Too Easy?

When you find you repeat the same, exact process over and over and over, you should consider automating it.

 

 

“The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.”

– Bill Gates

 

 

I was watching a face-to-face demo of a science software product. The person presenting the demo was competent, but uninspiring.

 

The demo was delivered using a tool that enabled each new screen to be presented simply by hitting any key on the keyboard. Each screen had been captured, previously, and pressing any key simply advanced to the next screen. This certainly made it easy to drive, but perhaps too much so!

 

The presenter tapped their keyboard and delivered a description of the screen and then repeated the process. Over and over, in a monotonic, bored voice that told the audience, “I’ve done this so many times before that I could literally do this in my sleep!”

 

The audience was quiet. There was zero interactivity, just the sound of the next keyboard tap and the presenter’s weary, tired, passionless voice.

 

Stunningly awful!

 

 

Moral: You’d better be passionate about your products!

 

 

If you are enjoying this series of posts, grab a copy of “Suspending Disbelief” – it delivers 35 more bitesize, engaging stories and lessons learned. Enjoy it here!  https://tinyurl.com/yc7rsrmy 

 

For practical guidance on the use of passion, pace, timing, language, humor, and other factors in demos see Chapter 15 in Great Demo! here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9SNKC2Y/