Project presentations

Good studio project presentations during the semester should:
  • Format  
    • Be at most 15 minutes long without questions, allowing time for critique of three or four projects in a single class, including discussion
    • Use visuals, not text (use your voice to deliver words)
    • Expect to interrupted regularly 
    • Show the state of the work, even in its incomplete state -- as Google says, nothing is ever finished!
  • Content 
    • Begin with a few minute elevator pitch every time, that:
      • Begins with the tagline: a one sentence capture of the project
      • Moves immediately through the solution, in user scenario
        • We expect heavy use of prototypes: you will generally not have your stuff running when you do this in real life
      • Doesn't assume the audience knows anything about the work 
      • Leaves out most of the "how", focusing only on "what" if necessary
    • Then, briefly show 
      • Related/comparable work
      • Early in the semester:
        • Formative evaluations captured in text, visuals, audio or video
        • Sketches, either overhead or scanned
      • Later: 
        • Screencaps, wireframes, video or live demos of the prototype
        • Summative evaluations, captures as above 
        • What has changed since the last presentation
The capstone presentation during the final period should be largely the same, including both elevator pitch and detail. It differs only in that:
  • You should make the prototype demo the center of your presentation
    • Either right after your elevator pitch or integrated with it 
    • Refer to earlier prototypes and process only when explaining each prototype feature, do not begin with your process and abandoned prototypes