What Is Showcase Navigation?

The term navigation in this tutorial refers to hyperlink-based movement between slides. During delivery, a presenter can either scroll through slides in standard linear fashion or click links to instantly display desired content, regardless of its physical location in the show.

Navigation-enabled slide shows often are very similar in appearance to their linear cousins, at least from an interior design perspective. They may contain any number of slides stacked next to each other as usual. An interactive speaker typically begins with slide 1 and moves out from there.

However, that's where similarities end. Because the show contains navigation devices that allow random selection of individual slides (or groups of slides), delivery can be sculpted and customized to needs of the moment. Thus, even though scrolling through every slide in the show is still a possibility, it's not a NECESSITY. Now all content is instantly available at any time, for any reason, in any order.

With Showcase style, this process is a back and forth movement between a slide called a switchboard and the remaining content slides. Typically, the switchboard occupies the slide 1 position and contains a collection of hyperlinked objects—usually textboxes, shapes, or pictures that access the content slides. The presenter clicks any link on the switchboard to access content, and then clicks that content to return to the switchboard.

Figures 1 through 3 provide an example. While speaking and training, I sometimes personalize talks by showing my house, the scenery around Tucson, my university, and so forth. Figure 1 represents the Showcase switchboard I use. Clicking a thumbnail gives me a desired picture that covers the entire screen. Clicking this full-screen picture returns me to the switchboard where I can select another option—a back and forth process.

I may spend only a minute or two talking about such topics. So obviously I don't need all the options, but sometimes the interaction goes a little longer and I may want to show more slides than usual. And the usefulness of any given images depends on context. Said another way, as an interactive speaker I must have the ability to quickly choose how many, and which, images are best for circumstances.

Showcase navigation works beautifully in such cases, where a collection of related slides exists, yet only a few are required at any time. If or when a slide is needed, it displays. Otherwise the audience never sees it.