Thursday, January 19, 2017

Haiku-Deck: Simple But Too Simplistic?

Haiku-Deck is presentation software which, according to its website makes telling your story simple, beautiful and fun  According to Jane Hart’s listing it came into the top 200 in 2014 at number 66, dropped to 92 in 2015 and to 137 in 2016.  It is available in both free and premium versions and offers discounts for students and educators (which I took advantage of!).  Their website explains that Haiku-Deck makes it possible for anyone to easily make presentations that look as if they were created professionally by a graphics designer.  The site provides options to select layout, fonts and filters from a number of pre-designed elements as well as access to over 40 million creative commons images.  Premium members may complete decks on both PC and tablet.  Non-paying users must completed their decks on tablets via the Haiku-Deck app.

The review site Crowd Reviews  gives Haiku deck a 4.10/5 and ranks it 8/79 (Prezi is no.1).  Their reviewers particularly appreciated the ease with which the presentations could be shared and viewed on iPhones.  Several of the reviewers also appreciate how Haiku-deck  forces the user to simplify the message and communicate more through images.  The Haiku Deck website also emphasizes the opportunity to produce an Image rich more professional and consistent deck while having fun.  Although it appears that most users would want to use the millions of images available Susan Kistler  noted how easy it is to import your own images or charts quickly and easily. 

Additionally the company has introduced Haiku Deck Zuru which was reviewed in Geekwire The reviewer points out that Zuru uses AI and the results from millions of users to help the user create a new deck.  Zuru is accessible via both tablet and browser. As part of my research I signed up for a subscription.  I tried both Haiku-Deck and Haiku-Deck Zuru . Since I was really eager to learn more about how Zuru’s AI worked I tried it first and uploaded a PowerPoint deck I had created with text only – no background.  Zuru would also have enabled me to upload an outline or even an article from Wikipedia. It then brought up each slide and, based on the words on the slide, asked me to determine the most significant word or words on that slide.  Once I selected the key word it offered me a selection of images which could be inserted in each of the slides. After I had made my selections it whipped up a deck and prompted me make changes.  When I was done I downloaded the PowerPoint to my computer where I had the option to continue editing.  I was successful in my first attempt. I also tried Haiku-Deck which had similar functionality and worked on both tablet and PC.  The big difference is that you have to build your deck from scratch in Haiku-Deck and in Zuru you can import pre-existing content.  This is a big time saver.  Both my experience as well as the reviews revealed both strengths and limitations.

Haiku -Deck seems like a very simplified Power Point with better images.  There are only a few layout and font options but that makes it really quick and easy to learn.  There was also an option enabling insertion of the notes page and it was actually easier to enter the notes in Haiku-Deck because you could view the notes section more clearly than you can in Power Point.  It is really simple and did look good on the screen. I prefer creating on the PC and found the tablet creation more challenging – but the ability to create something that nice very quickly on the tablet is a plus. Positive aspects of Zuru included doing a solid job identifying the key words and providing images which supported that concept.  The process moved along quickly and there was no problem uploading my original Power Point or downloading that which was created on the site.  It was fun to see the final product.  I had some challenges logging in so sent an email describing my challenge and was contacted within two hours.  My challenge was corrected. 

Haiku Deck strikes me as a great classroom tool and I am planning to look for opportunities to use it in some upcoming training sessions. However, it would be far more effective in ILT (instructor led training) than webinar style. In an interactive session (live or virtual) the minimal slides can help foster more dialogue However for less interactive sessions, like most webinars the minimalism of the slides will make it more difficult for many people to comprehend the concept. 


For detailed financial or business updates with any degree of detail Haiku-Deck is not a good option because of its forced simplicity.   However the rich use of visuals could encourage the deck designer to think more visually.  And that change of perspective could also alter how you viewed your subject and might make you want to approach/deliver content differently.  It also forces you to use good PowerPoint design fundamentals.
There are some notable downsides to Haiku Deck and Zuru, some of which have been previously alluded to.  Fonts are one problem.  If you use Haiku Deck, when you download the presentation to your computer you are required to download fonts.  This can be problematic on a business computer whose amped up security will not allow any type of downloading.   With Zuru – the fonts are embedded but not appealing.  Therefore, after you download you will likely want to modify them all.  Although the simplicity is a plus it is also a challenge because many leaders and departments still send decks to meeting attendees as an informative tool.  People are used to reading the slide for the information (not notes page on a screen) so this presents a possible dissatisfier.

Haiku-Deck literally limits the amount of verbal content you can place on the slide and by its design tries to help you adhere to recommended PPT construction rules.  This link discusses some of the premise behind Haiku-Deck’s design rules which you are forced to follow.  Privacy is only available to premium subscribers which could be a challenge for businesses or anyone who is concerned about public availability of their content.  Not only are they publicly stored but the best decks are even featured on their gallery  and on Pinterest .
Also, because the decks in the free version are stored on their server you have to be connected to the internet in order to show your presentation.  There are times and locations where that can still be a challenge – and the photos can take a while to load.  With a premium license you can download decks in 3 forms – editable PPTX, un-editable or PDF. Consumer Advocate goes on to give  Haiku Deck Zuru a 7.7/10 emphasizing outstanding appearance but indicating challenges in being unable to add audio files or media.  Reviewer Susan Kistler pointed out limitations with the graphs – there are only 3 types, font can be small and there is minimal opportunity to manipulate them.
Overall, I think it may be too simplistic for my general use.  However, I do plan to continue playing with Haiku-Deck and will incorporate some of the photography into upcoming presentations.  At this point I don’t envision that I will be able to utilize Haiku-Deck as a substitute for Power Point but rather as an additional tool. https://www.haikudeck.com/presentations/Tricia.garwood
An area where I feel our business could use some great technology is in the virtual collaboration space.  Nothing seems ideal.  From this week’s top 200 I noted: WebEx, Zoom, Today’s Meet (with opportunities for backchannel discussion space), Team Viewer, Go to meeting, Kaltura, and Zeetings (enabling  participation from your own device).  I have used WebEx and Go to meeting but am curious to know more about any of the others or any with which you have had great experiences. Thanks!

12 comments:

  1. Tricia:
    Thank you for reviewing a digital tool that I had not previously known. I was wondering, why did you choose this tool to review? As a professional communicator, I often begin my PowerPoint presentations by saying, "this was designed by a PR pro, not a creative designer", so I can see how the basic principle of making presentations look better is very appealing. The number of templates and designs is also compelling. As you reflect on the impact that open source had for software development (Friedman, 2007), can you see some benefits for crowdsourcing as a way for Haiku-Deck to build a greater library of images and templates?
    Thanks-Krista
    Reference:
    Friedman (2007), The world is flat. New York: Picador.

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  2. Hi Krista,
    Thanks for asking! I selected Haiku-Deck because last fall one of our leaders asked us all to make our decks and one pagers more attractive and to work on telling a visual story. People tried in various ways and sometimes spend inordinate amounts of time playing with the appearance. This caused less time to be spent on content. Telling visual stories is not everyone's forte so I was curious to see how Haiku-Deck might enable the team to meet the goal of being more visually appealing yet save time. To your question of benefits of crowdsourcing. Absolutely Haiku-Deck is benefitting particularly through their access of the creative commons database (https://creativecommons.org/). With their addition of Zuru they also indicate that how the "crowd" responds and selects over time will continue to bolster and improve their AI. Do go play with it and see what you think. Is it just simple enough or too simplistic?
    Regards,
    Tricia

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  3. Nice review, Tricia. When teaching Masters level students in their 20's, they loved both the simplicity and the look and feel of Haiku-Deck. Yet, as you note, it can be too simplistic.

    Related to your point about creating more visual presentations, my "go to" book is Garr Reynolds (2011) Presentation Zen. This book was a game changer for me!

    https://www.amazon.com/Presentation-Zen-Simple-Design-Delivery/dp/0321811984

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    1. Dr. Watwood,

      Thanks so much for the reference and for letting me know how much your 20 something students enjoyed Haiku-Deck. That can certainly inform how I use it with some of our leaders/clients. Certain groups may be more drawn to certain types and styles of presentations. The departments push toward being more visual was without much guidance and it looks like Reynolds book may help add some parameters to that initiative.
      Tricia

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  4. Tricia,

    Great post! Your review of Haiku Deck (and Haiku Deck Zuru) was very informative. The idea of a graphic design quality presentation with an abundance of image choices is certainly appealing. In a Haiku Deck Blog, Tratt (2012) explained that every image search within Haiku Deck results in Creative Commons licensed images. When an image is selected, Haiku Deck embeds the image credit. This is a nice feature that simplifies the steps needed to properly attribute the image. Being able to access (and possibly rework) thousands of presentations is another characteristic that appeals to me. Sharing options could save a lot of time and prevent having to reinvent the wheel.

    Haiku Deck is popular in education, with more than a hundred thousand educators from 15,000 schools using the tool (Tratt, 2016). With PowerPoint geared to business professionals, the statistics are not surprising. Presentations created for, and by, children, would benefit from simplistic design and multiple image choices. There is a Haiku Deck Classroom option at $99/year for a teacher and up to 150 students that includes the advance privacy options. It strikes me that what might be too simplistic for our use could be just right for another audience. We might need a child’s perspective!

    CatOnKB


    References

    Tratt, A. (2012, December 17). Free photos for all: How Haiku Deck puts Creative Commons images at your fingertips [Blog post]. Haiku Deck. Retrieved from
    https://blog.haikudeck.com/free-photos-for-all-how-haiku-deck-puts-creative-commons-images-at-your-fingertips/

    Tratt, A. (2016, August 18). Haiku Deck Classroom brings Haiku Deck presentations to students and teachers [Blog post]. Haiku Deck. Retrieved from https://blog.haikudeck.com/haiku-deck-classroom/

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  5. Hi KatOnKB,

    Glad you are intrigued about Haiku-Deck and your points about classroom use are great. When I signed up for my membership I read through the classroom option and thought how fun that would be to offer it to students. And as popular as Instagram and Pinterest are - I think many students would enjoy uploading their own images as well. On the test deck I created in order to walk through the process I did note the image credits posted in fine print across the bottom of the slides. It in no way interfered with the display. I only alluded to it in my review but I do wonder what the impact of such a design system has on the overall creative process. Fundamental to the process is the need to problem solve and discover. Not sure where I stand and need to reflect more. Haiku-Deck increases efficiency and produces a good looking deck. The individual thought process involved in its creation is very different from that needed to craft a PPT or Keynote presentation. And I wonder what difference these and other changes toward simplicity will make on our overall way of thinking. Think big, think small ... or think not at all :-)
    ~Tricia

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  6. Tricia,

    You make an excellent point that different products will build different skills. This is an important consideration for educators who are selecting tools for learning activities. And, your wondering about the impact of such a design system on the overall creative process has me wondering too. Learning how to best convey information involves exploring the good and the bad, and questioning what is “best”. In this week's blog, Unicorn Magis (https://unicornmagis.wordpress.com/blog/) commented, “I am grateful that I grew up in a time before today’s tools, as well as before computers became standard... I often look at my fifteen year old and wonder what he would do if all of the ‘shortcuts’ went away”. Your comment "Think big, think small... or think not at all" gives us much to reflect on.

    CatOnKB

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    1. CatOnKB,
      Always appreciate our conversations! I too agree with Unicorn Magis - I am really grateful that as a child I did not have a tablet. And I am also grateful that I had to learn to research prior to google. AND I am so happy to have all these tools at my disposal now. Just popped into my head. We have a drinking age ... so what if we encouraged people to wait to have full access to computers - just enable limited. So that they could learn certain thinking and emotive skills first? Heresy I'm sure. But a thought ... lots to think on indeed!
      ~Tricia

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  7. Great and very detailed summary of Haiku-Deck. I like how you searched for other’s opinion/rating of the tool. As to your collaboration question, I use Skype for Business, which actually can be part of the Microsoft O365 suite. When everything works, O365 is an awesome collaboration platform. I regularly, in fact today, co-author documents at the same time with others using Word and Excel. Skype lets me instant message and audio/video chat easily for direct meetings. I noted Sway in another post, but it is a presentation application that is part of O365, but you can get it by itself by going to Sway.com. It lets you create presentations with multiple media types and displays the output correctly for whatever device accesses the link you send them. It can have a PowerPoint as part of the presentation, but I don’t think that it edits it like Haiku-Deck would.
    Thanks,
    Shawn

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    1. Shawn,
      Thanks so much for your encouragement to continue to fully explore O365. Clearly so much I do not know. I think Lync as become Skype in O365 so I might be using that without realizing it. Or I don't know what I'm talking about :-) Sway sounds really helpful because the issue of accurate display regardless of device access. In terms of using other's opinions - that is one thing I really appreciate about the internet. Sometimes conflicting for sure, but when I have minimal knowledge about something I enjoy perusing others' thoughts. In this case I had no experience other than my experiment last Tuesday and figured that was no way an adequate knowledge base from which to speak. Looking forward to playing a bit more with Haiku-Deck and Sway for sure. Thanks again for sharing your experience.
      ~Tricia

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  8. Tricia,

    As I was reading your review, I was thinking to myself about how this tool didn't really seem too different from Powerpoint. However, your point about forcing simplicity made me think about how content on the Web 2.0 needs to be eye-catching first or no one will stick around and continue to look. I think that this is a rather important side effect of the information overload the is occurring. Making the user experience simple and enjoyable is definitely not a downside but I think it is important to balance with content. Professor Watwood mentioned how younger students seem to be more driven by a certain level of simplicity and was wondering if you found other reviewers coming to the same conclusion?

    Chris

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  9. Hi Chris,

    Several of the reviews touched upon use of Haiku-Deck for really young students (grades 3-8). The simplicity of the tool is ideal for them. Dr. Watwood has found his students are drawn in by the visuals, which was also a key feature mentioned in all the reviews. And my experience bears out that the visuals are pretty impressive. And the program really does force simplicity. If you try to put more words on the slide than they feel you should - the program limits you. In one case I tried to force more and the end result had the lines overlapping. So truly, you need to keep your font a reasonable size and very few items per slide.

    So PPT has many more bells and whistles and you can control it far more. When you want to strip down and look pretty sharp - Haiku-Deck is a super alternative.
    Tricia

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