@figma 1. Keep it to one presentation per file I set that limit because I found it became hard to find old presentations if I tucked them away in multiple pages of one file. File level separation resolves that issue.

@figma 2. Use a basic, but clear page structure Main: The presentation itself, so that it loads by default when the file opens. Extra: Fully fledged ideas that just didn’t make the final cut. Archive: Ideas you probably won’t come back to, but... just in case... 😎

@figma 3. Make three core slide variants A section title. A sub-section title. And a standard slide. Style each variant differently to help visually differentiate when you're entering a new topical area of the presentation

@figma 4. Follow @figma presentation view ordering This is important! Order your frames in rows from left to right, then top to bottom. It allows Figma to cycle through your Frames in a consistent order.

@figma 5. Automate frame naming I don’t give my slides descriptive names. I think it’s a waste of time. So instead of manually renaming frames, I automate the process by using the wonderful plugin Super Tidy by @basiclines .

@figma @basiclines 6. Leverage shared styles for quick styling The biggest style helper that I've implemented so far is box shadow that I use to wrap the many images I include in my decks.

@figma @basiclines 7. Add just a hint of interactivity I like to think of my presentations as really basic prototypes. I start by linking together the container frames of all slides with a ‘Smart Animate’ interaction and see what happens. That’s often enough to smooth the rough edges.

@figma @basiclines If you're interested in additional detail on this topic, you can find it on my Substack:

@figma @basiclines And if you got a little value from this thread: 1. Follow me @itspatmorgan for more nerdy design content like this 🤓 2. RT the tweet below to share this thread with your audience

@itspatmorgan I get a sense of your set up here, but I’m not clear on 1) what figma can do for you that a traditional presentation tool can’t, and 2) how some of these enhancements are any different than what one would do in slides (ex templates, ordering, etc)

@mattopsahl Hey Matt, thanks for the question 🙏 From my POV: 1. Being able to see full story arcs of my presentation on the infinite canvas (and re-order accordingly) 2. Not different. In fact, they're recreating just enough of their structure to help me work in my preferred tool.

@itspatmorgan @figma Love this, especially the Super Tidy tip. We’ve started giving all presentations in Figma and reordering frames is the biggest obstacle.

@nick__pattison @figma Right on. Good stuff Nick!

@itspatmorgan @figma Fully behind this. Currently running Projects, Presentations and Case Study’s for each client all in Figma. All in individual projects. Game changer.

@james_kirkup @figma Right on James! Cool to hear that it scales well for a multi-client setup too. My setup is, in all honesty, pretty simple since I'm working in-house on one product and don't have to give formal presentations that often. Thanks for chiming in! 🙏

@itspatmorgan @figma I would pay for a video tutorial and template or ui kit to do this

@RalphWaldo77 @figma I’ll see what I can do! 💪

@itspatmorgan @figma Have you got any solutions with exporting these slides? The PDFs often go over 100MB which need compressing to share it anywhere

@pranavchaparala @figma Thanks for the question Pranav. I unfortunately don't have any guidance there as I never have to export my presentations. Hopefully someone else who sees the thread will be able to help!

@itspatmorgan @figma Have used all of these same techniques and they're great 👏 Just to add: - When starting out, I wrap my sections in auto layouts to make it easier to add / remove / re-order items. When I am done, I remove auto layout - I often re-order based on position

@miguelsolorio_ @figma Nice Miguel! Now that you mention it, I often use auto-layout that way in my documentation and libraries but hadn't really thought to do it here. Appreciate you sharing! 🙏