. The research employs a qualitative approach consisting of seven interviews with biomedical PhD students and thematic analysis of the data to identify challenges in the poster creation process.

The findings reveal that poster creation is a complex process, similar to assembling a puzzle with missing pieces. Three main challenge areas were identified: (1) Educational and Support Challenges, including limited education on poster creation, restricted access to resources, and insufficient supervisory support, (2) Process Management Challenges, containing difficulties managing the iterative nature of poster creation and data management issues in early-stage research, and (3) Design Challenges, involving struggles to create visually effective posters and navigate design tools.

To address these challenges, the thesis proposes three main improvements: (1) Providing Strategically Timed Formal Education, (2) Integrating Design Thinking Principles and Strategic Timing, and (3) Centralizing Accessible Resources and Tools. Implementing these proposals could enhance the poster creation process, potentially improving the quality of scientific posters and, consequently, the effectiveness of scientific communication in the biomedical field.

The findings offer valuable insights into the experiences of creating scientific posters, with broader implications for other forms of scientific communication. Given the growing importance of visuality in explaining complex scientific content, improving academics' ability to create visually effective materials can ultimately enhance how science is communicated both within the scientific community and to the general public.