# How to Make Software Demos More Effective by Focusing on User Stories

DevFeed: [How to Make Software Demos More Effective by Focusing on User Stories](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/demo-why-not-what-27338.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://blog.mmckenna.me/demo-why-not-what>)

Author: Matt McKenna

Published: 2026-03-23T13:00:00Z

Content type: tutorial

Language: en

Sources: [Matt McKenna](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/matt-mckenna.md>)

Topics: [Demo](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/demo.md>)

Tags: [demo](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/demo.md>), [engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/engineering.md>), [how-to](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/how-to.md>), [mobile-development](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/mobile-development.md>), [technical](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/technical.md>)

## AI overview

This article presents a framework for making software demos more effective by explaining why a feature matters, grounding it in a user story, showing a clear happy path, highlighting the moment of value, and closing with the outcome.

## Source excerpt

Intro This year at Square we started shipping aggressively. Powered by a completed migration, new feature roadmaps, and AI adoption, we shifted into a build, demo, iterate, ship cycle. My team was sho