How to do a Demo at Dust or Magic

We hope that doing a demo at Dust or Magic will fun and valuable. Because it happens so fast, it helps to do a little homework.

STEP 1: Sign up. There will be a signup sheet in the room. Demos are done in the order of the list.Anyone is welcome to show anything.

STEP 2: Check your hardware. We’ll have projectors, Apple TV, a computer and a Wi-Fi. We’ll also have a document camera for close-up views of small screens or printed copy. If you are uncomfortable about the setup, please let us know.

STEP 3: When you’re on-deck, get your product or presentation ready to go. Check sound levels and make sure the graphics are working correctly. There’s always a spare projector if you need one. The idea is that we switch over the sound and graphic input to you, and you’re ready. If you’re showing an MMO or web-dependent site, there’s always a chance for a delay. You may want to have an archived copy just in case.

STEP 4: Tell us — Do you want to be videotaped? Do you want laser feedback?

STEP 5: You’re on! We’ll start the timer for 5 minutes.
Remember to show first, tell second. Show your headline features up front, to pull the group into what your product does. We use an app called Lightning Talk Timer to time your talk. After you let the group see your app, you can provide the back story and/or nuts and bolts of the product. Other points to keep in mind:

• Don’t sell. This is a smart group; they’re less than impressed by sales figures.
• Remember that everyone can see your desktop. It’s a nice time to show of photos of your children.
• Relax. Nobody knows your product better than you do.

 

STEP 6: Choose your level of feedback. We’ll ask you if you want laser feedback.  You can choose:
a) no feedback.
b) general verbal feedback, with no ratings
c) ratings, plus verbal feedback.
To rate products, we give each participant a laser pointer. They aim the pointer at a large Likert scale to provide a general numerical rating. If you want to capture the rating, take a photo with your phone.

We try our best to make sure this is a comfortable, constructive process for everyone. Some examples: