A good design presentation almost always follows one of these two outlines:
Concisely state the problem we’re trying to solve as specifically as possible
“solve k-factor for the dating app, to ensure we add 200 new people per day so people are always seeing fresh profiles”
State the direction you explored to find your solution
“invite a friend to see your score with them”
Share inspiration for the solution
Could be specific inspiration, like precedent in our products or other people’s products. Or it could be general inspiration, like art, still frames from movies—anything that evokes the feeling we’re trying to create.
What are the important considerations as we choose our favorite solution?
When designing a list of upcoming events, think: “what information is most important?” “how many events are we trying to accommodate in this list?” etc.
This will give everyone the tools to evaluate whether or not your proposed solution is great or not
What are three rejected alternatives: show solutions you considered at various points but discarded
Could be at the idea level, the prototype level, or even in full detail.
What’s our proposed solution?
Note: If you were right about what the most important considerations are (which you shared in #4), it should be easy for your audience to see why the rejected alternatives in #5 were inferior to the final solution. If you had the wrong “important considerations”, then showing the “rejected alternatives” will help your audience realize this and point it out to you! Many junior designers make the mistake of hiding either #4 or #5 so they can avoid this awkward moment. But they are hurting themselves and the team. That awkward moment may feel bad in the moment, but ultimately it helps the team produce our best work the fastest, and it helps you improve the fastest.
“An effective oral presentation of a studio project begins with the general and proceeds toward the specific.”
State the design problem assigned.
Discuss the values, attitude, and approach you brought to the design problem.
Describe your design process and the major discoveries and ideas you encountered along the way.
State the parti, or unifying concept, that emerged from your process. Illustrate this with a simple diagram.
Present your drawings (plans, sections, elevations, and vignettes) and models, always describing them in relationship to the parti.
Perform a modest and confident self-critique.
“Never begin a presentation by saying, ‘Well, you go in the front door here’ unless your goal is to put your audience to sleep.”
Matthew Frederick, 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School, 2007