1.5.1. Microsoft Powerpoint

Microsoft Powerpoint is a presentation program that was developed to be used on the Windows platform and Mac OS. This program allows users to create presentations using templates, graphics, text and other features that are placed on individual slides that will make up the structure of the presentation. Although Microsoft Powerpoint is used by business men and women and students everyday, many helpful features are missing and important dimensions of the program should be fixed.

Good Features:

• easy to use user interface
• templates and design wizards for easy presentation planning
• allows user to layer text, graphics and background
• provides a range of colors on its color palette
• provides features to size text blocks, graphics and backgrounds
• allows for easy layout of text with slide layouts
• timing and slide transition options that the user can set
• multiple text fonts, sizes and styles
• easy printing capabilities for printing single or multiple slides per page

Bad Features:

• must download templates from an additional CD; not all features are downloaded when program is installed
• cannot jump from one slide to another if not in sequential order (i.e. slide 2 to slide 24)
• limited number of slide layouts and presentation formats
• cannot incorporate multiple slide templates together into a single presentation
• single workspace to accomplish work only

Missing Features:

• slide changed cannot be made from another computer and automatically be updated to projected screen
• unable to collapse and expand slides to provide more or less information
• unable to import information with automatic slide generation
• no messaging capability to other views of the same presentation
• does not provide an interactive platform for multiple users to compile thoughts on a single    presentation
• does not allow for students or presentation viewers to make individual comments
• no form of keeping track of viewers of the presentation