Design: Before and After

Good design goes beyond colors and shapes - consider content structure and user (viewer) experience.

How many people in an organization are required to make content in their role? Everyone! Even if it’s just a presentation deck. Isn’t it awful when you put a quick deck together, thinking it will be seen only by the few people in the room, and before you know it you’re being asked to email it to several others? Though it takes more time than expected, good design is worth every minute.

For this project, I was asked to reimagine one particular slide. What I like about this request is the act of making the weakest link stronger. When I was in marching band in high school, I learned the band as a whole is only as strong as the weakest person. I always take one pass at every piece of content with one question on my mind: “What is the weakest part?” Then improve that one area. If I find a second or third, that is a bonus.

Department: Product Management

Product: Presentation

Software: Illustrator, After Effects

What I learned

It’s amazing, and encouraging, to me of how one message can be relayed in different contexts based on the person delivering the message. I personally wouldn’t have paired a race car and financial management software together, but it’s how the SME best knows to deliver this message. So be it! Own it, right!?

What I'd do differently

Instead of taking the race car for face value, I should have asked for their personal reasoning for including the race car. In that answer, I would have picked up on what other elements (present or not present in their design) that support their presentation. It would have saved a whole iteration.