1st experiment with the iPad as a 1-on-1 presentation tool

OK, I did my first presentation in a 1-on-1 meeting using an iPad. It was a bit improvised, as I made a last minute decision to drop a paper copy for the new gadget. My experiences.

It still is a bit of a hassle to get your file presentable on an iPad. I installed the Keynote app, but this is an iPad-specific piece of software that does not import regular Keynote files and I have not (yet) designed presentations specifically for the iPad. So I went for PDF.
In order to get the file on the iPad I had to upload it to Google docs, and then I used the GoodReader app to get it down on the device.
PDF was a bit tricky too. The PDF I created on my Windows PC did not render well on the iPad (custom fonts were invisible). It turned out, that it did not show well on a Mac either. So: import the Windows PowerPoint file into PowerPoint 2008 on the Mac, have the Mac convert it to PDF.
The PDF conversion was not ideal. The Mac decided to give my slides a white frame, and keep the parts of the pictures that were outside the slide borders in the page render. So I went back into PowerPoint to delete these (compress pictures) and start the process again.
I presented outside and the bright Tel Aviv sun light was too strong for the display of the iPad, so it was a bit hard to see. I already use big fonts om my slides, but my advice when designing for an iPad: go even bigger. The presentation view you have at a coffee table is one of an audience member in the back of the presentation venue.
I love the sophisticated screen controls of the iPad: scrolling, zooming, etc., but these are not useful when presenting. “Oops, let me zoom that back, oh, that’s the next page, let me back up”. There needs to be a way to switch to very simple page controls in a presentation mode. Ultimately I can see how zooming can be an interesting part of the iPad presentation experience (Prezi-like) though.

So, not a perfect experience, but I am learning.

4 comments

Rick Caccia2010-07-22 04:51:04

I bought my iPad specifically to use as a 1 on 1 slide presentation tool, and have used it that way for a couple of months now. It works very well in certain situations, much better than a laptop. You can sit directly facing the other person (or two people) and have much more engaging conversations since you are looking at each other and not at a laptop screen. Also, since it's still a novelty as a presentation device, people do pay more attention. Overall, it's definitely better for giving an intimate presentation.

What has worked well for me has been to make my slides in Powerpoint, import them into iPad Keynote, then build whatever animations I might want directly in iPad Keynote. It's surprisingly easy to build presentations that way.

Overall not a perfect device, but quite good for 1:1 presentations.

Jon Thomas2010-07-22 15:29:36

Thanks Jan. I have an iPad as well but have yet to figure out the best way to use it for (or integrated it with) presenting.

I feel like there's definitely a powerful use...just can't put my finger on what that is just yet.

Jon Thomas

Jan Schultink2010-07-22 05:44:09

Thank you, I will try this.

Dr. Ricart2010-07-22 14:09:37

I prefer to wait until ipad 4.0, when all those issues you mentioned will be resolved, until then I stick to my MacBook Pro.