Therefore, every designer should polish their oratory skills, because even the best design can be quickly rejected during an unsuccessful presentation. Below are some tips that will help you prepare better and gain confidence before meeting your client.
Interactive presentation
Prepare your project as an interactive version. All you need is a few simple tricks that will allow you to move between screens imitating the target behavior and the reception will definitely be much better than a PNG gallery overview. Some design applications have such capabilities built-in, for example Figma, Adobe XD or Axure. If you use Sketch, you can use tools such as Invision, Marvel app, Zeplin or Principle.
Thanks to this, the presented project will be embedded in its target context. In the case of a website, it will be a browser view, and when it comes to mobile applications, a smartphone screen.
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A story from the user’s life instead of a dry discussion
Before presenting the project, put together a short story in which the user or persona uses the service or website you are working on. It can be buying a product or service or searching for information, it is about the main purpose of the presented work. Embedding the presented project in the context in which a given service or website would work allows the stakeholders to quickly understand the idea.
Practice the presentation at least once “dry”
Before you start a proper meeting with the client, try to practice your presentation in front of someone who is not directly associated with the project. It can be someone from your team who is doing something else, or your partner. This exercise will let you know how much time you need for the presentation, whether the story you have prepared makes sense, and whether the project presented is understandable. Often, during such an attempt you can catch small mistakes that can be quickly corrected, thanks to which we avoid unnecessary misunderstandings during the actual presentation.
Simple language, no unnecessary industry jargon
When talking about your work, try not to use technical language if it is not necessary. During a presentation the same rules apply as when designing – the simplest solution usually turns out to be the best. So speak in a simple and understandable way for each recipient, regardless of his or her level of proficiency of design terms.
A set of adapters 😉
If you present your work at a client’s office, always take with you a universal set of adapters for your computer. The basic set should contain HDMI and VGA. Surprisingly often, it turns out that the projector or television has only one type of input.
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