The Common Thread

I recently completed my first Prezi presentation, and the experience was refreshing to say the least. Prezi is a new Flash-based online presentation software that creates simple dynamic slide presentations—although there is nothing slide-like about it.  I  recommend visiting prezi.com and testing a few online Prezis like the following http://prezi.com/wesbmcijhqvx/ and    http://prezi.com/acdt5llng8xt/

The reason why I have described Prezi as the antithesis of PowerPoint, is because the tools that are provided are incredibly simple and limited. This constraint, I believe, prevents non-designers from creating a visual disaster. I would predict that the average user has a 90% chance of creating a good presentation, were as with PowerPoint, I would estimate the average user has a 90% chance of creating something awful.

Within these very tight constraints, a designer can open up infinite creative possibilities using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. When I say “infinite” I am referring specifically to creativity—Prezi is light like a motorcycle not heavy like a tank. In my limited experience with Prezi it seemed important to keep the file sizes small—I wouldn’t recommend using it for a large slide shows that use hundreds of hi-res images. So don’t worry PowerPoint and Keynote (not that you would) Prezi will not create a revolution and replace either of you.

My experience with Prezi was like a breath of fresh air, although it did take some getting use to—it is an unusual environment to work in—but once you get the hang of it, it is fun.

I did learn a few things during this brief experience that I will do differently when creating another Prezi. I created an abundant amount of custom graphics with embedded text. This became cumbersome when edits were made by the client to the text. I would have to make the text edits in Illustrator or Photoshop, then export the files, then import and replace them in Prezi. I couldn’t simply update my links. Next time I will try and rely more on the text tool in Prezi for areas that have more text, in this case it was Q&A.

Another issue arose when I realized the speed of my computer was a great hinderance. Since Prezi is Flash based—how fast you move within the environment is dependent on how fast your computer can view complex Flash movies.

Overall my experience with Prezi was fun and refreshing—I encourage everyone to at least give it a try—I doubt you will be disappointed.

Below I have included 2 videos that explain how Prezi works.