· Skillz · Presentation design
Slide Surgeon: free game to design clearer slides
This slide has 9 bullet points and 4 fonts. Operate before the meeting starts.
What is Slide Surgeon?
The meeting starts in five minutes and the slide is a mess: a topic label for a title, nine bullet points and the wrong chart. Pick the one headline message, keep the three bullets that matter, swap in the chart that fits the data and pick the fixes that help. Then compare the clarity before and after.
Slide Surgeon is a free game about presentation design. Each slide arrives overloaded: a topic for a title, nine bullet points and a chart that doesn't fit the data.
Pick the headline that states the point, keep the three facts that prove it, choose the chart that fits and skip decorations. A before-and-after clarity score shows the difference.
At a glance
- Category
- Skillz
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Play time
- 2–4 min
- Price
- Free, in your browser, sign-up optional
How to play
- Headline
- Pick the sentence that says the point (30).
- Bullets
- Keep the 3 that matter: +10 each, −10 for each that doesn't (30).
- Chart and polish
- The chart that fits the data (30), then only the fixes that help (10).
- Three levels
- Beginner has fewer options and hints. Expert has every option and 50 seconds per slide. Each level keeps its own best score.
Scoring
Each slide scores up to 100 clarity points: headline 30, bullets 30, chart 30 and polish 10.
Two to four slides depending on the level, with 50 seconds per slide in Expert. Your best score is kept in this browser.
What it trains
- Headline writing
- Turning a topic into a takeaway.
- Editing
- Cutting what doesn't support the point.
- Chart choice
- Matching the chart type to the data.
Strategy and tips
- Say the point
- A headline is a sentence with the takeaway, not a topic label.
- Three facts
- Keep the numbers, the reason and the next step.
- Chart by data
- Change over time: line. Comparing items: bars. Few parts of one whole: pie.
- Less decoration
- One font, aligned text, big enough to read from the back.
Why play Slide Surgeon?
People remember one message per slide. Cutting to a clear headline, three facts and one fitting chart is the fastest way to make a deck land, whatever the tool.
Frequently asked questions
Is Slide Surgeon free?
Yes. It is free and runs in your browser, with no download. Signing up is optional.
Which tool does it teach?
None in particular: the principles work in any slide tool.
Why only three bullets?
Three facts are easy to remember and enough to support one point.
Can I play with a keyboard?
Yes. Every choice is a button: Tab to it and press Enter.