The big idea: A prototype pitch is not a progress trophy: it is a timed, honest story that shows what you built, what people did with it and what that means for your client.
In 60 seconds
- A prototype pitch is a timed story backed by what people did with your prototype.
- Give every part one message and a so-what for your client.
- Budget minutes, not slides, and stop at the time limit.
Do this: build one outline for your Summer Prototype Update and your Final Prototype Presentation to Class.
How a prototype pitch works
You pitch your prototype twice in the fall: the Summer Prototype Update in late August and the Final Prototype Presentation to Class in November. Both reward the same thing: a clear story backed by what people actually did with your prototype.
People and problem
Who struggles, where, and why it matters now.
Say: one person, one moment.
Insight
Why the problem happens, not just what happens.
Say: “because…”
Prototype
Show the thing. Do not just describe it.
Bring: the object, photos, a sketch or a walkthrough.
Evidence
What testers did and said, and what surprised you.
Say: how many, and what changed.
So what and next
What it means for your client and what you do next.
Ask: for the help you need.
Two presentations, two jobs
Summer Prototype Update
- A baseline, not a trophy. Lane and Jules need to know where your team really stands at the start of fall.
- 15 minutes, hard stop. Then 5 minutes of discussion that does not come out of your time.
- Five parts. Where you left off, where you are now, the prototype today, what you keep or reconsider, and what is next.
- Bring what survived. Photos, sketches, a mockup, or a description if nothing physical made it through the summer.
Final Prototype Presentation to Class
- PowerPoint, in November. Presented to the class and worth 50 points in the fall.
- The prototype. What it is and how someone uses it.
- What testing showed. Who tested it, what they did, what you changed.
- Next steps. Where the Implementation phase picks up in December. Check Canvas for the full outline.
The so-what check
For every part of your talk, finish this sentence out loud: “This matters to our client because…” If you cannot finish it, fix the part or cut it. A fact without a so-what makes the audience do your thinking for you.
Plain beats polished
If nothing happened over the summer, say so plainly. The update asks for it. Being straight about where you are builds more trust than spin.
Time is a skill
At 15 minutes you stop, finished or not. Consultants work inside time limits, so rehearse with a timer until the limit feels roomy.
Plan by minutes, not slidesHow to budget a timed talk
Slides do not take equal time. A title slide takes ten seconds. A prototype walkthrough can take three minutes. Budget each part in minutes first, then build slides to fit.
- Write the one message for each part before anyone opens PowerPoint.
- Give the most time to the prototype and the evidence. That is what the room came to see.
- Keep about a minute of buffer. Live talks run longer than rehearsals.
- Rehearse the full talk out loud at least twice, including the handoffs between speakers.
- Name one teammate as timekeeper with a quiet signal for “two minutes left.”
Show the prototype in the roomFour ways to make it visible, even when it is rough
Physical or paper
Hand it around or hold it up. A rough object is more convincing than a polished description.
Watch out: one copy passed around eats time. Put a photo on the slide too.
Storyboard or walkthrough
Step the room through one person’s experience, frame by frame.
Watch out: pick one path. Three branching paths lose people.
Role-play
Two teammates act out the before and after, for example a patient going home with and without your card.
Watch out: rehearse it. An unrehearsed role-play reads as a joke.
Digital mockup
Click through it live so the room sees it respond.
Watch out: keep screenshots in the deck in case the Wi-Fi or the login fails.
Turn evidence into a so-whatClaim, evidence, implication
Every evidence slide needs three parts. Example: campus dining wait times.
- Claim: Students do not trust a pickup shelf they cannot see from the line.
- Evidence: 5 of 8 testers walked to the counter to ask about their order anyway.
- So what: the shelf has to be visible from the line, which changes where dining services would put it.
The numbers in this example are made up to show the pattern. Use your own testing notes.
Use the discussion timeThe 5 minutes after the Summer Prototype Update
- It is separate time and not optional filler. Plan for it.
- Bring two questions you want help with. Specific questions get specific help.
- When someone pushes on an assumption, say what evidence you have and what you do not have yet.
- Write down every question. Your next Weekly Consulting Brief can answer them.
Pitching to a client, not just the classSame story, different stakes
A client cares about what they can do, what it costs them and what risk they take on. Keep the same five beats, but aim the so-what at their decisions. For example, a hospital unit manager wants to know how many nurse minutes your discharge card adds per patient, not how much testers liked it.
Creating a pitch is one of the Implementation phase topics in December, so the story you build now becomes the base for that work.
Try it: Pitch Outline Builder
Tool · BUAD 497
Pitch Outline Builder
Write the one message each part must land, give it minutes, and run a so-what check on every part.
- 1Outline
- 2Time
- 3Rehearse
Your talk on the clock
So-what check, part by part
Put it to work: your two prototype presentations
Use the same build for both fall presentations. The Summer Prototype Update follows the five-part outline in Canvas: 15 minutes to present, then 5 minutes of discussion. The Final Prototype Presentation to Class is a PowerPoint on your prototype, what testing showed and your next steps. Check Canvas for its full outline and time.
Build it in five steps
Write one message per part
Use the Pitch Outline Builder above. One or two sentences per part, each with a so-what.
Your deliverable: a one-page outline the whole team agrees on before anyone builds slides.
Budget the minutes
Give the most time to the prototype and the evidence. Keep a buffer.
Your deliverable: minutes per part that add up to less than your limit.
Gather proof
Pull photos, sketches, quotes and counts from your testing notes and Weekly Consulting Briefs.
Your deliverable: one piece of evidence on screen for every claim.
Build slides to the outline
Headline each slide with its message, not a topic label.
Your deliverable: slide headlines like “Testers walked past the shelf,” not “Testing results.”
Rehearse with a timer and a skeptic
Run it twice, full length. One teammate asks the hardest question your client would ask.
Your deliverable: a run time under the limit and two questions you want help with.
Examples: weak and strong messagesSame part, before and after
| Part | Weak | Strong |
|---|---|---|
| Where you are now | We were busy this summer but kept thinking about the project. | Nothing formal happened. Two of us worked dining jobs and saw the line peak right after class change, so timing matters more than ordering. |
| What testing showed | Testing went great and people liked it a lot. | We watched 7 caregivers use the card. Five found the first-night section without help. Two skipped it because the font was too small, so we enlarged it. |
| What is next | We will keep working hard on the project. | First step: time the Monday lunch rush. We need help getting dining services to share line data. |
Examples: campus dining wait times and a hospital discharge process. Numbers are illustrative.
Do this, not thatHabits that work and common mistakes
Do this
- Open with a person and a moment.
- Show the prototype, even if it is rough.
- Say how many people tested it and what they did.
- Name one assumption you are letting go of.
- Stop at the limit and use the discussion.
Not that
- Opening with your team’s journey.
- Describing a prototype no one can see.
- “Everyone loved it.”
- Hiding a quiet summer behind vague slides.
- Reading the slides out loud.
- Running long into your own discussion time.
Before you presentRun this checklist the day before
- [ ] Every part has one message with a so-what.
- [ ] Minutes add up to less than the limit.
- [ ] The prototype is visible: object, photos, mockup or walkthrough.
- [ ] Every testing claim says who and how many.
- [ ] You name at least one thing you are reconsidering.
- [ ] Slide headlines are messages, not topic labels.
- [ ] Two full timed rehearsals are done.
- [ ] Two questions are ready for the discussion.
- [ ] If you used AI, your AI statement is ready: tool, how you used it, prompts.
Go deeper
Back to all BUAD 497 topics · Next: The HCD Technical Report
In-class team activity · 25 min
The So-What Gauntlet
By the end: A five-part outline for your client project's next prototype presentation, stress-tested by another team, with evidence for the weakest part, a six-word prototype headline and two questions for the discussion. Your instructor will give you the password in class.
Part of the Smith GLS human-centered leadership sequence: IB 407, BUAD 317 and BUAD 497, toward the Human Centered Consulting Certificate.
Frequently asked questions
What should a prototype pitch presentation include?
A strong prototype pitch has five parts: people and problem, insight, prototype, evidence, and so what and next. Open with one person in one moment, explain why the problem happens, show the prototype rather than describe it, share how many people tested it and what changed, then say what it means for your client and ask for the help you need.
What is the so-what check in a presentation?
The so-what check means finishing one sentence out loud for every part of your talk: "This matters to our client because…" If you cannot finish it, fix the part or cut it. A fact without a so-what makes the audience do your thinking for you. Evidence slides use the same idea in three parts: claim, evidence and implication.
How do you plan a timed presentation?
Budget each part in minutes first, then build slides to fit, because slides do not take equal time. Give the most time to the prototype and the evidence, keep about a minute of buffer, rehearse the full talk out loud at least twice, and name one teammate as timekeeper. For the Summer Prototype Update, 15 minutes is a hard stop.
How do you show a prototype in a presentation?
Make the prototype visible in the room, even when it is rough. Hold up a physical or paper version with a photo on the slide too, step through a storyboard of one person's experience, have two teammates role-play the before and after, or click through a digital mockup live with backup screenshots in the deck. A rough object is more convincing than a polished description.
What are the Summer Prototype Update and Final Prototype Presentation in BUAD 497?
These are the two fall prototype pitches. The Summer Prototype Update in late August is a baseline: 15 minutes in five parts, then 5 minutes of discussion. The Final Prototype Presentation to Class in November is a PowerPoint worth 50 points covering the prototype, what testing showed and next steps. Both reward a clear story backed by what people actually did.