Accessible PowerPoint (implementation guide)

3.4. Templates

The templates (slide masters) provided in PowerPoint are used, with changes if necessary. The placeholders are filled according to their meaning.

What is meant by this?

There are ready-made templates in PowerPoint, which are known as slide masters. These templates contain placeholders for text, images and other content, which usually have a specific meaning and structure. By filling these placeholders according to their meaning, it is possible to ensure that the document is well structured and that all information is presented clearly and comprehensibly.

Why is it important?

A clear structure and standardised placeholders are very important for recipients with speech output or the need for structure in PowerPoint presentations. This makes navigation easier and improves the use of voice output and screen readers, which can use standardised placeholders to identify and lecture content.

How can I implement/check it?

To use slide masters in PowerPoint, proceed as follows, depending on your operating system:

For Mac:

1. Go to "Slide master" in the menu under "View".
2. Then click on the top slide ("Edit master title format") in the navigation area on the left-hand side if you want to customise all slides equally. Select a corresponding slide if you only want to customise certain slide types.

For Windows:

1. Open your PowerPoint presentation and select the "View" tab in the menu bar.
2. Select "Slide master" and a new window will open in which you can edit various master slides.
3. Select a master slide that corresponds to the layout of your slides.
4. Change the layout by adding or removing placeholders or adjusting their size and position.
5. Customise the design and colours of the master slide by using the "Colour scheme" and "Fonts" menu.
6. Save the changes by clicking on "Close master view".

Once you have edited the slide master, all slides in your presentation are automatically updated to display the new layout and design.