jwynia/presentation-design
Design and evaluate presentations that communicate effectively. Use when designing a presentation, creating slides, getting presentation feedback, structuring a talk, or reviewing slides. Keywords: presentation, slides, talk, PowerPoint, Keynote, reveal.js.
npx skills add https://github.com/jwynia/agent-skills --skill presentation-designDesign 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).
Audience-centered design. Every decision should serve audience understanding, not presenter convenience.
| 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 |
Replace bullet points with:
Instead of:
Key findings:
• Data shows increase
• Users engaged more
• Revenue improved
Use:
"User engagement increased 43% after redesign"
[Graph showing the increase]
Each slide should answer: "What's the ONE thing I want them to take from this?"
Reveal information sequentially instead of all at once:
| Show on Slide | Speak Aloud |
|---------------|-------------|
| Key assertion | Elaboration |
| Visual evidence | Context and explanation |
| Critical data | Interpretation |
| Next step | Why it matters |
Horizontal slides: Main narrative flow
Vertical slides: Supporting details (optional deep dives)
Example:
Mark content as:
| Criterion | Score | Notes |
|-----------|-------|-------|
| Content matches audience knowledge level | | |
| Clear value proposition for audience | | |
| Adaptable to time constraints | | |
| Navigation structure aids understanding | | |
Red Flags:
| Criterion | Score | Notes |
|-----------|-------|-------|
| Assertion-evidence structure used | | |
| Visual elements balance text | | |
| Visual hierarchy guides attention | | |
| Consistent design elements | | |
| Thoughtful whitespace | | |
Red Flags:
| 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:
| Criterion | Score | Notes |
|-----------|-------|-------|
| Works across display sizes | | |
| Sufficient color contrast | | |
| Inclusive imagery and language | | |
| Font sizes appropriate | | |
Red Flags:
After evaluation:
1. Critical Issues (Fix immediately):
2. Important Enhancements (Second priority):
3. Nice-to-Have Refinements:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
| 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 |
| Skill | What this provides |
|-------|-------------|
| (implementation) | Design principles for any presentation tool |
| (delivery) | Slides designed to support effective speaking |
| 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 |
Take jwynia/presentation-design from the repository into ~/.claude/skills for personal
use, or into .claude/skills inside a project.
The agent identifies a skill by the name field in its header. Two skills with the
same name cannot sit side by side — one of them will be ignored.