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How we do demo's to the client

Main Purpose of Demo session

  • Let stakeholders see the user experience of the product
  • Show progress of development
  • Get feedback on product direction
  • Give project status update (on track, remind about timeline, etc)
  • Celebrate success

Do’s

  • Present and talk through the demo clearly (mental preparation of the demo sequence is the key here).
    • Remember that some stakeholders may not even know the basic context of the product so explain a lot of context as well.
    • Talk from user point of view
    • Talk what you are clicking. Other’s can’t see your fingers
    • Don’t interact with app too fast. When you click a button, say you will click it first, if you scroll do it slowly, etc.
  • Invite wider stakeholder group to the session, including leaders on client side that may not normally be part of the process.
    • This is to align everyone to same level and important for strategic alignment for the product.
  • Work with the client product team to present demo together
    • For example they can lead with project context and we follow with status update and demo
    • This makes them look good as well
  • Go through feedback from previous demo to show we listen
  • Slides to summarize project and align everyone on high level
  • Summarize what will be demoed and what will not
  • Screencast the demo to the TV/Projector
  • Record the demo session (if possible) using zoom
  • Go through pre-defined demo sequence,
    • Don’t get distracted
  • Timebox the session to 30min.
  • Have a backup plan for device and network
  • Keep dev team on standby and do last tests 1 hour before demo
  • Do a training demo at least one day before internally.
    • Lock down the version number after this.
    • Try to also talk through it as if you talked to client side. This is important to help presenter explain things clearly.
    • This is to find technical problems as well as train the presenter to have smooth demo. Connect to Zoom / TV to test the demo setup as well.
  • Keep team focused on moving the project forward, mention next features and next release.
  • Send invitation with clear agenda and Zoom link.
  • Give the praise to the team after successful demo.
  • Aim to have 2-4 demo sessions during a typical project.

Don’ts

  • Avoid any changes to codebase or backend system at last moment
  • Do not explain bugs / problems too much, just be straightforward and explain it’s part of the process to have some at this point.
  • Do not encourage brainstorming in the session, just listen to feedback, take notes and follow up afterwards.
  • Do not use dummy data:
    • All of the data shown should be as realistic as possible.
  • Do not use mock integrations:
    • All demoed features should be fully integrated if possible.
  • Do not talk too much about technical details

Resources

  • Screencast for Android: Use Vysor
    • Buy a license if you don’t have one and get it refunded. Don’t use free version! (it has too low bitrate for smooth experience and ads)
  • Screencast for iOS: Use Quicktime
  • Slides: TODO: Example demo deck template
  • Remote sharing: Zoom: Allow remote people to join and record the session