I’ve always hated demoing things to clients at my desk. I work on a few projects at the same time, and my Mac desktop is full of icons. I have dozens of applications open often showing commercially sensitive information. Getting everything ‘pretty’ for visits can be time consuming.

I could use one of the virtual desktop switchers, but why should I when I can use something built-in?

Today I set up a ‘clients’ user on my Mac. Then, when someone comes to visit, I just switch to that user. Furthermore, if they are coming to discuss graphics or their website, I can have the appropriate applications open already. No more closing files in Fireworks and opening other ones. No more ‘please wait a minute’. Clients can now turn up late without any consequence to my current activities.

I don’t get the cool 3D cube transition on my elderly Mac, but the transition is snappy, taking a couple of seconds after confirming the password.