7/29/2021 Design & Product Pitch Canvas.

uct Pitch Canvas. Need to pitch a product idea, design… | by Dan Nessler | Jul, 2021 | UX Collective

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Design & Product Pitch Canvas

Need to pitch a product idea, design, or even present yourself in a job interview? If
the answer is yes, this Pitch Canvas might provide you with a good starting point.

Dan Nessler 1 day ago · 4 min read

Canvases have been all over the place in recent years. They have become a go-to
resource in design, business and other fields. I first encountered the Business Value &
Value proposition Canvas by Strategizer (Alex Osterwalder), followed by the Team
Canvas (Alexey Ivanov & Mitya Voloshchuk). Nowadays, there are even Canvases to
create Canvases 😱 (Benoit Dessaucy).

Although they should not be randomly blindly and applied in every case, they might
provide a valuable foundation for collaboration, a shared understanding or structure to
tackle reoccurring challenges or processes.

Challenge
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7/29/2021 Design & Product Pitch Canvas. Need to pitch a product idea, design… | by Dan Nessler | Jul, 2021 | UX Collective

In a business environment, we are constantly required to present and «sell» our work,
designs, ideas or ourselves. The discipline of selling is not exclusive to the job of a so-
called salesperson.

As Mike Monteiro rightfully stated:

«Work that can’t be sold is as useless as the designer

who can’t sell it.»
When it comes to doing so, we often lack a starting point, forget who we are doing it
for or overload our pitch with an endless list of bullet points noone can remember.

Pitch Canvas
That’s where the Pitch Canvas comes in. Although I am pretty sure there are similar
approaches out there, I had to do one for myself, as I had found myself a victim of the
pitfalls mentioned above many times.

The Pitch Canvas provides you with guidance when preparing a pitch or presentation.
It leads you through the relevant components necessary to tell a compelling story and
helps you to convey your idea.

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7/29/2021 Design & Product Pitch Canvas. Need to pitch a product idea, design… | by Dan Nessler | Jul, 2021 | UX Collective

Based on and inspired by Petra Sammer’s storytelling principles, UX basics & some
marketing lingo bingo, here are the main components of the canvas:

Reason Why
Why are you telling your «story» in the first place? What’s the purpose of your project?
What good do you want to achieve?

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7/29/2021 Design & Product Pitch Canvas. Need to pitch a product idea, design… | by Dan Nessler | Jul, 2021 | UX Collective

Persona
Who’s the «hero» (persona) of your story? Whose problem are you solving, and what’s
this person’s «job to be done».

Conflict/Problem
What is the initial problem or the conflict you are trying to solve for your persona?

Vision & big idea

What is is your «big idea», and how is your product or service going to solve this issue.
Describe it in one sentence and make it tangible or visual.

Story structure
What is the flow of the story? List the key points in a meaningful order following e.g.
«AIDA: 1. Grab Attention, Trigger Interest, Create Desire, Prompt Action» or «Story =
1. Hero, + 2. Conflict > 3. Attempt at liberation» (solution).
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7/29/2021 Design & Product Pitch Canvas. Need to pitch a product idea, design… | by Dan Nessler | Jul, 2021 | UX Collective

Creation of awareness (emotional content)

How are you are going to appeal to your audience on an emotional level (address
negative emotions: disgust, fear, anger, sadness / provide positive emotions: surprise,
joy)?

Virality (format)
How do you enable your audience to easily share your story (tangible deliverables,
format, channel, sharing options)?

Your audience (needs & goals)

Who is your audience? What are their expectation, needs and goals you want to
address to achieve your goals?

Final thoughts

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7/29/2021 Design & Product Pitch Canvas. Need to pitch a product idea, design… | by Dan Nessler | Jul, 2021 | UX Collective

I have used this canvas at work, and I have introduced it to students for years. It has
been helpful as an initial starting point, providing structure and as a tool of
collaboration. Treat it as such rather than the holy grail.

Project Canvas A4-PDF Download

Feel free to create a Mural, Miro, Figma or any other template.

dannessler.com | twitter.com/nessie420

Icon credits to Icons8.

The UX Collective donates US$1 for each article we publish. This story contributed to World-Class Designer
School: a college-level, tuition-free design school focused on preparing young and talented African
designers for the local and international digital product market. Build the design community you believe in.

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