The Roadmap Slide [When and How to Use It]
- Ink Narrates | The Presentation Design Agency
- 5 hours ago
- 7 min read
Samantha, one of our clients, asked a question while we were working on her product launch presentation, she asked,
"When should we even use a roadmap slide? And how do we make sure it doesn’t look like every other one out there?"
Our Creative Director, responded in a single, powerful sentence:
“A roadmap slide is most effective when it’s more than a timeline. It’s your vision, your story. It’s the path you’re leading your audience down.”
And that’s the thing.
We see it all the time. Companies use roadmap slides in the wrong way. They treat them like an afterthought. A box to tick. They turn into the generic, copy-paste timeline that every other company has used before.
This blog is going to show you how to use a roadmap slide properly. When to use it. How to make it stand out. And most importantly: how to make it work for your unique story, so it actually drives your message home.
When to Use a Roadmap Slide
The truth? A roadmap slide doesn’t belong in every presentation.
So when should you use it?
You use a roadmap slide when you need to show the path forward. When you’re not just explaining a process, but laying out a vision. A vision that requires your audience to understand the future steps — the big picture.
If you're presenting a product launch, for example, the roadmap slide helps show the milestones ahead. It paints a picture of what the audience can expect and why they should care about each step.
When you're discussing a business strategy, the roadmap slide maps out the journey. It highlights critical touchpoints that will take the business to the next level.
But here's the kicker. A roadmap slide isn’t just about showing what comes next. It’s about showing why it matters.
That’s the key. Don’t just focus on the milestones. Focus on why each milestone is essential. Why should your audience care about this particular step in your roadmap?
If you’re building a vision for the next five years, don’t just list out dates and objectives. Show them why the next phase is crucial to the success of the project. Make it resonate. Make it exciting.
How to Design an Effective Roadmap Slide
Now that we’ve established when you should use a roadmap slide, let’s talk about the how.
A roadmap slide isn’t just about throwing a few lines on a slide and labeling them with vague milestones. It’s about designing a powerful visual narrative that guides your audience through the journey.
Here’s how to get it right.
1. Keep It Simple, but Meaningful
Roadmap slides don’t need to be overloaded with information. In fact, simplicity is key. Think about the goal: you want to make the roadmap easy to digest at a glance. The simpler and cleaner the design, the more effective it will be.
Start by thinking about your main message. What are the most critical milestones in your journey? What are the steps that matter most in the story you’re telling? These are the ones to focus on. Trim away the unnecessary details and leave only the essentials.
But simplicity doesn’t mean boring. You can keep things clear while still engaging the audience. Use color and hierarchy to highlight what’s important. Choose design elements that reinforce the theme of the presentation, and don’t clutter the slide with irrelevant visuals.
For example, if you’re presenting a tech roadmap, use icons or illustrations that represent the tech itself — not just generic shapes that add noise. Each element in your roadmap should reinforce the message, not distract from it.
2. Create a Logical Flow
A roadmap slide is all about clarity. If the steps on your roadmap feel random or disconnected, you’re missing the point. The flow needs to be logical. It should make sense to your audience that, after reaching milestone A, you move on to milestone B.
Think about how your milestones are arranged. Is there a natural progression from one step to the next? If not, restructure it so that each phase feels like the inevitable next move. Whether you’re showing the steps in a product development cycle, a customer journey, or a corporate growth plan, the audience should be able to follow along seamlessly.
To guide your audience through the roadmap, consider using directional cues. Arrows or lines are essential in showing the progression. These elements aren’t just decorative; they provide the narrative structure. Without them, the slide can look disjointed, and the journey won’t feel as cohesive.
Also, remember that a roadmap is a high-level overview. Don’t try to squeeze in too much detail at once. If you’re presenting a roadmap for a multi-year strategy, for instance, don’t overload the slide with every minor task. Focus on the significant milestones — the key objectives, the high-level outcomes.
3. Make the Milestones Stand Out
Each milestone should stand out on the roadmap. After all, it’s the milestones that represent progress. They are the steps your audience should remember.
To make them stand out, you have several options.
Size and Shape: Increase the size of the key milestones or make them stand out with a distinctive shape. Larger icons, bold text, or unique visual elements will grab the audience’s attention and emphasize the importance of each milestone.
Color: Use color strategically. A bright color like blue or green can draw attention to the most important steps, while lighter tones or neutral colors can tone down less important ones. Keep your color scheme consistent, and ensure it aligns with your brand. Don't go overboard with too many different colors, as it can make the roadmap look chaotic.
Typography: The font used in your roadmap matters. Big, bold fonts for important milestones create emphasis and highlight those key moments in your timeline. Subtle, smaller fonts for secondary details or milestones create a sense of hierarchy.
Visual Icons: Icons can make your roadmap more intuitive. Rather than just labeling milestones with generic text, use icons that represent the concept. A calendar icon could represent a deadline, a target icon could represent a goal, or a lightbulb icon might represent innovation. These symbols give your audience a visual cue, making it easier to understand and remember.
4. Use Timeframes Wisely
A common mistake many companies make is overloading their roadmap with too many timeframes. Roadmap slides aren’t calendars. Your audience doesn’t need to know every exact date for every event.
Instead, focus on larger time blocks. Use months, quarters, or years to segment the roadmap. This keeps the slide from becoming too granular and overwhelming. Think about it like this: when you look at a roadmap for a road trip, you don’t need to know the exact time you’ll arrive at every single stop. You care about the major stops, the key milestones — and that’s exactly how your audience should view your roadmap.
If your roadmap spans a long timeline, make sure to group events in a way that feels natural. If you're outlining a five-year plan, break it into phases like “Year 1: Initial Development,” “Year 2: Beta Testing,” and “Year 3: Launch and Scaling.” This provides a sense of progression and helps your audience stay focused on the larger goals, without getting lost in the weeds of exact dates.
5. Show the Impact, Not Just the Process
A roadmap slide isn’t just a sequence of events. It’s a tool for storytelling. It’s a chance to show your audience why each step matters.
For example, if you’re showcasing a product development roadmap, don’t just list out technical tasks. Instead, show what each milestone means for your audience. How will it improve the customer experience? How will it help you reach your overall business goals? Focus on the impact, not just the steps.
Adding context to the roadmap makes it feel less like a boring to-do list and more like an exciting vision of the future. Your audience doesn’t just need to know what you're doing. They need to understand why it matters and how it will help them get closer to the end goal.
This is where the art of storytelling comes in. Connect each milestone to a bigger, more compelling picture. Let your roadmap slide tell a story of progress and transformation, and make your audience feel like they’re a part of that journey.
6. Be Cautious with Animations
Animations can be powerful tools in presentations. But they’re often overused or misused. If you’re using a roadmap slide in your presentation, resist the urge to over-animate it.
Sure, a well-placed animation can guide the audience’s attention from one milestone to the next, but it can also distract from the message if it’s too flashy. Use animation sparingly. It should never overshadow the content of your roadmap.
Instead, consider using subtle animations that emphasize the flow of the journey. For example, an arrow might animate in to show the path forward. Milestones could appear one after the other, highlighting the progression of the journey. But don't go overboard. Less is more.
Animations should enhance the story, not take center stage.
7. Test and Iterate
A roadmap slide is a critical part of your presentation, so don’t rush the design. Take your time to test different layouts, colors, and visual elements. Show it to colleagues or stakeholders and gather feedback. What’s working? What’s confusing?
Remember, the goal is clarity. Your roadmap slide should be easy to understand, memorable, and visually striking. It shouldn’t be something people struggle to decode. Make sure your roadmap isn’t just aesthetically pleasing, but also functional.
If the roadmap slide doesn’t pass the clarity test, go back to the drawing board and iterate. Fine-tune your design until it feels just right.
Why Hire Us to Build your Presentation?
If you're reading this, you're probably working on a presentation right now. You could do it all yourself. But the reality is - that’s not going to give you the high-impact presentation you need. It’s a lot of guesswork, a lot of trial and error. And at the end of the day, you’ll be left with a presentation that’s “good enough,” not one that gets results. On the other hand, we’ve spent years crafting thousands of presentations, mastering both storytelling and design. Let us handle this for you, so you can focus on what you do best.