Poster design and data visualizations at the 2024 American Public Health Association’s annual meeting

November 30, 2024

*Data and analysis are based on preliminary research and should not be used for publication.

The RESPIRAR Project was represented at this year's American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting and Expo in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Dr. Raul Cruz-Cano, the Project's biostatistician, participated in the poster session to share findings from an interrupted time series analysis. His research explored the impact of three Oregon occupational health and safety rules implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Preliminary analysis by Dr. Cruz-Cano and Dr. Devon Payne-Sturges suggests that emergency temporary standards (ETS) targeting all workplaces in Oregon were more effective in reducing virus transmission. These findings underscore the need to re-evaluate how ETS orders for farmworkers are designed, communicated, and implemented.

Learn more about the RESPIRAR Project's impact at the event in the blog recap I wrote.

Read blog recap

Poster Design

This was my first experience designing a scientific poster for a poster session. I began by reviewing APHA's design guidelines, focusing on accessibility standards.

After identifying the essential information for the poster, I developed a form for Dr. Cruz-Cano and Dr. Payne-Sturges to complete. I then copy-edited their responses to ensure the language was clear and accessible to a broader audience.

In the form, I asked the team to prioritize graphics as “must-haves” versus “nice-to-haves.” This helped optimize the poster’s spatial layout and visual hierarchy.

Dr. Cruz-Cano provided his data and graphics, which I reformatted to ensure compatibility with tools like Datawrapper and Flourish. This process allowed me to create high-quality, on-brand graphics for both print and digital use. To enhance accessibility, I embedded digital graphics into a web version of the poster, accessible via a QR code.

While I initially considered using Adobe software like InDesign or Illustrator, I opted for PowerPoint—commonly used by scientists for poster design—to ensure the team could easily access and modify the final file.

Tools used

PowerPoint: Final layout
Illustrator: Timeline and hierarchy of control graphics
Excel, Flourish, Datawrapper, and Illustrator: Data visualizations.

Feedback

The poster was well-received at the conference. Dr. Payne-Sturges even mentioned she planned to display it in her office—a thoughtful sentiment that reflects the poster's success, even if not my first choice for office artwork.

Before and After

The “before and after” comparisons of the graphics illustrate the transformation from the initial drafts to the polished, final visuals. These updates reflect a commitment to clarity, professionalism, and audience engagement.