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At last, we have some scientifically rigorous evidence to show that slides full of bullet-points don't work.

These design tips are for the Assertion-Evidence format - this is gaining ground as the brain-friendly yet easy to put together alternative to bullets.

In General McMaster's view, PowerPoint's worst offense is not a chart like the spaghetti graphic, which was first uncovered by NBC's Richard Engel, but rigid lists of bullet points (in, say, a presentation on a conflict's causes) that take no account of interconnected political, economic and ethnic forces. "If you divorce war from all of that, it becomes a targeting exercise," General McMaster said.

The US Army reports that misuse of Powerpoint (in other words, using Powerpoint the way most people use it, the way it was designed to be used) is a huge issue. I first wrote a popular short free ebook about this seven years ago and the problem hasn't gone away. So much for the power of the idea.

But in this project, there was a striking consistency with the advice given. I've outlined below the six tips that were recommended most often. I've also noted the research that backs up a recommendation - where it exists.

Free online generators to easily create web graphics such as background images.