The Michael J. Fox Foundation
Research organisation
Enhancing Communication at the Cutting Edge of Parkinson’s Research: New Templates for the Michael J. Fox Foundation
The Michael J. Fox Foundation, a US-based non-profit dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson’s Disease, was ready to leave behind outdated, hard-to-edit templates that no longer did justice to their world-class work. To maintain their reputation, they needed PowerPoint templates that made a powerful first impression, stayed true to their brand, and worked seamlessly for every member of their team.
We worked closely with the Foundation to create a streamlined set of templates that is on-brand, visually compelling, and easy to use regardless of skill and experience. These have now been rolled out to the entire team, with seamless adoption supported by a comprehensive training program.
Client
Team
Beyond the Surface
PowerPoint design and usability consultant
“Francesca, in both designing and building our new powerpoint deck, not only delivered what we needed, but introduced features and tools we hadn’t even considered. Our final deck is beautiful, comprehensive, and so easy to use that we’ve had virtually no questions or issues after unrolling to a staff of over 300 people. All along the process, her deep expertise in design and branding, as well as powerpoint, was evident in her smart, strategic recommendations.”
Jessica Levine, Art Director, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research
Easy access
The Foundation has over 300 team members with varying levels of skill in using PowerPoint. Some are based in the New York office, while others work remotely. To make everyone’s life easier, the new templates had to be as user-friendly as possible to minimise the time and effort spent on mastering them.
The new PowerPoint templates support every communication need – from high-level strategy updates to deep-dive research decks – so every slide looks on-brand and professional. Stored centrally in the cloud, they create a single source of truth that keeps every presentation consistent and ready to make the right impression.
Flexible design
Designed to address the most common needs of Foundation staff, the new templates feature customisable slide layouts and a range of simple, adaptable content options. This makes it easy to tailor each slide to a specific audience and communication goal – no specialist skills required. Each user is free to focus on the message of their presentation, without worrying about tricky technical details or maintaining consistent branding.
Testing
A first version of the redesigned templates was launched in September 2025 for immediate use and testing, based on Beyond the Surface’s standard process: design, build and test, train. Testing was carried out by selected power users across the Foundation. Their feedback confirmed the templates were intuitive, on-brand, and ready for rollout.
Users were satisfied with the new, branded templates, and found that their presentation needs were met by the layout and content options on offer. This meant that the test phase resulted in hardly any changes to the new template.
Training
The next step was to train the Foundation team in using the templates. Training was first delivered as a demo to the same group of power users who tested the new templates on launch. To make adoption effortless, we developed short, on-demand training videos. Now, every team member can get up to speed in minutes – saving time and avoiding the usual PowerPoint frustration.
A project without a hitch
The result: smooth rollout, zero confusion, and a confident, consistent brand presence across every presentation. What once felt like a technical hurdle is now a streamlined system the team actually enjoys using – proof that when PowerPoint is designed right, it’s not limiting at all.
