Hartley Uniforms ordering
Old way new way slide on two opposing bands
An old way new way slide is the easiest slide in a deck to lose the room with, because the moment the old way is described unfairly the audience stops believing the new one. This one belongs to Hartley Uniforms, a fictional supplier, and states each way as a single sentence naming what the process actually involved.
What is on the slide
- Framing
- How 340 schools and clubs order uniforms from Hartley Uniforms from the 2027 season.
- The old way
- A faxed order form, a phone call to fix the sizes, a paper proof posted for signature, a cheque with the order, and six weeks before anything is cut.
- The new way
- A portal holding every size run from last season, an online proof signed the same day, payment on account, and a first delivery in eighteen days.
- Layout note
- Two offset colour bands, one hero sentence each, up to about 180 characters. No bullets, no icons and no table.
When this is the right slide
Two opposing bands suit an old way new way slide when the whole change fits in one sentence a side and the deck needs a moment of contrast rather than a checkable list.
What to swap it for
Comparison: Before / After Vertical Pills. Swap to the vertical pill lists when the change has several distinct parts and each one needs its own line rather than being folded into a single sentence.
What this slide shows
A title reads Ordering Changes, with a framing line saying this is how 340 schools and clubs order uniforms from Hartley Uniforms from the 2027 season. Two large colour bands follow, offset from each other so the top band starts at the left edge and the lower band runs out to the right edge. The upper band is labelled The old way and carries one hero sentence: a faxed order form, a phone call to fix the sizes, a paper proof posted for signature, a cheque with the order, and six weeks before anything is cut. The lower band is labelled The new way and carries its partner: a portal holding every size run from last season, an online proof signed the same day, payment on account, and a first delivery in eighteen days. There are no bullet lists, no icons and no table. The offset between the two bands is the whole visual argument, carrying the sense of one state sliding into another.
When this is the right slide
Use it when a single change can be stated in one sentence a side and the deck needs a moment rather than a detailed comparison, in a launch presentation, a customer update, a keynote or the opening of a sales deck. It suits a change that customers have lived through, because the old way sentence should be recognisable. It is the wrong slide when the change has five distinct dimensions that each need their own line, since a before and after split with five matched rows lets each one be read and checked. It is also wrong when the audience is being asked to approve something, because a hero statement carries no costs, dates or owners. And it is wrong when the old way is still current for part of the audience.
How to adapt it
First, write the old way sentence as the people who used it would describe their own day. If it needs an adjective such as clunky or painful to make its point, the point is not in the facts and the slide is weaker for it. Second, end both sentences on the timing, because that is the comparison the audience will remember and it lands hardest in the final phrase. Third, say who the change is for and when it starts, which this slide does in one line: 340 schools and clubs, from the 2027 season. Without that, a hero statement floats free of any customer. If the detail matters more than the moment, use a paired list layout instead and keep this one for the opening.
What makes this slide work
The old way is described, not mocked
A faxed order form, a phone call to fix the sizes, a paper proof posted for signature, a cheque with the order, six weeks before anything is cut. Every one of those is a step a person actually did, named in the words they would use. Nothing on the band says slow, painful or outdated, so a customer who still works that way is not being told they were foolish.
The two bands carry the same kind of detail
Five things on the left, four things and a delivery time on the right. Both sentences name the artefact, the approval and the timing, so the audience can map them without being told how. Six weeks against eighteen days is the only comparison the slide makes explicitly, and it sits at the end of each sentence where it lands last.
One sentence a band, at hero size
The layout holds exactly one item per band, up to about 180 characters. That constraint is useful: it forces the whole change into a sentence that can be said out loud in one breath, which is what a customer repeats to a colleague afterwards. A five bullet list on each side would say more and be remembered less.
Questions people ask
How do you avoid a straw man in the old way column?
Describe the old process in the words the people who ran it would use, and include the parts that worked. A faxed order form and a posted proof are facts; an adjective such as painful is an opinion the audience has not agreed to yet. If the old way needs exaggeration to look bad, the new way is probably a smaller change than claimed.
How much text fits on each band?
About 180 characters, which is one sentence of roughly thirty words, rendered at hero size across three lines. That limit is the point of the layout. Anything longer either shrinks below display size or wraps into a paragraph, and at that point the slide has become a before and after list with no rows.
What is the difference between this and a before and after slide?
This states the change as one sentence a side, for impact. A before and after split gives each side five numbered rows that pair line for line, for checking. Use this one to open a section or to close a keynote, and the paired version when the audience needs to follow what changed at each step.
Should the old way name a competitor or the previous vendor?
No. Naming the previous supplier turns a description of a process into criticism of a business, and the audience often includes people who chose that supplier. Describing the process without a name keeps the focus on what changed, and a customer who wants to name the old vendor can do it themselves.
When should this be split into two slides?
Split when the change has parts that land at different times, or when parts of the audience are still on the old way. A single sentence implies the change is complete for everyone. Where a rollout runs over a season, a now and next slide with a date carries the truth better than two opposing bands.
How should this slide be presented out loud?
Read the old way sentence, pause, then read the new one. Both are written to be said in one breath, and the pause is what makes the contrast land. Adding commentary between them spoils the effect, and the detail belongs on the slide after this one rather than in the gap between two sentences.
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