Article Summary
This article is an analysis of the usefulness of PowerPoint presentations to today’s research. The author of the article is a senior research fellow at Southampton University. The article begins by noting the current close connection between research presentations and PowerPoint. The article also reflects on how things used to be done before the advent of PowerPoint. Before Microsoft introduced PowerPoint, the process of making presentations was tedious and time-consuming. Therefore, the article notes that no one is nostalgic about the past way of making presentations. According to the article, PowerPoint has been the presentation tool of choice since its introduction two decades ago (Macer, 2010). This is according to recent statistics that indicate that PowerPoint is used in more than fifty percent of all presentations done by research companies today.
It is noted that this number is even higher in larger companies. The article continues by noting some drawbacks that are associated with the use of PowerPoint. The first of these is that PowerPoint tends to prioritize some information. Another example is that this tool is likely to dilute the meaning of certain data. The author of this article also notes that PowerPoint is no longer just a presentation tool. It is also a means of storing data. The problem with market researchers using Powerpoint as a tool of data publishing is also noted. The article then lists viable alternatives to PowerPoint. These alternatives include a list of six software programs and their uses in research presentations. Examples of these tools include Info Tools, Dapresy Pro, Q, and Gapminder. The article concludes by stating that the assumption that PowerPoint is the only research tool out there has to be challenged. This is because there are various other tools that can perform the tasks of PowerPoint even better.
Reflective Summary
The author of this article addresses a very important subject matter. This is because, as noted in the article, the world of market research is synonymous with PowerPoint (Macer, 2010). Currently, it is widely believed that a research presentation is never complete without a PowerPoint presentation. However, the author seems to discredit the effectiveness of PowerPoint on account of its popularity. The argument forwarded on why researchers should consider switching to another tool is somehow unsatisfactory. This is in spite of the fact that this is a well-informed and researched argument.
The reason why this article failed to convince me of the ineptitudes of PowerPoint is that the author failed to address the reasons why PowerPoint is so popular. The article only seems to try to convince researchers to explore other options. One of the reasons why PowerPoint is so popular is because it is simple to use. This article touts the migration from simple tools to complex ones. Not many researchers would be convinced to do so. Most of them agree that “if it is not broken, do not fix it.”
This article can be of help to my future research. This is because the author discusses software programs that seem very helpful. The article specifically mentions Dapresy Pro, a software program that makes it possible to make multi-user presentations (Macer, 2010). This is usually a challenge when using PowerPoint. The possibility of such a presentation is enough motivation to make me try this tool.
Although this article did not convince me to migrate from PowerPoint, I would recommend it to fellow researchers. The author inputs some very important information on software programs that can be an alternative to PowerPoint. Most of these are hitherto unknown to researchers today.
Reference
Macer, T. (2010). It doesn’t have to be PowerPoint. International Journal of Market Research, 53(1), 123-125.