Claude Docs, Slides and Design: choose a useful starting point
Someone asks for “something on the proposal” before Thursday’s meeting. Is that a document, a deck or a mock-up? The answer decides which Claude template you open and what you check before anyone sees it.
What you'll make
one checked Claude Doc from your source notes and, only if the reader needs it, a short deck or a mock-up built from the same checked facts.
What you'll need
Claude on the web or desktop app (Docs, Slides and Design are on by default on every plan, though an organisation owner can switch them off), a short source you are allowed to use in your work account, and about 20 minutes.
Example result.
What is proposed: open the branch until 19:00 on Thursdays for a six-week trial.
What needs deciding: who staffs the late shift; the start date.
Open questions: no visitor figures yet; no cost estimate.1. Choose the format by what the reader will do
Decide what the reader does with the result, then pick one starting point.
| Template | Use it when | Check before sharing |
|---|---|---|
| Docs | Someone needs to read, edit or keep the details | Every claim matches the source; open decisions stay open |
| Slides | Someone will present a sequence of points | “Proposed” survives on every slide; the export is readable |
| Design | The layout or the interaction is the thing under review | Which parts work, and which are only pictures |
For a first try, start with a Doc. Don’t make all three unless the handover needs them: every extra format is another place for a number or a condition to drift.
Why this works: the reader’s job decides the structure. A deck written as a document is hard to present, and a document dressed as a prototype invites questions about buttons nobody built.
What you should see: one template chosen, and a sentence you could say aloud about why.
2. Create the Doc from one source
In a chat, choose Output › Docs in the message box (or type /docs). You can also open Artifacts in the sidebar and pick a Docs template.
Create a short Claude Doc for [audience] using only the source below.
Its purpose is [purpose]. Use three sections: What is proposed,
What needs deciding, and Open questions. Keep every condition and
approval status from the source. Do not invent an owner, date, cost
or benefit. Ask only essential clarifying questions.
Source:
[your source notes][audience] is who reads it, [purpose] is the decision it supports, and [your source notes] are the facts as you have them.
Why this works: the three sections make the decision visible, and the missing-fact rule stops a polished Doc looking more settled than its source.
What you should see: a Doc beside the chat. It starts private. Type into it to fix a phrase; changes save automatically.
3. Turn the checked Doc into slides, if someone will present
Only once the Doc is right, ask for a deck in the same chat, or choose Output and the Slides template.
Turn the checked Doc into four slides: Proposal, Scope, Decisions
needed, Open questions. Keep the word "proposed" on every slide that
describes the change. Do not add a benefit, date or owner that is
not in the Doc. One idea per slide, no more than five lines each.To hand it over, open the deck and choose Export (PowerPoint, PDF or Google Slides). Open the exported file and read it on its own.
Why this works: building from the checked Doc means you check facts once. The fixed four slides stop Claude filling a fifth with something hopeful.
What you should see: four slides that match the Doc. In the export, headings, line breaks and any table should still be readable.
4. Use Design only when the layout is the work
If the question is “what would this look like?”, choose Output › Design, or a Design template from Artifacts.
Make a single-screen mock-up of [what to show], using only the facts
in the checked Doc. Label it "Proposal – not live". Do not add
working features, prices or dates. List which elements are clickable
and what each one actually does.[what to show] is the one screen or poster the reader needs to picture.
Why this works: a mock-up can look finished long before anything behind it exists. Asking for the clickable list separates the picture from the function.
What you should see: one screen on the canvas, plus a short list. “Does nothing; illustration only” is a perfectly good answer for most buttons.
Check the result
- Every number, date and condition in the Doc appears in your source.
- Anything undecided is still under What needs deciding or Open questions.
- Each slide that describes the change still says “proposed”, and the exported file reads well outside Claude.
- Nobody could mistake the mock-up for a live service.
The usual failure: a confident sentence that turns the proposal into a plan, such as “launches on 6 November and will bring in more visitors”. It usually appears on a slide, where there’s room for exactly one cheerful line. Search the Doc and deck for dates, “will” and any benefit, and compare each with the source.
In the [Doc or slide number], revise only this passage:
"[quoted sentence]". The source does not support it. The source says
[exact supported fact]. Restore that meaning and leave every other
section unchanged.[Doc or slide number] tells Claude where to look, [quoted sentence] is the wrong line and [exact supported fact] is what the source really says.
Worked example: a late-opening trial
Fictional example. The manager of Harbour Lane library wants a proposal ready for the branch meeting.
Proposal: open until 19:00 on Thursdays for a six-week trial.
Reason: several people have asked for after-work opening.
Not decided: who staffs the late shift; start date.
Not known: how many visitors would come; staff cost.The Doc came out right, with the staffing and the start date under What needs deciding. The four-slide deck didn’t. Slide 1 read: “Late opening launches 6 November and will double Thursday visitors.”
Using the repair prompt on slide 1, with the source line “six-week trial, start date not decided”, Claude rewrote it as: “Proposed: a six-week trial of 19:00 closing on Thursdays. Start date to be decided.”
What mattered:
- The Doc was checked first. The deck could only drift on one slide, so one targeted repair fixed it.
- “Double” came from nowhere. The source says visitor numbers are unknown, so the benefit was removed rather than softened.
- No mock-up. Nobody needed to picture a screen, so Design wasn’t used. A poster for the trial could come later, once it is agreed.
Task kit for this job: Download (ZIP) · Reusable instructions
Go deeper
Match the revision method to the format
For a Doc, type directly or select text and leave a comment that mentions @Claude. For a deck, name the slide and the claim. For a design, use inline comments for one element, direct canvas edits to move or resize things, and chat for broader changes. A targeted request keeps the parts you have already checked.
If a template has been switched off
Owners can turn each template on or off in Organization settings › Artifacts, so a template may be missing from your work account. Don’t change admin settings to get it back. Ask for a file or plain text instead, and describe it honestly.
The Claude Docs template is not available in this account. Using the
same checked source and structure, create an editable .docx if file
creation is available. Otherwise give the complete structured text
so I can paste it into my usual editor. Do not call the result a
Claude Doc.Plan who can open it
Docs start private. On Team and Enterprise, you can share with specific people, a group or the whole organisation, but not outside it. On Free, Pro and Max, sharing is by link. Recipients need a Claude account, and there is no comment-only access. If the reader is outside your organisation, export the file instead. On the iOS and Android apps you can view and edit Docs but not change sharing settings.