presentation-design

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---
name: presentation-design
description: "Design and evaluate presentations that communicate effectively. Use when designing a presentation, creating slides, getting presentation feedback, structuring a talk, or reviewing slides. Keywords: presentation, slides, talk, PowerPoint, Keynote, reveal.js."
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: jwynia
  version: "1.0"
  type: diagnostic
  mode: diagnostic+assistive
  domain: documents
---

# Presentation Design Diagnostic

## Purpose

Design and evaluate presentations that communicate effectively. Provides frameworks for planning, visual design, cognitive load management, and evaluation. Applicable to any presentation tool (reveal.js, PowerPoint, Keynote, Google Slides).

## Core Principle

**Audience-centered design.** Every decision should serve audience understanding, not presenter convenience.

---

## Quick Reference: Common Problems

| Problem | Symptom | Fix |
|---------|---------|-----|
| Wall of Text | Slides are paragraphs | Assertion-evidence structure |
| Bullet Point Disease | Lists instead of visuals | One concept + visual evidence |
| Kitchen Sink | Everything included | Essential vs. expandable content |
| Pretty but Empty | Design without substance | Message-first design |
| Cognitive Overload | Too much per slide | One key concept per slide |

---

## Phase 1: Audience & Content Planning

### Key Questions

1. **Who specifically is my audience?** What's their knowledge level?
2. **What's the ONE main message?** What should they remember?
3. **What are 3-5 supporting points?** How do they reinforce the message?
4. **What evidence supports each point?** Visual, data, examples?
5. **What action should they take?** What's the call to action?
6. **What are time constraints?** What's essential vs. optional?

### Actions

- [ ] Create audience persona(s)
- [ ] Write one-sentence main message
- [ ] Organize supporting points in logical flow
- [ ] Identify evidence for each point
- [ ] Define essential vs. expandable content
- [ ] Sketch presentation flow

---

## Phase 2: Visual Strategy

### Assertion-Evidence Structure

**Replace bullet points with:**
- **Assertion:** Clear, complete sentence stating the point
- **Evidence:** Visual that supports the assertion

**Instead of:**
```
Key findings:
• Data shows increase
• Users engaged more
• Revenue improved
```

**Use:**
```
"User engagement increased 43% after redesign"
[Graph showing the increase]
```

### Visual Principles

- **Limited palette:** 3-5 colors maximum
- **Typography hierarchy:** 2-3 fonts with clear roles
- **Whitespace:** Let content breathe
- **Consistency:** Same layouts, same treatment
- **Visual progress:** Help audience track where they are

---

## Phase 3: Cognitive Load Management

### One Concept Per Slide

Each slide should answer: "What's the ONE thing I want them to take from this?"

### Progressive Disclosure

Reveal information sequentially instead of all at once:
1. Show initial state
2. Add first element with context
3. Add second element building on first

### Spoken vs. Shown

| Show on Slide | Speak Aloud |
|---------------|-------------|
| Key assertion | Elaboration |
| Visual evidence | Context and explanation |
| Critical data | Interpretation |
| Next step | Why it matters |

### Code Examples (Technical Talks)

- Syntax highlighting always
- Highlight the critical line
- Build up complex examples
- Remove boilerplate when possible

---

## Phase 4: Structure Patterns

### Horizontal vs. Vertical (Multi-Level Navigation)

**Horizontal slides:** Main narrative flow
**Vertical slides:** Supporting details (optional deep dives)

Example:
- Horizontal: "Three Key Factors in Customer Retention"
- Vertical (under that): Detailed slide for each factor

### Time Flexibility

Mark content as:
- **Essential:** Must cover in any version
- **Standard:** Include with normal time
- **Expandable:** Include only with extra time

---

## Evaluation Framework

### 1. Audience-Centered Design (Rate 1-5)