EC-301h · Module 1

Deck Design for Virtual

3 min read

A deck designed for a physical room will not read correctly on a video call. The executive in a physical room is looking at a large screen from fifteen feet away. The executive on a video call is looking at a screen share on a laptop at 50% brightness from eighteen inches away. The physical distance and screen conditions are radically different. Deck design assumptions must account for the virtual viewing environment.

Do This

  • Use font sizes at least 24pt for body text, 32pt minimum for headlines — smaller text disappears on compressed screen shares
  • Increase contrast: dark text on white backgrounds, or white text on dark backgrounds with no gradients
  • Reduce information density: a slide that looks reasonable on a room screen becomes overwhelming on a laptop share
  • Use simple, bold charts with clear labels — fine details in charts are unreadable at screen share compression levels
  • Test the deck as a screen share before the call — view it at the resolution the executive will see

Avoid This

  • Design for the full-screen physical room view and assume it translates — it does not
  • Use fonts below 18pt for any text you expect the executive to read
  • Include footnotes or fine print that requires the executive to lean into the screen
  • Use color schemes with low contrast — pale grays, light blues — that wash out on compressed video
  • Use slide transitions or animations that compress poorly in screen share mode