Space Shuttle Slide Makeover: From NASA Tragedy to Teaching Moment

Some slides do more than confuse—they carry real-world consequences. After the Columbia disaster, NASA produced a “better” slide meant to explain the risks. The problem? Dense bullets, buried insights, and a design that obscured the very message it was supposed to clarify.

In this session, we’ll dissect that infamous slide and build it back up step by step. You’ll see how cluttered text and obscure messages can be transformed into a clear, visual story that commands attention and communicates critical information. Along the way, you’ll pick up practical strategies to design slides that don’t just look good—they make people understand, care, and act.

You’ll learn how to:

• Spot the warning signs of ineffective slides
• Understand how clutter hides critical meaning
• Transform complex content into clear visuals
• Apply practical techniques for visual storytelling
• Design slides that inform, persuade, and drive decisions