presentation-design

SKILL.md

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

Who specifically is my audience? What's their knowledge level?

What's the ONE main message? What should they remember?

What are 3-5 supporting points? How do they reinforce the message?

What evidence supports each point? Visual, data, examples?

What action should they take? What's the call to action?

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:

Show initial state

Add first element with context

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)

Criterion
Score
Notes

Content matches audience knowledge level

Clear value proposition for audience

Adaptable to time constraints

Navigation structure aids understanding

Red Flags:

Presenter-focused rather than audience-focused

No consideration of audience's existing knowledge

2. Visual Clarity (Rate 1-5)

Criterion
Score
Notes

Assertion-evidence structure used

Visual elements balance text

Visual hierarchy guides attention

Consistent design elements

Thoughtful whitespace

Red Flags:

Bullet-point overuse

Text-heavy slides

Cluttered layouts

3. Cognitive Load (Rate 1-5)

Criterion
Score
Notes

One key concept per slide

Appropriate text density

Judicious animations/transitions

Code properly formatted (if applicable)

Supporting details accessible, not distracting

Red Flags:

Multiple complex concepts per slide

Excessive text competing with speech

Animation overuse

4. Accessibility (Rate 1-5)

Criterion
Score
Notes

Works across display sizes

Sufficient color contrast

Inclusive imagery and language

Font sizes appropriate

Red Flags:

Poor contrast

Too-small fonts

Non-inclusive content

Implementation Checklist

Structure

 Main message clear in first 2 minutes

 Supporting points organized logically

 Essential vs. expandable content marked

 Navigation aids understanding

Content

 Assertion-evidence structure used

 Visual evidence supports assertions

 One concept per slide

 Code examples properly formatted

Visual

 Consistent color palette

 Typography hierarchy

 Sufficient whitespace

 Elements aligned

Accessibility

 Color contrast verified

 Font sizes appropriate

 Alternative text for key images

Improvement Prioritization

After evaluation:

1. Critical Issues (Fix immediately):

Blocks audience understanding

Accessibility failures

Core message unclear

2. Important Enhancements (Second priority):

Cognitive load issues

Visual consistency problems

Structure improvements

3. Nice-to-Have Refinements:

Advanced animations

Custom styling

Polish details

Anti-Patterns

1. The Data Dump

Pattern: Every slide full of data, charts, and statistics without interpretation or hierarchy.
Why it fails: Audiences can't process raw data in real-time. Without interpretation, they're left doing analysis instead of learning. Most data is forgotten immediately.
Fix: One insight per slide with visual evidence supporting the insight. State the conclusion; show the proof. The audience should understand your point before seeing the data.

2. The Script Reader

Pattern: Slides that contain the speaker's full script—bullet points that are really paragraphs.
Why it fails: Audiences read faster than speakers talk. They read ahead, then tune out when you say what they already read. The slides become teleprompter, not communication tool.
Fix: Slides show what you can't say; you say what you can't show. Visuals, diagrams, and key assertions on screen. Context, explanation, and elaboration spoken.

3. The Template Trap

Pattern: Dropping content into a generic template without considering how the design serves the message.
Why it fails: Design should support comprehension, not just look professional. Generic templates create generic communication. One-size-fits-all fits no one well.
Fix: Design serves message. Ask: what visual structure helps this specific audience understand this specific content? Start from communication need, not template options.

4. The Animation Circus

Pattern: Transitions, builds, and effects everywhere—flying text, spinning images, fade after fade.
Why it fails: Animation is attention. Every effect says "look at this." When everything animates, nothing stands out. Audiences become overwhelmed or numbed.
Fix: Animation only for progressive disclosure (building complex ideas step by step) or emphasis (highlighting the key point). Default to no animation; add only with purpose.

5. The Bullet Point Disease

Pattern: Slide after slide of bullet point lists—the default structure for everything.
Why it fails: Bullet points are for documents, not presentations. They encourage equal weight for unequal ideas, text-heavy slides, and passive reading instead of active viewing.
Fix: Use assertion-evidence structure. Replace bullet lists with clear assertions supported by visual evidence. If you need a list, question whether it needs to be a slide.

Integration

Inbound (feeds into this skill)

Skill
What it provides

speech-adaptation
Spoken content structure to coordinate with visuals

story-sense
Narrative structure for presentation flow

(content expertise)
Subject matter to communicate

Outbound (this skill enables)

Skill
What this provides

(implementation)
Design principles for any presentation tool

(delivery)
Slides designed to support effective speaking

Complementary

Skill
Relationship

speech-adaptation
Presentation-design handles visuals; speech-adaptation handles spoken content. Design together for coordination

voice-analysis
Understanding the presenter's voice helps design slides that match their natural delivery style