The Art of Slide Design

Note: These are the slides from my DevRelCon Tokyo talk from July 29th. I've started writing this up as a blog post on MissGeeky.com: https://missgeeky.com/2017/08/04/the-art-of-slide-design/

Hopefully a video of the talk will also become available at a later date.

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Who doesn’t love a pretty slide deck? As evangelists, our presentations are one of the key ways to get our point across to our audiences, and we need to learn how to be as effective as we can with our slide decks.

The choices you make in your slide design directly influences what impact your story has on your audience. Understanding simple design elements will allow you to make more compelling slides, which will result in more memorable and helpful presentations.

This talk looks at how you can improve your presentations with some simple tips and tricks to make your slide designs better. It will examine how you can use fonts, colours, animations and more to support the story you want to tell.

Transcript

1. SLIDE DESIGN Art The of MELINDA SECKINGTON @mseckington
2. @mseckington https://www.flickr.com/photos/blackzack00/21976036458/ I HATE PRESENTATIOnS!
3. @mseckington @mseckington
4. @mseckington TECHNICAL MANAGER EVENT ORGANIZER SPEAKER & BLOGGER EVANGELISM
 LEAD
5. @mseckington FutureLearn
6. @mseckington
7. @mseckington
8. @mseckington HOW TO CREATE EFFECTIVE SLIDES
9. @mseckington WHAT IS THE GOAL PRESENTATION? OF A
10. @mseckington TO ALLOW YOUR AUDIENCE YOUR INFORMATION TO ABSORB
11. Cognitive load: the amount of mental activity - perception, memory, problem solving - required to accomplish a goal. Universal Principles of Design - Lidwell, Holden & Butler @mseckington
12. @mseckington Universal Principles of Design Lidwell, Holden & Butler
13. Design should minimise cognitive load to the greatest degree possible. Universal Principles of Design - Lidwell, Holden & Butler @mseckington
14. @mseckington EFFECTIVE SLIDES HELP REDUCE COGNITIVE LOAD
15. @mseckington EFFECTIVE SLIDES HELP YOUR AUDIENCE INFORMATION CONSUME YOUR
16. @mseckington HOW DO YOU CREATE EFFECTIVE SLIDES?
17. @mseckington HOW DO YOU DESIGN EFFECTIVE SLIDES?
18. PRINCIPLES SLIDE DESIGN OF @mseckington 4
19. MAXIMISE SIGNAL, MINIMISE NOISE 1 @mseckington
20. Signal-to-noise ratio: The ratio of relevant to irrelevant information in a display. The goal of good design is to maximise signal and minimise noise. Universal Principles of Design - Lidwell, Holden & Butler @mseckington
21. HOW DO WE MAXIMISE SIGNAL AND MINIMISE NOISE IN OUR SLIDE DESIGNS? @mseckington
22. FOCUS ON ONE PURPOSE PER SLIDE @mseckington
23. Facts about cats: • A brief history of the house cat • Cats sleep 75% of their lives • Why cats meow • The Egyptian word for cat is ‘mau’ • Cats are lactose intolerant 75% lactose intolerant history of cats mau @mseckington FOCUS ON ONE PURPOSE PER SLIDE
24. Cats sleep 75% of their lives Cats sleep 75% of their lives @mseckington FOCUS ON ONE PURPOSE PER SLIDE
25. Most popular cat names: Cat names! • Poppy • Bella • Misty • Charlie • Molly • Smudge @mseckington FOCUS ON ONE PURPOSE PER SLIDE
26. Recap time! To recap: • A brief history of the house cat • Cats sleep 75% of their lives • Why cats meow • The Egyptian word for cat is ‘mau’ • Cats are lactose intolerant @mseckington FOCUS ON ONE PURPOSE PER SLIDE
27. DON’T DISTRACT @mseckington
28. The domestic cat (Latin: Felis catus) is a small, typically furry, carnivorous mammal. They are often called house cats when kept as indoor pets or simply cats when there is no need to distinguish them from other felids and felines. Cats are often valued by humans for companionship and for their ability to hunt vermin. There are more than 70 cat breeds, though different associations proclaim different numbers according to their standards. Am I supposed to read all that? What did they just say? Facts about cats: too much text I can’t follow @mseckington DON’T DISTRACT
29. Am I supposed to read all that? too much code I’m bored I can’t follow @mseckington DON’T DISTRACT require 'json' require 'rspotify' class HomepageController < ApplicationController def index @tweets = Tweet.all.order('created_at DESC').limit(10) end def search @searchword = params[:user] if @searchword.present? client = Twitter::REST::Client.new do |config| config.consumer_key = ENV['TWITTER_CONSUMER_KEY'] config.consumer_secret = ENV['TWITTER_CONSUMER_SECRET'] config.access_token = ENV['TWITTER_ACCESS_TOKEN'] config.access_token_secret = ENV['TWITTER_ACCESS_TOKEN_SECRET'] end tweets = client.user_timeline(@searchword, count: 5) conn = Faraday.new(:url => 'https://api.dandelion.eu') do |faraday| faraday.request :url_encoded # form-encode POST params faraday.response :logger # log requests to STDOUT faraday.adapter Faraday.default_adapter # make requests with Net::HTTP end @tweets = [] tweets.each do |tweet| converted_response = JSON.parse(response.body) next if converted_response["annotations"].blank? # image_urls = converted_response["annotations"].inject([]){|images, x| x["image"]["thumbnail"] ? images << x["image"]["thumbnail"] : images} # puts image_urls entities = converted_response["annotations"] track = "emptyempty" label = "" entities.each do |entity| label = entity["label"] tracks = RSpotify::Track.search(label) puts tracks.count if tracks.count > 0 track = tracks.first break end end puts track puts label next if track == "emptyempty"
30. Cat! I can’t read that too busy emoji MY CAT IS AWESOME!!! This is Casey: @mseckington DON’T DISTRACT
31. This is Casey: That cat is adorable! @mseckington DON’T DISTRACT
32. FOCUS ON ONE PURPOSE PER SLIDE DON’T DISTRACT @mseckington
33. MAKE IMPORTANT INFORMATION STAND OUT 2 @mseckington
34. von Restorff effect: Noticeably different things are more likely to be remembered than common things. Universal Principles of Design - Lidwell, Holden & Butler @mseckington
35. Contrast: The state of being strikingly different from something else in juxtaposition or close association. Oxford Dictionary @mseckington
36. @mseckington Slide:ology: The art and science of creating great presentations Nancy Duarte
37. @mseckington COLOUR SHAPE SIZE SHADE PROXIMITY
38. @mseckington SHADE PROXIMITY COLOUR SHAPE SIZE
39. COLOUR SHAPE SIZE @mseckington
40. @mseckington COLOUR SHAPE SIZE
41. CHOOSE A COLOUR PALETTE @mseckington
42. @mseckington colorsupplyyy.com
43. @mseckington colorsupplyyy.com
44. Cats sleep 75% of their lives @mseckington CONTRAST WITH COLOUR CONTRAST WITH COLOUR
45. “The smallest feline is a masterpiece.” @mseckington CONTRAST WITH COLOUR Leonardo da Vinci
46. CONTRAST WITH COLOUR @mseckington
47. @mseckington CONTRAST WITH COLOUR
48. @mseckington COLOUR SHAPE SIZE
49. USE CONTRASTING FONT TYPES @mseckington AaBb AaBb
50. @mseckington Google Fonts
51. @mseckington DESIGN BUNDLES Design Cuts Pixel Buddha DreamBundles The Hungry JPEG
52. @mseckington CONTRAST WITH SHAPE USE CONTRAST TO HIGHLIGHT KEY INFORMATION
53. @mseckington CONTRAST WITH SHAPE Time spent with cats is never wasted. Sigmund Freud
54. @mseckington CONTRAST WITH SHAPE Time spent with cats is never wasted. Sigmund Freud
55. @mseckington CONTRAST WITH SHAPE > data() list all datasets available > movies = data(movies) assign movies data to movies variable
56. @mseckington COLOUR SHAPE SIZE
57. @mseckington CONTRAST WITH SIZE 33% of US households own a cat
58. @mseckington CONTRAST WITH SIZE HOW TO CREATE EFFECTIVE SLIDES
59. @mseckington CONTRAST WITH SIZE How T rain Your Cat T o
60. @mseckington CONTRAST WITH SIZE Questions There Are No Stupid
61. @mseckington COLOUR SHAPE SIZE
62. SHOW AND TELL 3 @mseckington
63. Picture Superiority Effect: Information recall is better when combining text and images Universal Principles of Design - Lidwell, Holden & Butler @mseckington
64. USE VISUALS TO SUPPORT WHAT YOU ARE SAYING @mseckington
65. PHOTOS SHAPES @mseckington ANIMATIONS ICONS
66. PHOTOS SHAPES @mseckington ANIMATIONS ICONS
67. @mseckington FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS
68. @mseckington PEXELS
69. @mseckington DESIGN BUNDLES Design Cuts Pixel Buddha DreamBundles The Hungry JPEG
70. @mseckington USE PHOTOS Cats sleep 75% of their lives https://www.flickr.com/photos/postbear/6221080119/
71. @mseckington USE PHOTOS Cats sleep 75% of their lives https://www.flickr.com/photos/postbear/6221080119/
72. @mseckington USE PHOTOS Cats sleep 75% of their lives https://www.flickr.com/photos/postbear/6221080119/
73. @mseckington USE PHOTOS cats sweat through their paws https://www.flickr.com/photos/stys19850129/35235732502/
74. @mseckington USE PHOTOS https://www.flickr.com/photos/stys19850129/35235732502/ Cats sweat through their paws
75. @mseckington USE PHOTOS https://www.flickr.com/photos/stys19850129/35235732502/ Cats sweat through their paws
76. @mseckington USE PHOTOS https://www.flickr.com/photos/taranos/8081143756/ A kitten’s purr keeps it healthy
77. @mseckington USE MASKS https://www.flickr.com/photos/taranos/8081143756/ A kitten’s purr keeps it healthy
78. @mseckington USE MASKS https://www.flickr.com/photos/taranos/8081143756/ A kitten’s purr keeps it healthy
79. PHOTOS SHAPES @mseckington ANIMATIONS ICONS
80. @mseckington THE NOUN PROJECT
81. @mseckington DESIGN BUNDLES Design Cuts Pixel Buddha DreamBundles The Hungry JPEG
82. @mseckington USE ICONS Blogger Event organiser Speaker
83. PHOTOS SHAPES @mseckington ANIMATIONS ICONS
84. USE SHAPES @mseckington
85. @mseckington USE SHAPES 75% Cats sleep of their lives
86. @mseckington USE SHAPES 75% Cats sleep of their lives
87. @mseckington USE SHAPES S E N S O R S ? E N V I R O N M E N T C A T E F F E C T O R S
88. @mseckington USE SHAPES STEP 1: GET A CAT STEP 2: CUDDLE CAT STEP 3: LET CAT GO
89. @mseckington USE SHAPES STEP 1: GET A CAT STEP 2: CUDDLE CAT STEP 3: LET CAT GO
90. @mseckington USE SHAPES A long time ago… in 2007… there was a girl. hi!
91. PHOTOS SHAPES @mseckington ANIMATIONS ICONS
92. DON’T MISUSE ANIMATIONS @mseckington
93. @mseckington MAGIC MOVE SLIDE 1 SLIDE 2
94. @mseckington MAGIC MOVE
95. @mseckington MAGIC MOVE
96. @mseckington USE ANIMATIONS 1992 2012 Started Miss Geeky Geeks of L ondon Finished My Masters
97. @mseckington 1992 2012 Started Miss Geeky Geeks of L ondon Finished My Masters USE ANIMATIONS
98. PHOTOS SHAPES @mseckington ANIMATIONS ICONS
99. BE CONSISTENT 4 @mseckington
100. Consistency: The usability of a system is improved when similar parts are expressed in similar ways. Universal Principles of Design - Lidwell, Holden & Butler @mseckington
101. USE CONSISTENT DESIGNS FOR SLIDES WITH THE SAME PURPOSE @mseckington
102. IDENTIFY YOUR SLIDE PATTERNS @mseckington
103. @mseckington SLIDE TYPES BE CONSISTENT 4 @mseckington
104. @mseckington SLIDE TYPES BE CONSISTENT 4 @mseckington @mseckington Consistency: The usability of a system is improved when similar parts are expressed in similar ways. Universal Principles of Design - Lidwell, Holden & Butler
105. @mseckington SLIDE TYPES BE CONSISTENT 4 @mseckington @mseckington Consistency: The usability of a system is improved when similar parts are expressed in similar ways. Universal Principles of Design - Lidwell, Holden & Butler @mseckington SLIDE TYPES Cats sleep 75% of their lives
106. @mseckington SLIDE TYPES BE CONSISTENT 4 @mseckington @mseckington Consistency: The usability of a system is improved when similar parts are expressed in similar ways. Universal Principles of Design - Lidwell, Holden & Butler @mseckington SLIDE TYPES Cats sleep 75% of their lives @mseckington IDENTIFY YOUR SLIDE PATTERNS
107. @mseckington SLIDE TYPES BE CONSISTENT 4 @mseckington @mseckington Consistency: The usability of a system is improved when similar parts are expressed in similar ways. Universal Principles of Design - Lidwell, Holden & Butler @mseckington SLIDE TYPES Cats sleep 75% of their lives @mseckington WHAT IS THE GOAL PRESENTATION? OF A
108. @mseckington SLIDE TYPES BE CONSISTENT 4 @mseckington @mseckington Consistency: The usability of a system is improved when similar parts are expressed in similar ways. Universal Principles of Design - Lidwell, Holden & Butler @mseckington SLIDE TYPES Cats sleep 75% of their lives @mseckington PHOTOS SHAPES ANIMATIONS ICONS
109. IDENTIFY YOUR SLIDE PATTERNS @mseckington
110. PRINCIPLES SLIDE 4DESIGN OF @mseckington
111. MAXIMISE SIGNAL, MINIMISE NOISE @mseckington MAKE IMPORTANT INFORMATION STAND OUT BE CONSISTENT SHOW AND TELL 1 2 3 4
112. @mseckington
113. @mseckington GOOD PRESENTATIONS ARE ALL ABOUT YOUR AUDIENCE
114. “There's not much point in spinning a yarn if your audience keeps losing the thread.” ― P.K. Shaw @mseckington
115. Thanks for listening… MELINDA SECKINGTON FUTURELEARN @mseckington @mseckington
116. @mseckington COMING SOON: BLOG POST VERSION ON MISSGEEKY.COM
117. https://thenounproject.com/dg.rodolfoalvarez/collection/emotions/ @mseckington