1) The graphic: is this an example of diagram developed by the consultants to help them understand a complex idea? If so, the mistake was not the graphic per se, but not developing a new diagram(s) to help explain the newly-understood ideas to their audience. Understanding vs. explanation.

2) If this is true, then – as Nancy rightly points out – the mistake was that the consultants didn’t go through a second (or third or fourth) iteration before delivering this to their client. In software-speak, they released an alpha version (complete with bugs and undeveloped parts).

In both cases, this seems like (since I am speculating) a project execution and delivery breakdown, not necessarily a problem with PP itself (though I readily admit the “cognitive style” of PP does encourage lack-of-thinking).

Also – you can certainly create some rather amazing graphics in PPT if you are willing to take the time. I’ll admit that most designers will be more comfortable/efficient in Photoshop or Illustrator, but I have seen our designers create some graphics in PPT that blow people away. The benefit is the ease of editing (color changes, etc.) and smaller file size (theoretically).

Of course, nothing beats starting your presentation the old fashioned way – with a piece of paper and a pen.

I am inclined to argue that PowerPoint is at fault, at least initially. It presents users with horrible text-centric designs from the get go. Keynote is only marginally better in that its backgrounds are less distracting and the typeface is more visually appealing.
But for the user who has been trained to create better presentations, at least Keynote allows them to do that efficiently!

We need to remember that a good craftsman never blames his tools!

Peter

But even if you did draw these type of objects outside of PowerPoint my main frustration with PowerPoint is that there are no layers and precise transformation tools. From looking at well done presentations I see that slides are often made up of PowerPoint objects and objects drawn outside PowerPoint but they need to be all integrated – on top, or underneath, and/or lined up. And then this seems like hell when you have to make one small edit to an item underneath a bunch of stuff.

I’ve seen Illustrator evolve over the years since version 1. I remember when you could finally edit in the preview mode, when they added layers, etc. Even though PowerPoint seems to be such a popular program it seems to remain crude. They just add a couple of strange bells and whistles once in a while.

The typical Microsoft interface makes me completely crazy. I recently took a stab again at brushing up my PowerPoint skills but I again got frustrated with it’s interface. I have to keep moving things out of the way to edit some other object and then move it back, placing it by hand again. I asked a PowerPoint expert that I farm out PowerPoint work to about how she deals with some of these issues, like when you have many layers and you need to change something underneath. She said she usually goes out and has a cigarette first. She also said she saves a working document, keeping layers on separate slides which she can edit and then rebuild the slide when needed. That sounds like something I used to do in the 80s when I was an illustrator for a text book company working in Illustrator 1.

To me the whole presentation idea seems great and when you see a really nice presentation like what Duarte does it’s very impressive and captivating. But PowerPoint itself just seems like such a completely lame and crude tool. Do you just have to get used to it’s crudeness. Is Keynote any better?

A frightening image after reading the NYT article and many of the comments on it…
WE ARE LIVING IN A WORLD OF DUMB ASSES!

Hellooo, there is no such thing as “dumb idiot power point presentations”, there are “dumb idiot presenters”.

Just imagine a CEO, after a transparencies overhead projected presentation conducted by an employee, telling the presenter that the presentation sucked, being answered:
“well, it is film and lumocolor pens fault!”.

Gonna hang myself in the nearest light post…