You have had some experience working with UX/UI design. You feel that your designs are great, but something is lacking. You are not always receiving the desired result after a presentation. What can you do to improve your UX/UI design presentation skills?

There are many who have felt or who currently feel like you do. They feel that maybe their presentation skills are a little stagnant in an ever-changing field. Although it can be frustrating, do not fret. There is something you can do. You can take action and make a concentrated effort to improve your skills. To help you we have provided 12 tips to help you improve your UX/UI presentation skills. But first it might be helpful to reiterate the difference between UX and UI Design. 

Knowing The Difference Between UX/UI Design

To improve your UX/UI presentation skills, you must first know the difference between the two. As a reference, great educational content is found on Amazon.

UX Design

UX Design, also known as User Experience Design, is a design process whose solitary objective is to design a system that provides a great experience for its users. It focuses on the overall feel of the user’s experience. 

For the user to have a good experience, everything should flow easily and effortlessly from their first interaction to the last. To ensure that this is successful, UX Designers adhere to the theories of several proof positive disciplines including user interface design, usability, accessibility, information structure, etc.

UI Design

UI Design, also known as User Interface Design, goal is to guide the user through the product’s interface without requiring them to think to much. It focuses is on how the product’s interfaces look and function making them as aesthetically pleasing for the user. 

UI Design takes into consideration all the visual and interactive elements of a product interface to ensure the best experience. This includes buttons, icons, spacing, typography, color schemes, and responsive design. At the same time, it is imperative to make sure that the design is consistent and coherent.

12 Tips For Improving Your UX/UI Design Presentation Skills

1. Determine Your Main Goal And Overall Purpose For Your Presentation

This should be the first step and it is one of the most critical. If you are not clear about what your main goal is and your overall purpose for your presentation, your audience will also be unclear. 

Take the time to really ponder over what you want to accomplish.

• Do you want to persuade your audience of the benefits of implementing a new design or product?
• Are you trying to inform others of a potential issue while at the same time presenting the solution? 

Once you have your goal in mind you can create the structure of your presentation.

2. Keep Everything Simple

Simplicity is key! If your presentation content is overly complicated and cluttered, your audience may find it challenging to stay focused and become disengaged from everything that you are saying.

You want to keep the words you are speaking as well as your image background simple. Be selective in your typography and color palette choices. This will lessen the chances of your audience being distracted and heighten the fluidity of your presentation.  

3. Do Research And Know Your Content Well

Make sure that the information you are delivering is accurate and up to date. The more knowledgeable you are about your subject the less nervous you will be when presenting in front of others. Yes, this will take time but just think how relieved you will be when you are able to answer an unexpected question that comes up from someone in the audience. They will be impressed at how well you are able to explain the answer to them and this will increase your credibility. 

4. Use Customer Feedback

You have heard the expression “the customer is always right.” No one would dispute that. In order to know what the customer wants we must listen to them. It is only by listening to them can we find out what they really want and then make the needed adjustments.

By including quotes and thoughts from customers, you can strengthen the intensity of your presentation. This will also help the audience to become more aware of real concerns and frustrations faced by their users. 

5. Fine Tune Your Vocabulary

Sometimes those in your audience may not be as familiar with the technical terms used in UX/UI Design. They may find it difficult to understand. When addressing them, use simple, clear, easy-to-understand language to explain your goal to them. In doing so, you will be able to establish a strong connection with them and in time they may start seeing your goal as their future goal. 

6. Encourage Audience Participation

There are many creative ways that you can incorporate audience participation within your presentation. You can use simple direct questions to draw out their opinions. This will really help them to think deeply about what you are saying. For those in the audience who may be shy in nature, you can ask for a show of hands to help them see that you value their opinion as well. This will encourage them to have an active share in your presentation.

7. Share Your Enthusiasm 

Enthusiasm is so contagious! If you show that you are really enthusiastic and passionate about your topic, your audience will be able to sense that and feed off your energy. If you are lackluster and not really interested in what you are presenting, can you really expect your audience to be interested in it?

Realistically, the answer is no. If you are presenting a topic or design that your audience may not be enthusiastic about, you can use images, case studies, etc. to build their enthusiasm. 

8. Have An Attractive Design

You can demonstrate the user interface design by having an attractive design. Show your audience that it is not only aesthetically pleasing to look at but that it is also functional and consistent. If you can show this in your presentation, those in your audience may be able to visualize themselves as the user.

9. Showcase Your Design

Walk your audience through your design process. Take them on the journey by telling them a story of how you arrived at the final project and solution. This doesn’t have to be extensive, but it will help the audience to visualize the amount of effort you put into your design. You can use your raw sketches, diagrams spreadsheets, etc. to help emphasize your work. 

You can also show them additional ideas that you tried and why the other options were not successful. For more depth information on this please watch below:

10. Have Trigger Words Handy Just In Case You Lose Your Place

Everyone at some point in their lives will lose their place when presenting information to others. It’s always best to prepare ahead of time just in case this happens. Trigger words can help with this. You can incorporate them into your slides, perhaps in bold or italic, so that those key words will stand out. 

11. Include A Brief Summary At The End Of Your Presentation

This will give you an opportunity to review key points and highlights from your presentation. Remind the audience of the solution that can be implemented. Answer any possible questions your audience may have before they even ask them. This is also the perfect opportunity to recite your goal and overall purpose. They will keep those points in mind as they leave. 

12. Practice

No doubt as a child you heard the saying “practice makes perfect.” That saying still holds true today. It is also important to keep in mind that practicing out loud has a totally different feel and sound than simply reading your notes to yourself. You notice areas that need to be tweaked so that you can present them just the way you want. 

It will also be helpful to practice in front of a group of people, perhaps trust colleagues or family members. They can give you helpful feedback by noticing minor glitches that you perhaps didn’t notice. The more you practice the more confident you will feel!  

Check out the article '9 Killer Public Speaking Exercises You Can Do At Home' for more great tips.

The Benefits That Come From Improving Your UX/UI Design Presentation Skills

• Your interviewers, employers, or team members will be able to really see the power behind your work and your commitment 
• You can receive helpful feedback that can enhance your designs and reassure you of the greatness of your designs
• You can adapt to new techniques
• You can share your knowledge with others

Conclusion

Improving your UX/UI presentation skills will take your designs to the next level. Everyone who watches you present and listens to your ideas will be in awe if you implement these 12 steps.

Sure, it may require a little more effort, but the end results will outweigh any of the sacrifices you had to make. You are showcasing your designs, your incredible talent, and your ideas as well as yourself. Why not put your best self out there with your remarkable presentation skills? 

For more resources to develop your public speaking skills while you are in the comforts of your own home, please check out the article ‘Online Resources for Public Speaking‘. If you would like to leverage the best presentation software for your next big speaking engagement please read the article 'Best Presentation Technology tools'.