3.1.6 – Application software used for presentation and communication of data

Presentations: Navigation Methods

This presentation aims to

Help you understand how to compare and give advantages and disadvantages of different modes of navigation:› Manual transition› Automatic transition

And identify and give examples of when the use of each method is more suitable.

This presentation also aims to

Help you understand how to describe non-linear and hierarchical presentations giving the advantages and disadvantages of each.

It also aims to help you to identify and give examples of when each may be more suitable.

Introduction

Presentations usually consist of more than one slide!

Slides can be navigated both manually and automatically…

But they can also be shown in one particular order or in an order that the user wants at the time of delivery.

Manual transitions

Manual transitions involve some form of user interaction.

The user determines when slides change.

Also, if there are different elements to a slide, such as bullet points, the user can dictate when those lists appear.

This is useful especially in a learning capacity as the presenter is able to take questions before continuing to the next slide.

Automatic transitions

Timings can be set up to automatically display slide elements and to change to the next slide.

The timings need to be set up to give the user enough time to read and digest the content.

These kind of presentations are suitable during exhibitions, open evenings and other similar events.

It is not often suitable to have a presenter speaking just in case they fall behind…however, narration clips can be included to speak during the slide!

Activity

Complete the following table:

Describe two advantages of using manual transitions for a presentation. [4 marks]

A presentation is to be shown during a school open evening to promote a subject. Identify, justifying your choice, the most appropriate transition method.

[3 marks]

Advantage Disadvantage

Manual

Automatic

Linear

Basically…slides are shown in one order…each slide is displayed one after the other.

Slide 1 Slide 2 Slide 3

Non-Linear

Slides can be shown in any order.

Buttons can be used to jump around slides in any order…even going back to slides that have already been shown.

This provides a level of flexibility…especially when presentations are shown to different audiences with different needs.› Entire sections can be missed out!

Non-Linear

Slide 1

Slide 2 Slide 3

Slide 4 Slide 5

Hierarchical

Users can choose which slides to go to, but some slides can’t be accessed when certain choices are made.

Slide 1

Slide 2 Slide 3

Slide 4 Slide 5 Slide 6

Activity

Complete the following table:

Describe two advantages and one disadvantage of the non-linear presentation structure. [6 marks]

Identify one situation where the use of a hierarchical presentation structure would be appropriate.

[1 mark]

Non-Linear Hierarchical

Advantages

Disadvantages

Examples of use