Idea

After the brainstorming session, I had two favourite ideas: The loyalty card app and the presentation helper app. I think the presentation helper will be more beneficial which is why I have chosen to move forward with this idea.

The reason I have chosen this idea is that I think myself and many others could benefit from something like this. I have struggled in the past with confidence when speaking in front of a group of people. I also feel like people will connect with it, perhaps because they have struggled with public speaking in the past or know someone that has. Therefore, I want to create something to ease anxiety over public speaking in any way I can.

Things the app could include:

• Video recording of the user practicing their presentation which they can look back on.
• AI feature which provides feedback on confidence, body language, etc.
• Key points on presentations and what to avoid
• Invite friends to watch your presentation and provide feedback
• Timer to practice the timing of your presentation
• Spell checker

 

Research

Glossophobia or the fear of public speaking is one of the most common fears affecting up to 77% of people worldwide. It can happen to anyone, even those who aren’t anxious in other social situations such as, meeting new people. It can range from answering a question in class to giving a presentation in front of 100 people.

Some symptoms people may show include, sweating, shaking, increased heart rate, dry mouth, difficulty breathing, nausea, headache, etc. It goes without saying that no one wants to experience this.

Coming up to the time of a presentation, some people may experience long-term effects. These include loss of sleep, increased stress, lack of appetite, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and overall poor quality of life.

There are many things that could increase the chance of suffering from fear of public speaking. For example, prior experiences where the person became embarrassed or felt judged.

Most people at some point in school or in their career will have to give a presentation. Therefore, to help people overcome that fear, even just a little bit, I want to pitch the idea for this app. This is in hopes that it will give people more confidence and useful feedback that they wouldn’t get otherwise.

After researching these side effects and even experiencing some myself, it makes me more passionate about this project.