Start your presentation with success

Starting with a new presentation design project can be an exciting yet overwhelming journey. Whether you're an experienced designer or just venturing into the field, understanding how to translate your vision into impactful slides is critical to success. This guide provides a structured approach to starting a presentation design project, ensuring that every decision made is in line with your ultimate goals.

I've been using and perfecting this process for years in my career as a presentation designer and am happy to share it with you.

If you want your presentation to be successful, you have to define it first.

The first and most important step is to understand what a successful presentation means to you or your team. By identifying this early on, you set a benchmark for all subsequent design decisions along the way. Ask yourself what your version of the perfect presentation looks like. How can you measure the success of this presentation project? Discuss this with your colleagues. Try to find common ground and write it down.

Here are a few questions to get the ball rolling:

• What message do you want your audience to leave with?
• What should your audience do after the presentation?
• What emotions or feelings do you want to evoke?
• How should working with the presentation feel like – during the presentation and while editing it?

The clearer your vision, the easier it’s going to be for you to deliver on it.

But this is often easier said than done. This seemingly simple question is not as simple as it seems. Success can come in many shapes and colors. And success can mean different things to different people involved in the design process. Coming up with a list of 20 individual personal wins for the project is an impossible task and would make the design process even more complicated. And if there is one thing we should definitely avoid, it is complicating the process.

Especially if you work with external service providers who help you with the creation process. How do they know if they are on the right track? You want to communicate your metrics as clearly as possible to avoid wasting time and often money.

The discussion about project metrics is an important one, but it can often go in the wrong direction. We want to filter all these thoughts and extract something useful that we can work with. This is why I came up with the method of establishing key attributes.

Establishing Key Attributes

Once you have considered what success might look like for your presentation project, the next step is to identify three key attributes, or KPIs, that will guide your design decisions. These attributes serve as measurement tools to ensure that you stay on track. Common attributes include how the presentation should be perceived by the target audience, internal requirements, and personal taste.

I like to categorize these attributes as intrinsic and extrinsic.

Intrinsic attributes are attributes that deal with your own or your company's requirements for the presentation. On the other hand, extrinsic attributes describe how the presentation should be perceived by your audience and what it should do for them. Intrinsic attributes might be flexibility, ease of use, or modifiability. Extrinsic might be informative, engaging, or short.

As a default setup for most company presentations, I go with the key attributes: adaptability, modifiability, and personality - or just AMP. These attributes have proven to be a good starting point for any company presentation. Probably yours as well.

Discuss these key attributes with your team and get everyone to commit to them. They now act as your lighthouses throughout the presentation design process. Now, when there is a draft presentation or things to give feedback on, everyone can look at the lighthouses and see if the new changes are in line with these attributes. Now asking if the chosen slide background color might be a good choice can lead to a much more meaningful discussion than just asking for personal preferences.

Even though we have now divided our metrics into three different KPIs, we may find ourselves in a situation where we have to make a decision that may satisfy one or the other attribute. Therefore, we need to weight and prioritize these attributes.

Prioritizing Attributes

Defining key attributes is critical, but it’s equally important to prioritize them. During the design process, you may encounter situations where satisfying one attribute might mean compromising another. To navigate through such challenges, establish a hierarchy of attributes with your team or for yourself. Knowing which attribute is the top priority will aid in making better decisions.

For example, if adaptability is a top priority, the first design decision should be to ensure that the presentation can be easily presented by many people in your organization. Avoid many on-slide animations and long transitions. Make the presentation as easy to adapt as it is to use for the first time. If the attribute personality is next, then making sure the presentation retains a unique and engaging style becomes the secondary focus.

Applying the Framework

With a clear success definition, key attributes, and a prioritization system in place, you’re now ready to dive into the design phase. Use these elements as a guide to measure the efficacy of your design choices. Engage with your team frequently for feedback, ensuring that the project remains on the right track.

Moreover, document every significant decision and the reasons behind them. This not only fosters transparency but also provides a reference point should any disputes arise later in the project.

By defining success, establishing key attributes, and prioritizing them, you're already setting the stage for a successful project. Remember, every project is a collaborative effort between the designer and the organization, and clear communication is key to achieving the desired outcome.

Now, take a moment to reflect: How do you measure the success of your projects? What attributes would you prioritize? The answers could very well be the cornerstone of your next successful presentation design project.