PowerPoint Presenter Coach

AI-powered guidance to turn public speaking anxiety into confidence.

Role Lead UX Designer: led early research, vision, and design direction; later supported productization

High-level overview shown here. Full artifacts and deeper insights available upon request.

Overview

Public speaking leaves many people feeling anxious and underprepared.

We set out to design a practice experience that could ease nerves, build confidence, and offer meaningful feedback—without adding pressure.

Outcome:

  • Launched with strong adoption in business and education settings

  • Recognized in press as a standout example of effective, user-centered intelligent UX

Research & Workshop

We started by interviewing presenters to understand why they did—or didn’t—practice for high-stakes moments. Confidence was the universal motivator, but four distinct mindsets shaped how people approached rehearsal, from eager to resistant.

I facilitated a cross-functional workshop to surface a broad set of ideas, including games, warmups, real-time feedback, and streak-based motivation. These helped align the team and build early momentum.

Visual Design Explorations

Once we aligned on an MVP with real-time feedback and a post-session report, I turned my focus to tone. Should this feel like a serious tool built within the Office system, or could it invite users in with something a little warmer—maybe even a little fun?

I explored a range of visual directions, from clean and clinical to light and expressive. Each iteration asked the same question: how do we guide users without pressure? These explorations helped shape a visual language that felt approachable and credible at the same time. The goal was to encourage users to try, reflect, and come back again.

Results

Presenter Coach shipped to millions of Microsoft 365 users and quickly became a flagship feature for PowerPoint. It received strong adoption in both education and enterprise contexts, helping users practice high-stakes presentations with confidence.

Our design balanced utility and empathy, turning something people dread into a repeatable habit. The success of Presenter Coach reinforced the value of lightweight coaching tools—and the power of thoughtful UX to change behavior at scale.