Transcript
[ Music ]
[ Applause ]
>> Thanks, Mike.
Hello everyone.
Design is hard but design
presentations are way harder.
I still find them daunting.
And today, a presentation about
how to present design work at
WWDC.
The struggle is real.
In any presentation, we have to
take this big and complex topic
and explain it precisely.
Take it right down to its
nucleus.
And if we don't do that well,
those ideas might die.
All that hard work you did
resigned to the depths of your
hard drive.
Presentation matters.
As a designer at Apple, I have
to present design work all the
time.
Unfortunately, this year I can't
show you too much of that, but
I'm going to try and transmit to
you the ten most important
things I've learned about
presenting design work in the
next nine minutes or so.
It's going to be punchy.
Now when you really think about
it, there are three fundamental
parts to a presentation.
There is me, the presenter, the
emotional designer consumed by
this problem and the prettiness
of it.
And there is you, the audience,
detectives of design crime,
guardians of good sense,
Draculas of deadlines, and
captains of code.
And between us, there is this
central idea.
The thing we need to agree is
good for our company, good for
our customers, something that
makes the world a slightly
better place.
Let's call it a toaster.
And really a presentation is
just a mechanism to exchange
information about that idea, to
facilitate decisions and action
one way or another, to make this
thing fly or crash right back
down to Earth.
So dear presenter, these are the
key things you need to
understand.
What are your objectives for
this presentation?
Clarify your objectives.
Are you trying to get this work
approved by your superiors or
successfully communicate with
engineers?
Maybe you're pitching a new
idea.
Try to imagine what succeeding
looks like and work backwards
from there.
Identify the questions you need
your audience to help you
answer.
State these and your goals up
front.
And understand the objectives of
your audience.
What do they care about?
Remember, your objectives
include addressing theirs.
Try not to dive in to details
and minutia before you clarify
the bigger picture.
Next is a big one: feedback.
As designers, we feel vulnerable
and exposed, painting our finest
pictures and teeing them up to
be torn to shreds.
Try to entertain the mindset
that there is no failure, only
feedback.
Take all of it seriously even
when you disagree.
If you are presenting, you are
asking for feedback.
It's the whole point and clarify
the problems the audience
identify.
Sometimes people offer solutions
that are unworkable, but the
problem they are addressing is
totally valid.
So when you have exhausted all
possibilities, remember this,
you really haven't.
People in your audience will
know things you don't.
So be willing to change your
position, especially when new
information has been presented.
Don't pretend to understand
unclear feedback.
Clarify the problem this person
is trying to address.
Don't respond like that.
And don't be dismissive or get
overly defensive.
It really won't help your case.
Seek advice.
Use the wisdom of your
colleagues.
Don't be afraid to ask for help.
They know how this works.
Their input is priceless.
Practice with them.
Sense check your deck.
Do a full practice run if it
merits it.
Do not deliver it blind.
The feedback will make a huge
difference.
And honestly, don't try to do
everything yourself.
Teamwork makes the dream work
plus it's really hard to keep
track of too many disparate
things as one person, let alone
try and explain them to others
in a single presentation.
Use your own voice.
Be genuine.
Have fun.
Make terrible jokes.
Quote Bruce Lee.
You wouldn't be giving this
presentation at all if you
didn't have the credibility.
You've earned it.
Express your opinion.
You are the expert here.
The audience wants to know what
you think and that doesn't mean
you have to have all the
answers.
Show your passion.
Why do you care about this?
And explain your process.
Show the journey you've been on.
How and why did you reach these
conclusions?
Don't be overconfident or
insincere.
Sometimes designers can adopt a
posture of being super
confident, bordering on arrogant
and avoid that.
It's just not cool.
And don't say what you think
people want to hear.
Your vote counts for a lot.
The audience.
It's not a presentation without
an audience.
Make sure you show them that
respect.
You need their cooperation to
give life to your ideas.
And if you've presented to this
audience before, you'll get --
start to get an idea of what
they respond to.
Tailor to them as much as you
can and always have an agenda.
Here's what we're going to talk
about in this order.
This is also your chance to
assert the point at which you'd
like to field feedback.
It almost certainly won't work
that way but still do try.
And if you've met previously,
recap what happened.
Like when you're engrossed in a
series but then life happens and
when you pick it up again, you
really grateful for that 30
second refresher.
Hey, Zach.
Here's a study of the character
that you asked for.
Good feedback.
I'm not sure about those emoji
either.
Integrate their feedback.
Let them know how it affected
your designs.
Show that you're listening and
responding.
Terrible.
Make no assumptions, you know --
people know what things mean or
why decisions were made.
You are much further along this
path than your audience.
Anticipate their questions.
Pay attention to their
reactions.
And be willing to explain.
Do not show up without a plan or
try to wing it.
It's not a good look.
And also showing your working
files, not good.
These things are lazy and
disrespectful of people's time.
And, of course, don't be
dismissive of -- again, don't be
dismissive of anyone's input.
Try to be patient and objective.
Make it relatable to your
audience.
If not, they may well start to
tune out.
Let people see themselves in
your story.
If you can elicit an emotional
response, excitement, worry, or
even fear, it will enhance their
sense of commitment.
Ellis goes crazy for that
elderberry jam.
Use what you know about your
audience to your advantage.
Describe what you see and feel.
Don't talk about users like they
are a distant third party.
Flow diagrams can be really
useful with engineers but when
communicating concepts, there's
a big disconnect.
Instead, speak in the first
person.
Here I am at my desk working on
my e-mail and ding, a handy
reminder it's time for
breakfast.
I hit the notification and bam,
straightaway I can load my toast
without even stepping away from
my desk.
Just one swipe down and we're
toasting.
And a few minutes later I know
to be on my way, perfect timing.
And how cool is that?
I can even see my stats.
Clearly, this is more powerful
if you can demo a prototype.
And engage in dialogue.
A presentation should be a
dialogue.
Engage with your audience.
Design for the aha moment.
If you can lead people through
your story, their minds will try
and predict the ending.
This will keep them engaged.
Ask them questions.
Keep them dialed in.
You're here for their feedback
after all.
Do not deliver a monologue.
This is boring and naive.
Think of it as a discussion more
than a speech.
And finally, the idea.
It is crucial to explain why.
Define each problem in a single
sentence.
It's a great exercise to really
get to the heart of the matter.
You'll need to find agreement on
those problem statements with
your audience.
Otherwise, you'll be barking up
the wrong tree.
Continue to revisit, refine, and
refer back to those statements
as you progress and, of course,
where you can, show evidence
that these problems exist.
Boom.
Cold, burnt toast.
Tragic problems in this world.
Avoid using subjective reasoning
for your decisions.
I chose this color because I
like it is not remotely
persuasive, especially if your
audience don't share your
preferences.
And the truth is that people
really won't remember your
slides.
They'll remember how your story
made them feel if it resonated
with them so sketch out the
narrative of your presentation
early.
The most successful designers I
know do this.
It's another thing that will
help you focus and use your time
effectively.
So where you can, incorporate a
story with a distinct beginning,
middle, and an end.
People intuitively get stories.
And it'll really help them
follow along.
Contrast today's reality with a
better future.
Nancy Duarte, a master of
presentations, discovered in her
research that some of the
greatest and most effective
presentations follow this
structure.
And the key thing here is
providing the contrast between
what is today's reality and what
could be, what the future could
look like if we make the ideas
we're presenting our new
reality.
Today, people are frustrated,
cold, joyless toast.
It's an epidemic.
But imagine happy, flawless
toast at the top of the button
on your iPhone.
But don't get too carried away.
That is a rookie mistake.
Keep it simple.
The main thing is to keep the
main thing the main thing.
I love this quote.
And I always find myself coming
back to it.
It's such a perfect expression.
If I had more time, I would have
written a shorter letter.
Relevant not only for
presentations and writing
e-mails but as a philosophy
toward design.
Don't overload people with too
much information.
Strip away everything that isn't
essential to your mission or
your message.
And finally, don't forget to
summarize.
Know your objectives, otherwise
what's the point?
Embrace feedback.
It's what you're here for.
Seek advice.
Your colleagues are smart.
And use your own voice.
It's the best one you have.
Respect your audience or they
won't respect you.
Make it relatable, otherwise
they'll forget it.
Engage in dialogue to keep them
present and explain why.
It's the million dollar
question.
Utilize storytelling because it
works.
And keep it simple even though
it's not.
Good luck with your
presentations.
[ Applause ]