Too many product marketers and sales representatives skip live product demos. Are you one of them? If yes, you are missing a big opportunity to introduce prospects to the product and elevate the onboarding power to 10. A product demo, especially when done live, can draw attention to product launches, introduce new users to your interface, and nudge them to the AHA moment – resulting in increased product activation, adaption, and retention rates.
One important thing you need to pay attention to is the product demo UI/UX because sometimes it can go wrong. And you do not want to face any possible consequences associated with it, especially when you are preparing for a live demo.
In this blog, we will cite some of the best onboarding flow patterns and UX principles you should keep in mind if you want to perfect your live demo and create a smooth onboarding process for your prospects.
Let’s get started.
Key Things You Need to Consider on Your Live Demo UI/UX
First things first, it is important to evaluate what your live product demo is trying to showcase. So, here are a few key things that are up for consideration:
1. Product Functionality
When you try to evaluate your product, do you see a handy hammer or a sharp Swiss army knife? If it is the hammer, it has one primary function. If it is the latter, it ultimately has a lot of functions. The more functions your software offers, the more selective you need to be about what you include in your product demo.
But why? Simply because:
- The shorter, the better.
- Users do not owe you their attention.
Just keep the demo brief and mainly focus on the functions that matter most. And if you worry about the inclusion of other features you wish to avoid being present in the demo, you can still create another demo if necessary. Depending on what your prospects prefer, there might be a secondary demo for further discussion.
If you wish to make a deal on the spot, then you need to impress your prospects the first time. Hence, you should take advantage of the features of web-based demonstration software. With its technical features, this top-tier demo solution helps you deliver an outstanding demo experience – resulting in more persuading prospects and closed deals.
2. The uniqueness of your UI/UX
There is a great possibility that your target prospects have already seen other product interfaces the same as yours. If that is the case, remember that you are still starting and offering value. Also, there is much room for improvement to achieve a unique interface.
A greater extent of UX uniqueness is important. This will be your chance and moment to highlight your product in the easiest way for the sake of your prospects. Make things unique regarding your UX, and use it to your advantage.
3. User Motivation
At the time you envision already your live software demo presentation, you must put yourself in your prospect’s shoes and even their mindset. You need to know how motivated your users are, which helps you understand what they will and will not abide by in your product demo.
If your prospects are highly motivated, you may get away with more steps. However, if they are not, short and simple is probably the ticket.
4. User tech-savviness
Try to place your product within the software products available today and make a comparison. Do your product users have already used software solutions that require a similar level of technical knowledge? If yes, then how high is the required level of techie-ness?
You can start your product demo if you are confident that your prospects will be familiar with your product’s UI patterns. A demo can sometimes be a technically challenging experience for your prospects, so it is highly suggested to use and take advantage of product demo tools to avoid mishaps during the demo.
One of the leading demo tools in the market is Demostory.io. It has top-tier features that help you deliver flawless live demos, seamlessly walking your prospects into what matters the most.
Picking the Best Onboarding UX Patterns
Here’s a big question – How much attention must you ask your prospects?
Once you already know, it is time to pick the live demo UX that is fitting and can help you improve your overall onboarding process and retention.
Below are some of the product demo UI patterns you can select from, from the most attention-grabbing to the most refined.
1. Action-driven tooltips
This is one of the most popular UX patterns for product demos. These little callout boxes can highlight specific aspects of your product. Tooltips are action-driven, meaning prospects must perform the requested tasks before they are taken to the next tooltip.
Tooltips are excellent for encouraging your prospects to take necessary actions and walking them through complex account setups that often require doing things in a particular order. When you use tooltips properly in your live demos, you can create a more interactive and highly-engaging demo experience for your prospects.
2. Modals
Modal windows reside on top of the product’s primary interface. Modals allow you to connect and communicate with your prospects without disturbing the underlying workflow. You can use them best in your product demos, especially when the goal is to deliver an in-depth overview of your product.
It is worth note-taking that modal windows are bolder UI patterns. As with tooltips, modal windows are proven to stand out when it comes to primary interfaces. However, both are still great patterns to follow and use.
3. Hotspots
Hotspots are little icons, often circles, that hint at more details behind specific elements. In general, they are a cross between tooltips and notification badges that often require prospects to click engage, nudging them to choose it actively. This makes hotspots the least aggressive among other UI patterns for product demos.
You can make hotspots as a standalone UI pattern during a demo. Perhaps, you can combine them with other UI patterns to achieve a simple yet very effective product demo.
Introducing Demostory.io
Let’s wrap up! We have covered in this blog key things you should consider in your demo UI/UX and the best onboarding UX patterns you must pick for your product demo. We hope you can choose what works best for you and incorporate them into your demo and overall sales strategy.
For the best demo experience for your prospects, look no further than Demostory.io. In a nutshell, Demostory.io is an interactive demo software that enables you to create customized, personalized demos in an instant. It opens room for deeper connection and user segmentation and empowers you and your sales team to deliver a winning demo to your prospects.
Truly, it is a great addition to your sales strategy, especially if your ultimate goal is to win more prospects.
