Demos never fail because of your 'revolutionary architecture.' They fail because a heading wraps weirdly on the client’s monitor or the 'Submit' button does absolutely nothing on conference Wi-Fi. It’s embarrassing, it’s preventable, and it usually happens right as you say, 'Look how easy this is.'
What should you check before every demo?
Tab through the page. If the 'blue box' disappears, you've just ghosted every keyboard user.
Shrink your window until it’s the size of a flip phone. See what breaks first.
Submit the form. No, really. And make sure the 'Success' message actually makes sense.
Turn off images. If the page is just a series of empty boxes, your SEO is crying.
Read the tab title out loud. Is it still 'Untitled' or 'Home - Copy 2'?
Throttle your internet to 'Torture Mode' (Slow 3G). If it takes 10 seconds to load, fix it.
'Polishing' isn't a magical phase at the end of a project. It’s a five-minute habit you do while your coffee is brewing.
Run this before every call. I promise you, the audit will *always* find something you missed. Better you find it than your client finding it during the pitch.