Think back to the last time you put together a PowerPoint presentation. Try not to shudder.
If you’re like me, you probably had a few moments when you wondered if the slide you were working on made sense — or if it was even worth including at all. You may have turned to a coworker to get their opinion, but they didn’t have any context about the rest of the presentation and were eager to get to lunch, so their input probably wasn’t a big help.
If this sounds familiar, then a nifty new app called Reel may be just what you need. It’s the latest app to come from interaction design firm ZURB, and it lets you get near-instant feedback on every slide or photo in your presentation.
The app is super-simple, which is sort of the point. Upload an image, PDF, or PowerPoint file, and the app will convert it into an online slideshow that’s also viewable in mobile browsers. That’s not exactly unique, but Reel has a nifty trick: it’ll let you leave a comment beneath each slide, where you can explain what you’ll be saying on stage when the slide is shown. Your friends (or Twitter followers) can then vote as to whether they like the slide using a Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down, so you can quickly figure out what works, and what doesn’t. You can find an example right here.
ZURB isn’t planning to charge for the app (this seems like a good way for them to get publicity). Their past projects include Verify, an app that lets you get feedback on your site design while it’s still in mockup form.
ZURB is a close-knit team of product designers who help companies design better websites, services and online products. The team has worked with over 200 startups since 1998, generating more than $1 billion dollars in market capitalization. ZURB’s clients have included Facebook, Yahoo!, Trapit, Zazzle, Netflix, Salesforce, Reuters and McAfee, among many others. Their client services include Design Strategy (project definition), Interaction Design (project framing) and Implementation. ZURB also has several apps which help users quickly design great products through...
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