How to do a software demo?

Making effective software demonstrations involves planning, practice, and the ability to communicate clearly and persuasively. Here are some tips for conducting successful software demos:

• Understand Your Audience: Know your audience and tailor the demonstration to their needs and levels of knowledge.
• Define Clear Objectives: Set specific goals for the demonstration. What aspects of the software do you want to highlight? What key points do you want the audience to understand?
• Prepare the Environment: Ensure that the demo environment is configured and functioning correctly. Avoid technical surprises.
• Pre-test: Conduct thorough testing of the software before the demonstration to avoid unexpected issues.
• Key Workflow: Identify key workflows you want to highlight. Focus on demonstrating the most important features and benefits of the software.
• Coherent Narrative: Create a coherent narrative for the demonstration. Explain how the software addresses specific problems or improves processes.
• Interactivity: If possible, encourage interactivity by allowing the audience to perform specific actions during the demonstration.
• Handling Questions: Prepare answers for common questions that may arise during the demonstration. This demonstrates confidence and product knowledge.
• Short and Focused Demo: Keep the demonstration short and focused. Avoid overwhelming the audience with too much information.
• Real-world Scenarios: Use real-world scenarios to illustrate how the software can benefit users in practical situations.
• Practice, Practice, Practice: Practice the demonstration several times to familiarize yourself with the flow and minimize potential errors.
• Seek Feedback: After the demonstration, seek feedback to improve future presentations.

Remember that a successful demonstration is not just about showcasing features but conveying how the software can solve problems and add value to users.

Real situations

Begin your presentation by addressing the overall concept and objective of the project. As you progress in the exposition, discuss details and more specific aspects. It is recommended to start by explaining the general purpose of the project, namely, what problem you intend to solve or what challenge you aim to address with the proposed solution. Then, delve into the details as you advance in the explanation.

It is crucial to test the software that will be showcased in the demo before starting it, assessing which flows are safe and which are not. Start by demonstrating the safe flows to convey a sense of consistency and functionality. If achieved, the audience will trust that everything is functioning correctly. After completing the safer flows, you can explore less secure flows and even involve the audience. However, be aware that this comes with risks, so if something goes wrong, it's important to act naturally and not get stuck.

In some situations, it's possible to test certain elements before explaining them during the demo. This will provide immediate feedback and allow you to navigate potential errors without the audience noticing. For example, instead of announcing that you are going to save and test the saving flow in the demo, you could simply perform the save action and then report that it has been completed or imply that the action was successful.