Information Design Disaster

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Just this morning, I was rushing to catch the Metro in Washington, DC and found myself staring at a refrigerator-sized ticket machine with buttons, bells, arrows, windows, slots, writing and numbers all over it.  I had no idea where to look or where to start.  It had to be the worst design of a ticket dispenser in the world. The train was coming, I was going to be late, and I could not focus.

I asked a lady next to me how to work it, and she reached over, grabbed my money, shoved it into the slot, and pressed a button that indicated I was about to buy a $20 ticket to go one-way to Union Station from Shady Grove.  I said, “Not $20,” and began to push various buttons in desperation to stop her from spending all my available cash. 

She gave up and walked away, and thank God a Metro employee was there to educate me on how to interpret the hieroglyphs swimming before my eyes.  She was great.  And she was busy too, dealing with everyone else who was confused by the machines.

Somewhere around 30 million times a day, busy audiences have the same experience when they sit down to view our PowerPoint slides.  Our audiences are content-driven, time-pressed, and results-oriented.  They want it quick, clear and simple, and we need to give it to them that way.

Please see these posts How to clarify complexity, How to clarify complexity, Part 2, Scientific and Technical Training on how to clarify complexity.  (Please note that I didn’t say, “simplify complexity” which can be mistaken for dumbing down your message.)

Presenting for Results^SM Update:

We have scheduled our 2nd public seminar called Presenting for Results^SM. If you are so inclined, please join us on Nov 18 & 19, 2010, at the Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, NJ, which is on Rte. 3 East, just east of the Garden State Parkway.  The program is fun, eye-opening, highly experiential and beneficial to your confidence and career, and thus good for your company as well.  Or let somebody who could benefit know about the program. There is very limited enrollment to keep it practical and interactive.  Click here to learn more.

Sims Wyeth is an executive speech coach in Montclair, NJ specializing in presentation skills and public speaking training in order to give accomplished people the knowledge and skill they need to become accomplished speakers. Learn more public speaking tips at www.SimsWyeth.com.

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Tags: Effective PowerPoint, executive education, executive presentation training, executive speech training, presentation skills training, presenting for results, presenting for results seminar, public speaking seminar