Back when I was interviewing, I would record myself to practice. Now, I'm uploading that take as a resource for others on what a "principal product designer"-level presentation looks like. It’s definitely not perfect, but I hope that there’s some good takeaways in it, especially for younger designers.

I’ve been meaning to put together a longer-form post on what great design portfolios and presentations look like, but sitting down to write is… hard.

My main rule of thumb for effective presentation design is show, don’t tell. I’ve seen many designers of all levels fall into the trap of over-explaining with text in their slides while also talking and it’s overwhelming. Viewers can only really focus on either what you’re saying or what you’re showing—not both. It’s more effective to keep the explanations to your talk track while using visuals to show the other part of the story.

One of these days I’ll find the motivation to write more on this. Until then, feel free to ask me questions or for feedback on your portfolio on Bluesky or Mastodon.

P.S. This was spurred on because I’m in Pittsburgh this week attending Confluence, the annual design job fair at my alma mater, Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Design. If you’re looking for exceptional young design talent, this is definitely a great place to start.