A Heuristic for Reasoning about PowerPoint Deck Design

PowerPoint is both extremely prevalent and controversial. Unfortunately, much of the critical discussion concerning PowerPoint is both casually and poorly argued. A heuristic, offered here, can help reveal when claims about PowerPoint and deck design are poorly supported or ambiguous. This heuristic may prove useful to all those who reason about PowerPoint: those who formulate research questions, assess decks and presentations, teach students about PowerPoint, and create decks. The heuristic asks whether a claim truly addresses a PowerPoint problem, accounts for the different features of each slideware product, considers the role of genre, recognizes that a deck must be assessed with reference to the oral gloss on the slides and the overall performance, and allows for the different levels of skill and preparation time a deck may require. The heuristic also asks what is the basis of objections to bullet points (when they are at issue) and whether the slide metaphor is relevant to the claim. Finally, the heuristic asks us to recognize the complexities of PowerPoint, deck design, and visually supported presentations and to therefore formulate and assess claims in a careful, nuanced way that is respectful of the contingent and local.