How To Pitch Your Product Design

Yo, it’s Kushagra from AtlasMoth. This week, I hit this AI event where folks had 60 sec to pitch their product. Some were fire, but some? had no clue what they were on about.

If you’re a founder or product lead, you must know how to communicate your product quickly and clearly. That's the feel for this one. Let’s go.

From Simple to WTF: How to Explain Your Product Design

Yo, let’s talk real. If your product pitch doesn’t hit right, no one’s sticking around. People want clarity, not confusion. So, here’s the method—a roadmap to nail how you explain what you’re building.

🔥 SIMPLE AF

This is the easiest one to crush: 2 words. One twist. Done.

• Ex: "Smart phone," "Electric car."
  Why it works? It’s something we already know with one major upgrade. People hear it and think, “Oh yeah, I get it.”

Want an upgrade? Think how "horseless carriage" became just "car." One tweak, and it’s so obvious it stops needing the extra word. Your pitch should feel like that—so simple it could become a new norm.

👌 OK, GOT IT

Add a bit more flavor, but keep it clear:

• Ex: "An app to book dinner," or "VR to play ball."
  The trick? Tie it to something people already do. Booking food, playing games—duh, we know why that’s a thing.

If your pitch lands here, you’re in a good spot. You’re speaking to human behavior that’s understood and desirable. Even better if it screams, “This will save you time or money.” People love those.

🤔 HUH

This is where it starts to get tricky. You’re in the “X for Y” zone.

• Ex: "Dating app for dog parents," or "Voice memos for docs."
  This works great when:

1. The niche is real and large enough to matter.

2. The idea solves a clear problem.

But here’s the risk: Go too niche, and you lose people. Like, "Social network for cats?" Cool, but...who’s the user? (Spoiler: not the cats.) If your “X for Y” feels like a stretch, it’s time to rethink.

😬 UH... WHAT?

Now we’re getting weird. This is the “literal but makes no sense” phase.

• Ex: "See Wiki links as 3D shapes," or "Roblox for cats."
  Okay, technically, we get what it does, but why would anyone care? This happens when you focus too much on what your product is and forget to explain why it matters.

Pro tip: Lead with the problem your product solves, not just the quirky mechanics. People don’t buy features—they buy solutions.

🤯 WTF

This is where you lose the room. It’s a jargon-packed pitch that’s all over the place.

• Ex: "It’s an app built on quantum vibes with modular flows to solve deep-rooted needs."
  Like, bro. Chill. No one cares about your “quantum vibes.” They care about what your product does for them.

Rule of thumb: If your pitch takes longer than 10 seconds to explain, you’re doing too much. Strip it back.

😵 DOUBLE WTF

This is MBA overload. You’re saying:

• Ex: "Using the ‘jobs to be done’ framework with a 2x2 matrix…"
  No one asked for your TED Talk, dude. Just say the thing. Like: "We sell plant-based chicken nuggets." Boom. Everyone gets it.

At this stage, people tune out because you’re flexing your process, not your product. Remember, they care about the end-result, not the route you took to get there.

How to Fix Your WTF Design Pitch

Stuck in the WTF zone? No sweat. Here’s how to level up:

1. Show your product to real people.

2. Ask them: "What is this?"

3. Shut up and listen.

Their answers might hurt (‘cause they’re basic), but they’re real. If they call your AI-powered VR platform “a chat app for gamers,” that’s what it is. Own it.

Make It Stick

What if your pitch feels too bland? Here’s how to spice it up:

1. Be the Anti-X:

   • Ex: "Coke, but no sugar," or "Uber, but all bikes."
     By positioning against something big, you show what makes you different.

2. Go Bold on UX:

   • Ex: Show GIFs, not vids. Use bright icons, not plain text.
     Your design choices can say a lot about who you’re for and why you’re unique.

3. Go Premium or Go Free:

   • Ex: "Gold-plated water bottles for the boujee," or "Free water bottles for everyone."
     Either go high-end and exclusive or go broad and accessible. Either way, people will notice.

Simple Wins. Always.

A simple pitch is a cheat code:

• Easier to explain.

• Sticks in people’s minds.

• Cheaper to market.

The hardest part? Swallowing your ego. You want people to think your idea is genius, so you overcomplicate it. But trust me—no one cares about your cleverness. They just want to know how your product fits their life.

Simple = success. Keep it clean, keep it clear, and watch people actually get it.

What I found amazing this week

Instagram’s resetting recommendations—what will you explore next? 👀

This track gave me a serious boost—check out ‘Colours’ by Grouplove🎵

Forget Frameworks: Real Product Magic with Vineeth Madhusudanan.✨