Haiku Deck Blog

We love hearing about all the different ways members of our community use Haiku Deck each day. Aside from the great feeling we get from happy users, we get invaluable feedback about ways we can improve the experience. Last week, we received this message from a new user, “I was able to create 2 fab last minute presentations and secured a new job… You are amazing!”

Our collective day being made, we had to learn more, which led to this interview with Tammy Leipacher, of Birmingham, England. Tammy works in training and education after a stint working for an organization that helped people start and grow their own businesses.

Here’s more about the story of how Tammy used Haiku Deck to land her new job.

Tammy Leipacher, Haiku Deck user

Congrats on your new job! What is it that you do?

I work for a technical training academy, my work is focussed on engaging with employers and helping young people gain apprenticeships.

How did you use Haiku Deck when applying for your job?

I used it to create two presentations, I don’t believe in death by slides and wanted something to complement what I had to say and not be the focus. I used it to search for images that had a relevance and tied in with the message I wanted to get across. They added interest and colour to my presentation in a way that standard slides don’t. I used your templates (which are so easy to use) to highlight the key points that I wanted to make.

In what ways did Haiku Deck make a difference for you?

It was the simplicity of putting the slides together and being able to find relevant but fun and quirky images to get my message across.   I was also able to take a photo of some of my own artwork, admittedly a stick drawing of myself and use that. I have used other presentation software before and there is always a worry that something will go wrong and that was the last thing I wanted in an interview. With Haiku Deck I simply produced it on my ipad and it was there ready. I had really good feedback about both presentations and I know that my confidence in my presentation made a huge difference

How do you use presentations in your new role?

I have to present to senior teams and at events throughout the region. Haiku Deck will certainly be a part of future presentations

What do you do to keep your presentations engaging/interesting/memorable?

For me it’s about putting your own personality into your presentations and making sure what you have to say is relevant. If appropriate, a little humour can also go a long way. If they can remember you, chances are they will remember what you had to say.

What advice do you have for people for who are starting to hunt for jobs of their own?

Be confident in your abilities and know what your skills are. My biggest piece of advice though is to look for something you’re going to enjoy doing. It’s so much easier to sell yourself at interview if it’s something you are passionate about. Oh and for presentations use Haiku Deck.

Good or bad, we always appreciate the opportunity to meet our users and find out about their lives. Drop us an email and tell us your story!

We’re so proud of the team here at Haiku Deck today, as we push the button on Haiku Deck 3.5 for iPad. Here’s what’s new and awesome:

1. Vastly improved image search: With this latest release, we’ve got our best and brightest image matching technology ever. Over the past few years, Haiku Deck users have matched tens of millions of images with their ideas. We’ve always used the choices of users to inform the results for future users, but this new release is faster, more accurate, and more intelligent than ever before. You should notice the difference right away.
2. Template Gallery and Copy Templates comes to iPad: It’s always been our vision to make it 10 times faster and easier to create decks that are 10 times more compelling. One way we’re delivering on this is by making public and reusable content from our community available to everyone. After seeing the tremendous popularity of the copy decks feature and template gallery on Haiku Deck for Web, we’re finally bringing similar functionality to iPad. This lets users find templates that suit their needs. In iPad, just click the GALLERY button and then look for Template Gallery along the top. Once you find a template that suits you, just click Copy and you’re already half way home! Some examples of what you’ll find there include:
   • Idea Sharing
   • Professional Profile
   • How-To
   • Press Release
   • Social Media Report
   • Webinar
   • Status Update
   • Event Recap

1. Drag and Drop List Items: One of our most requested features is now available on iPad. To reorder your list items just tap on the number or bullet and drag it up or down in the list. You’re going to love it!

As always, we love to hear your feedback! Drop us a line, send us a tweet, or better yet, tweet us a Haiku Deck to tell us what you think! If you love the latest version of Haiku Deck, we’d appreciate a quick review on iTunes!