Case Studies
Show, Don’t Tell
Rapid Prototyping to Enable Sales Efforts
The Challenge
For over a year, I led the design side of an internal strategic initiative known as Sales Engineering—or as we called it, The Demo Squad.
The goal was clear:
- Replace lengthy, confusing PowerPoints with fully functional, coded prototypes.
- Help firm Partners bring “art of the possible” ideas to life for high-profile client engagements.
- Create demo-ready experiences that could be showcased live or repurposed for industry conferences and sales efforts.
The Mission
By making ideas tangible and interactive, we could win buy-in faster and generate greater excitement from stakeholders and clients.
The Results
prototypes created
week turnaround time (average)
Million in attributed sales
By replacing static slides with immersive, interactive experiences, we transformed how ideas were presented, sold, and scaled across industries.
The Process
Kickoff Workshop: Setting the Foundation
Every engagement began with a fast-paced, structured workshop involving a small, cross-functional team of five, subject matter experts (SMEs), and firm Partners.
Typical Agenda:
Introductions & Icebreaker
Establishing rapport and understanding the business context.
Defining the Problem
Identifying pain points and user needs.
Ideation Activities:
- Crazy 8’s – Rapid sketching of initial concepts.
- Share & Vote – Identifying the most promising ideas.
- Feature/Idea Storm – Expanding on key concepts.
- Decision Matrix – Prioritizing features for the prototype.
- Solution Storyboarding – Structuring the narrative for the demo.
Why storytelling?
Clients and stakeholders respond best to stories, not specs.
By using Pixar-inspired storytelling frameworks, we structured demos around a simple but effective formula:
- Setup – Introduce the character(s) and scenario.
- Rising Action – Present the challenge or pain point.
- Resolution – Demonstrate how the solution transforms the experience.
“Telling stories is key to getting clients interested.”
Partner, Healthcare Practice
Designing & Prototyping
Wireframing
With the story locked in, I outlined the key screens needed to bring the narrative to life.
- Created wireframes in Sketch
- Built interactive click-through prototypes in InVision
- Gathered early feedback from stakeholders
Creating the Visual Experience
Once wireframes were finalized, I moved into high-fidelity UI design using:
- Sketch & Adobe Creative Cloud to craft pixel-perfect screens
- Consistent design patterns for scalability and reusability
Prototyping
- Interactive InVision prototypes were created with static images and hotspots.
- Prototypes were shared with stakeholders for early feedback and iteration.
- Sometimes, this was the final deliverable—we’d record the prototype for video demos.
Bringing It to Life
For live demonstrations, we went a step further.
Once the prototype was built, we ran user validation tests to refine the experience before taking it to clients.
- Worked with backend developers to build interactive, coded versions.
- Created redline specs for a seamless handoff.
- Handled front-end coding as needed using HTML, CSS, PHP, and AngularJS.
“Our client was blown away when they saw a working version of their idea in under 2 weeks.”
Healthcare CTO, New York
Live Demos & Conference Showcases
Whenever possible, we aimed to demo our prototypes live in front of clients.
The excitement of seeing a fully interactive concept, just weeks after an initial conversation, was a game-changer.
Our demos were also showcased at major industry conferences, including:
- Google Next ’19
- Grace Hopper
- Google Next ’18 (US & UK)
To maximize impact, we also rebranded and repackaged our demos:
- Created generic, faux-branded versions to be used across industries.
- Produced self-running demo videos for internal sharing and sales enablement.
The Power of Storytelling in Sales
Beyond just building prototypes, our team developed fully narrated video demos that could be used long after the initial engagement.
Lessons Learned
- Stories help stakeholders understand problems and solutions quickly.
- You don’t always need code
InVision and static mocks can feel very real. - APIs are your friend
Integrating live data adds credibility to demos. - Speed matters
Sometimes working fast yields the best results. - Acting is harder than it looks
I appeared in many of our demo videos!