You have worked hard and finally finished your Product Manager case study assignment. Now it’s time for you to kick back and relax until your interview. If that was your thought process, let’s stop you right there, as you are about to make a fatal mistake! Your case study presentation is as vital as designing the product itself. You have to be well-prepared and look effortlessly confident to show your interviewers that you believe in the product you just created.
Remember seeing that requirement about “excellent communication skills” on the Product Manager job posting? Well, this is the time to prove to your potential employer that you have that requirement! In this post, we’ll break down the steps you need to give a winning case study presentation. Here’s what we’ll cover:
- Design and Brand Your Presentation Materials
- Have the Right Amount of Content
- Include Visuals and Media to Spark Feedback from the Audience
- Make Sure You Can Explain Your Product to a Five-Year-Old and a Ph.D. Simultaneously
1. Design and Brand Your Presentation Materials
The fact you are not a current employee of the company shouldn’t prevent you from acting like you are one of them.
The best way to prove that you are a big fan of the company and have the spirit to join the team is to use company colors, logos, and any media related to them. A good design always draws attention, and you want to grab as much attention as you can.
Many of our members who are just beginning to interview feel apprehensive about their design skills. Because of this, they try to avoid any creative thinking by going with a generic design. This is a significant mistake: your design should be impressive enough to attract the audience but not too ornate to distract them from the content.
So how do you find the right balance?
To get started, choose a generic theme. Then, change the color scheme to your company’s theme colors. The same recommendation goes for the font you use. You should go beyond the good old “Times New Roman” or “Calibri” and choose a font that’s both sleek and legible. If you can find the company’s branded fonts, even better.
Last but not least, make sure you include the company logo at the beginning of your presentation. This is perhaps the most direct way of branding your case study presentation.
2. Have the Right Amount of Content
Now that you have grabbed your audience’s attention with your sleek design, it’s time to focus on the actual material.
When it comes to a Product Manager case study presentation, you should always have just enough content to ensure that people know just enough about your product to be convinced that it has potential but still curious about the finer details, which will keep them engaged throughout the presentation.
That being said, you should include all the relevant details about the fundamental aspects of the product. Your presentation is only as strong as the ideas you have. Before you focus on the presentation, make sure you’ve solved the case study as effectively as possible. To make sure you’re going into the case study interview round prepared, check out this video:
The case study presentation should reiterate the problem statement, including the product’s objective, target user personas, key features for the MVP, wireframes for the design, and success metrics. It should be an attractive visual summary of a Requirements Document that you would create for your internal teams.
3. Include Visuals and Media to Spark Feedback from the Audience
The rule of thumb for any successful presentation is to have as little text as possible but still clearly communicate your message. This is where high-quality graphics come to your aid.
Pictures do speak louder than words, and as a Product Manager, your designs should do the same. The best way to ensure that everybody understands your product is to include wireframes and preliminary designs in your presentation. You should allocate a considerable amount of time to go over your designs and ask the interviewer for feedback.
Most people are more visual than literal, and activating the brain’s visual cortex will ensure that your interviewers remain engaged throughout your presentation. When going over your designs, ask them questions, see what they think, and learn about the things they would have done differently.
Wireframing can be intimidating for the novice Product Manager. If you are struggling with figuring out how to sketch and what to sketch, make sure you sign up for the Product Gym Case Study course to learn everything you need to know about UX/UI design as a Product Manager. Not only do we talk about wireframing, but we also provide you with the frameworks you need to create, document, and present your product (including slide deck templates!)
4. Make Sure You Can Explain Your Product to a Five-Year-Old and a Ph.D. Simultaneously
As humans, we think everyone has the same mental capacity when learning about something that we know very well. We all unconsciously believe that everyone has the same amount of information about the things we know.
Unfortunately, this is not the case, and it’s perhaps the number one reason why so many presentations fail.
Your audience will consist of different kinds of stakeholders who come from diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise. Some of them might be completely unaware of the product you are discussing, while others might have spent days thinking about the product you just presented.
Regardless of the audience’s average knowledge level, it’s always best to start simple. This way, you’ll ensure that everyone is on the same page with the basics. As you progress further, let your audience engage and ask more detailed questions. Your answers to those questions will display your proficiency in the product and prove to your interviewers that your thought process was beyond the basics.
By focusing on the knowledge base of your audience, you’re making sure everyone will have a positive experience with your presentation. You’re also demonstrating your strength as a communicator.
With the Case Study Presentation
Need more advice on how to solve and present case studies? These tricky interview rounds can be the most intimidating part of the Product Manager job hunt. That’s why the Product Gym curriculum includes case study breakdowns, and why our coaches are always available to respond to your questions.
Our community of aspiring Product Managers have been there, and we’ve encountered every case study struggle you could imagine. Want to benefit from community support and courses around winning the Product Manager case study? Schedule a free consultation with our career coaches to see if Product Gym is the right choice for your PM career path. We’d love to answer any questions you still have.
