The document presents "The Ten and a Half Commandments of Visual Thinking," a chapter removed from Dan Roam's book The Back of the Napkin. It provides ten and a half tips for using visual thinking and visual tools to solve problems, including drawing a circle to get started, anthropomorphizing concepts, and using visual triggers to free up cognitive capacity. The tips encourage sketching aloud and erasing loudly to replace words with images.
The raising amount data exhaust of the past years has created the need for more and better tools to analyze what lies within this massive amount of raw material. Visualization leveraging the human cognition proves to be an invaluable tool to explore, digest, analyze and communicate the information. We reveal patterns, trends, relations or dependencies that were buried before.
But, what happens after we have created such an elaborate and powerful visualization and released it to the world? How does the it affect the beholder? How does it help shaping his opinions or even changing his behavior? Because, at the end of the day, visualization is simply a means to an end — a tool to achieve a bigger goal.
The raising amount data exhaust of the past years has created the need for more and better tools to analyze what lies within this massive amount of raw material. Visualization leveraging the human cognition proves to be an invaluable tool to explore, digest, analyze and communicate the information. We reveal patterns, trends, relations or dependencies that were buried before.
But, what happens after we have created such an elaborate and powerful visualization and released it to the world? How does the it affect the beholder? How does it help shaping his opinions or even changing his behavior? Because, at the end of the day, visualization is simply a means to an end — a tool to achieve a bigger goal.
SxSW 2013: Behavior Change as Value PropositionChris Risdon
Design to support behavior change is getting increased exposure as technology has allowed products and services to have a more pervasive role in people's lives. But where does persuasion live? What's caused the tipping point for the growth of this new wave of services? The primary characteristic of our new, connected world is the increasing ubiquity of sensors providing the ability to collect data passively and present it back—via feedback loops and visualizations—in a meaningful way to the user. New "smart products" with personalized intelligence about our behavior help us track how many time we brush our teeth or walk the dog with the hope we'll be better at maintaining these habits. Where do these new offerings map on our landscape of products and services? While more products have an explicit influence on our daily lives, they require you to increasingly relinquish self-determination as a prerequisite for use. How do we design to support behavior change as a value proposition?
In this presentation we show the mistakes we made with our startup Plesents and what great insights it gave us. It also provides our Lean Startup Battle plan
A non designeris guide to creating memorable visual slides.
If you’re like most people, you’ve probably created dozens of presentations in your lifetime, and many of these in just under a few hours. But ask yourself: Do you really know how to design a memorable presentation that will stick in your viewers’ minds for months, even years to come?
The answer is probably no. Most of us have never actually learned the design principles necessary to impact audiences through visual storytelling. Perhaps the closest we have ever come to crafting a visual message is a PowerPoint presentation full of bullet points, overused stock photos and bland color schemes.
But these kinds of presentations rarely inspire real change, especially in this new age of visual communication.
Wireframes are an important step in the creative process & Design Thinking. It's one of the first times that your team actually sees the product come together. The presentation explores the basics of wireframes and how they fit into the process of Human-centered Design.
This deck was part of workshop held by General Assembly on the Intro to Wireframing on 2-10-2015
Effective communication is everyone’s job—whether you are trying to sell in a concept or convince a client. Visual Thinking can help us take in complex information and synthesize it into something meaningful. In an increasingly fragmented and cluttered world, simple imagery, metaphors and mindmaps can get people to understand the abstract and make your ideas tangible. Find out why why thinking visually may be one of the most sought after abilities of the 21st century.
Suddenly everyone was asking me for a 30 minute module - that was engaging - and highly interactive - with an assessment...
...and I wondered if we are all just keeping up with the Jones', or addressing our learner's needs.
Slides from AIDC 2012, by Nicole White (Miss ScriptID)
Communicate POWERFULLY Onstage - Michelle Villalobos Presentation to The Miam...Michelle Villalobos
Communicate powerfully onstage! Presentation skills and tips for people who get nervous, anxious or just plan SCARED onstage. Learn how to structure and prepare your presentation content, how to deliver it effectively, and how to get mentally prepared.
Design the future of the Australian Web Industry with Design ThinkingWilliam Donovan
Design the future of the Australian Web Industry.
This was a workshop for people to discover the experience of thinking strategical about your challenges or problem.
As part of the 2013 #EOTW (Edge of the Web) conference, AWIA, Brett Treasure, myself and the support of Saasu (who recently had breakthrough results with a design thinking innovation approach) took the opportunity to start a conversation with an audience of the web community to and collaborate on a mass scale about a key question:
"How can we best showcase the activities, skills and talents of web professionals?"
Targeting the theme areas recruitment, accreditation, training and lobbying with 100 people.
http://www.saasu.com/
http://eotw.com.au/#willdonovan
Conference workshop blurb
"Experience what it is to strategically think through a problem in a group. How do you harness rapid prototyping and collaboration to build empathy and break through the predictable?
AWIA is starting a conversation about how to design for the benefit of the web community. Find a voice for the industry that speaks to government and the general public. How can we best showcase the activities, skills and talents of web professionals?
Shake off some complacency and join us for a jam: co-create the future of our profession with design thinking."
DISTANCE Project: Using your maker's tacit knowledge to design in Virtual Rea...Ann Marie Shillito, FRSA
Ann marie Shillito is a jeweller and was one of the applied artists participating in Applied Arts Scotland's Distance Project, exploring the potential of Virtual Reality for their practice. Ann Marie focused on the practicalities of designing jewellery and getting the models 3D printed. This presentation is about using a maker' tacit knowledge to design in Virtual Reality on that journey.
Our presentation in London on 24 Jan 2013 on building brand awareness int he digital world. Presented by Precedent's Head of Mobile John Campbell and Consultant Rob van Tol.
Ideas not understood are lost potential. The exponentially growing amount of information that
dominates our times and makes them successful is also growing in complexity. We approach
it with ever-new ideas. They are the significant commodities of our time. The information
society emerged from these ideas, and – in contrast to earlier ages – we need more and more
of them in order to master the mass of information and the consequences for understanding,
processing, and creating.
IDEA DESIGN, including the D'ARTAGNAN Principle as the ontological key as well as methods
for idea quality control, was developed based on SABINE FISCHER's 2012 dissertation, “The
Contemporary Use of the Term Idea, the Linguistic Shaping of Ideas and their Semantic Optimisation
Potential”5 at the European University Viadrina.
SxSW 2013: Behavior Change as Value PropositionChris Risdon
Design to support behavior change is getting increased exposure as technology has allowed products and services to have a more pervasive role in people's lives. But where does persuasion live? What's caused the tipping point for the growth of this new wave of services? The primary characteristic of our new, connected world is the increasing ubiquity of sensors providing the ability to collect data passively and present it back—via feedback loops and visualizations—in a meaningful way to the user. New "smart products" with personalized intelligence about our behavior help us track how many time we brush our teeth or walk the dog with the hope we'll be better at maintaining these habits. Where do these new offerings map on our landscape of products and services? While more products have an explicit influence on our daily lives, they require you to increasingly relinquish self-determination as a prerequisite for use. How do we design to support behavior change as a value proposition?
In this presentation we show the mistakes we made with our startup Plesents and what great insights it gave us. It also provides our Lean Startup Battle plan
A non designeris guide to creating memorable visual slides.
If you’re like most people, you’ve probably created dozens of presentations in your lifetime, and many of these in just under a few hours. But ask yourself: Do you really know how to design a memorable presentation that will stick in your viewers’ minds for months, even years to come?
The answer is probably no. Most of us have never actually learned the design principles necessary to impact audiences through visual storytelling. Perhaps the closest we have ever come to crafting a visual message is a PowerPoint presentation full of bullet points, overused stock photos and bland color schemes.
But these kinds of presentations rarely inspire real change, especially in this new age of visual communication.
Wireframes are an important step in the creative process & Design Thinking. It's one of the first times that your team actually sees the product come together. The presentation explores the basics of wireframes and how they fit into the process of Human-centered Design.
This deck was part of workshop held by General Assembly on the Intro to Wireframing on 2-10-2015
Effective communication is everyone’s job—whether you are trying to sell in a concept or convince a client. Visual Thinking can help us take in complex information and synthesize it into something meaningful. In an increasingly fragmented and cluttered world, simple imagery, metaphors and mindmaps can get people to understand the abstract and make your ideas tangible. Find out why why thinking visually may be one of the most sought after abilities of the 21st century.
Suddenly everyone was asking me for a 30 minute module - that was engaging - and highly interactive - with an assessment...
...and I wondered if we are all just keeping up with the Jones', or addressing our learner's needs.
Slides from AIDC 2012, by Nicole White (Miss ScriptID)
Communicate POWERFULLY Onstage - Michelle Villalobos Presentation to The Miam...Michelle Villalobos
Communicate powerfully onstage! Presentation skills and tips for people who get nervous, anxious or just plan SCARED onstage. Learn how to structure and prepare your presentation content, how to deliver it effectively, and how to get mentally prepared.
Design the future of the Australian Web Industry with Design ThinkingWilliam Donovan
Design the future of the Australian Web Industry.
This was a workshop for people to discover the experience of thinking strategical about your challenges or problem.
As part of the 2013 #EOTW (Edge of the Web) conference, AWIA, Brett Treasure, myself and the support of Saasu (who recently had breakthrough results with a design thinking innovation approach) took the opportunity to start a conversation with an audience of the web community to and collaborate on a mass scale about a key question:
"How can we best showcase the activities, skills and talents of web professionals?"
Targeting the theme areas recruitment, accreditation, training and lobbying with 100 people.
http://www.saasu.com/
http://eotw.com.au/#willdonovan
Conference workshop blurb
"Experience what it is to strategically think through a problem in a group. How do you harness rapid prototyping and collaboration to build empathy and break through the predictable?
AWIA is starting a conversation about how to design for the benefit of the web community. Find a voice for the industry that speaks to government and the general public. How can we best showcase the activities, skills and talents of web professionals?
Shake off some complacency and join us for a jam: co-create the future of our profession with design thinking."
DISTANCE Project: Using your maker's tacit knowledge to design in Virtual Rea...Ann Marie Shillito, FRSA
Ann marie Shillito is a jeweller and was one of the applied artists participating in Applied Arts Scotland's Distance Project, exploring the potential of Virtual Reality for their practice. Ann Marie focused on the practicalities of designing jewellery and getting the models 3D printed. This presentation is about using a maker' tacit knowledge to design in Virtual Reality on that journey.
Our presentation in London on 24 Jan 2013 on building brand awareness int he digital world. Presented by Precedent's Head of Mobile John Campbell and Consultant Rob van Tol.
Ideas not understood are lost potential. The exponentially growing amount of information that
dominates our times and makes them successful is also growing in complexity. We approach
it with ever-new ideas. They are the significant commodities of our time. The information
society emerged from these ideas, and – in contrast to earlier ages – we need more and more
of them in order to master the mass of information and the consequences for understanding,
processing, and creating.
IDEA DESIGN, including the D'ARTAGNAN Principle as the ontological key as well as methods
for idea quality control, was developed based on SABINE FISCHER's 2012 dissertation, “The
Contemporary Use of the Term Idea, the Linguistic Shaping of Ideas and their Semantic Optimisation
Potential”5 at the European University Viadrina.
Discover:
Jesus - The word of God
Jesus - The Image of God
Jesus - The only Begotten Son of God
Jesus - The First Born from the Dead
and how they affect and concern you - The believer in Christ Jesus
Soul winning is said to be God's number one business, yet we find that the most of believers haven't taken up this responsibility yet.
In this presentation, we share three major reasons why you should preach the gospel.
Come along and find out why!
Stakeholder Debate in Policy Implementation: An Evaluation of Bangladesh Leat...Shahadat Hossain Shakil
This paper focuses on stakeholder debate and conflict during policy implementation. In doing so it analyzed the reason behind the implementation snag of Bangladesh leather processing industry relocation policy, which is extreme stakeholder negotiation. Relevant stakeholders have been identified and their influence over the policy measure has been formulated. Underlying interactions among the stakeholders has been conceptually depicted to retrieve an image of the extreme stakeholder dispute behind this policy failure. Finally, based on the empirical evidence this policy measure has been evaluated in light of the effective participation of the concerned stakeholders.
Design Thinking for Startups - Are You Design Driven?Amir Khella
This presentation provides some best practices and tools to help small business entrepreneurs and startup founders in creating a culture of innovation.
Whether you're working on a web 2.0, iPhone or a physical gadget, these simple practices are universally applicable.
***Note****
I will be running a webinar in October 2009 to expand on the points mentioned in this presentation, study design thinking use cases and stories and answer questions. Please leave a comment and follow the discussion, or follow @amirkhella on twitter to get notified about the webinar.
Why Tell a Story? Storytelling is an essential skill for leaders who want to capture the imagination of their employees and spur change. A key element in involving their imagination is by using a story to create mystery and engage their curiosity. Life today is overwhelming. When you offer a story that engages people at an emotional level, entertains them and ignites their passion, they will listen. When they are listening, you have influence. In fact, people will always listen to those who tell the best stories. The best stories are the ones that have the most meaning for the greatest number people. Learn how to ignite action, enable listeners to visualize the transformation needed to instill organizational values and install organizational values. Stories provide you with a venue to be genuine and positive, nurture innovation and establish identity and trust. It is important that you do not tell a single story, rather the characters and themes should be rich and diverse. As a leader you can foster collaboration in which group members develop a shared perspective and create a link between now and a positive result tomorrow. Once people make your story their story, you have tapped into the powerful force of faith. Storytelling creates a natural, collaborative connection between leaders and members of the organization.
Learning Objectives:
1. How can I use the power of story to move my organization/team forward?
2. What and how great leaders tell great stories?
3. What style of story is used and when as a leader?
Since the dawn of time, humans have been using stories to connect. Storytelling is what binds us together as a species; it is what links us in our communities. Today, we unwittingly use storytelling every day in our social interactions. But, we often leave this powerful tool at the door when we enter our professional environments or when we do use stories we often don’t maximize their potential.
As non-profits, we frequently fall back on facts and figures, hoping that they will tell our story. And they do tell part of the story but they usually don’t strike the emotional chord that a simple story can. It is the emotive power of storytelling that we want to harness. We want to use story to allow our supporters to see themselves in our story and to allow them to join in a shared story. No matter what we do for a living, we all want to accomplish something bigger than ourselves, to leave our mark. Use storytelling to open the door for your prospects to do just that. In this presentation we’ll talk about the power of storytelling, how we can find our stories and express them through video, visuals, data and our writing so we can effectively use story in all our online communication channels.
Takeaways
• Why storytelling is so powerful
• How to use video to tell your non-profit story
• How to use social media to keep your story alive
Visual and Creative Thinking:What We Learned From Peter Pan and Willy WonkaKelsey Ruger
Presentation on Visual and Creative Thinking. The presentation explores how professional in all fields can apply creative and visual thinking skills to their work as well as why people ignore the talents that made them naturally creative as children. He will discuss the myths that people hold about creativity, why they exist and how you can overcome them.
This is an abbreviated version of a presentation given as part of a Residency program for graduate education students earning their Superintendent's letter.
Successful business people approach their problems creatively.
Chapter 1 from Creativity in Business by Michael Ray and Rochelle Myers.
http://faculty-gsb.stanford.edu/ray/bio.html
Safalta Digital marketing institute in Noida, provide complete applications that encompass a huge range of virtual advertising and marketing additives, which includes search engine optimization, virtual communication advertising, pay-per-click on marketing, content material advertising, internet analytics, and greater. These university courses are designed for students who possess a comprehensive understanding of virtual marketing strategies and attributes.Safalta Digital Marketing Institute in Noida is a first choice for young individuals or students who are looking to start their careers in the field of digital advertising. The institute gives specialized courses designed and certification.
for beginners, providing thorough training in areas such as SEO, digital communication marketing, and PPC training in Noida. After finishing the program, students receive the certifications recognised by top different universitie, setting a strong foundation for a successful career in digital marketing.
Francesca Gottschalk - How can education support child empowerment.pptxEduSkills OECD
Francesca Gottschalk from the OECD’s Centre for Educational Research and Innovation presents at the Ask an Expert Webinar: How can education support child empowerment?
Introduction to AI for Nonprofits with Tapp NetworkTechSoup
Dive into the world of AI! Experts Jon Hill and Tareq Monaur will guide you through AI's role in enhancing nonprofit websites and basic marketing strategies, making it easy to understand and apply.
The French Revolution, which began in 1789, was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France. It marked the decline of absolute monarchies, the rise of secular and democratic republics, and the eventual rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. This revolutionary period is crucial in understanding the transition from feudalism to modernity in Europe.
For more information, visit-www.vavaclasses.com
Embracing GenAI - A Strategic ImperativePeter Windle
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies such as Generative AI, Image Generators and Large Language Models have had a dramatic impact on teaching, learning and assessment over the past 18 months. The most immediate threat AI posed was to Academic Integrity with Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) focusing their efforts on combating the use of GenAI in assessment. Guidelines were developed for staff and students, policies put in place too. Innovative educators have forged paths in the use of Generative AI for teaching, learning and assessments leading to pockets of transformation springing up across HEIs, often with little or no top-down guidance, support or direction.
This Gasta posits a strategic approach to integrating AI into HEIs to prepare staff, students and the curriculum for an evolving world and workplace. We will highlight the advantages of working with these technologies beyond the realm of teaching, learning and assessment by considering prompt engineering skills, industry impact, curriculum changes, and the need for staff upskilling. In contrast, not engaging strategically with Generative AI poses risks, including falling behind peers, missed opportunities and failing to ensure our graduates remain employable. The rapid evolution of AI technologies necessitates a proactive and strategic approach if we are to remain relevant.
Operation “Blue Star” is the only event in the history of Independent India where the state went into war with its own people. Even after about 40 years it is not clear if it was culmination of states anger over people of the region, a political game of power or start of dictatorial chapter in the democratic setup.
The people of Punjab felt alienated from main stream due to denial of their just demands during a long democratic struggle since independence. As it happen all over the word, it led to militant struggle with great loss of lives of military, police and civilian personnel. Killing of Indira Gandhi and massacre of innocent Sikhs in Delhi and other India cities was also associated with this movement.
How to Make a Field invisible in Odoo 17Celine George
It is possible to hide or invisible some fields in odoo. Commonly using “invisible” attribute in the field definition to invisible the fields. This slide will show how to make a field invisible in odoo 17.
Synthetic Fiber Construction in lab .pptxPavel ( NSTU)
Synthetic fiber production is a fascinating and complex field that blends chemistry, engineering, and environmental science. By understanding these aspects, students can gain a comprehensive view of synthetic fiber production, its impact on society and the environment, and the potential for future innovations. Synthetic fibers play a crucial role in modern society, impacting various aspects of daily life, industry, and the environment. ynthetic fibers are integral to modern life, offering a range of benefits from cost-effectiveness and versatility to innovative applications and performance characteristics. While they pose environmental challenges, ongoing research and development aim to create more sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives. Understanding the importance of synthetic fibers helps in appreciating their role in the economy, industry, and daily life, while also emphasizing the need for sustainable practices and innovation.
Macroeconomics- Movie Location
This will be used as part of your Personal Professional Portfolio once graded.
Objective:
Prepare a presentation or a paper using research, basic comparative analysis, data organization and application of economic information. You will make an informed assessment of an economic climate outside of the United States to accomplish an entertainment industry objective.
Read| The latest issue of The Challenger is here! We are thrilled to announce that our school paper has qualified for the NATIONAL SCHOOLS PRESS CONFERENCE (NSPC) 2024. Thank you for your unwavering support and trust. Dive into the stories that made us stand out!
1. ChangeThis
The “lost chapter”
from The Back of the Napkin
by Dan Roam
No 44.03 Info /14
2. ChangeThis
Visual thinking is the future As businesspeople, becoming comfortable
of business problem solving. with our visual abilities again—improving
Using our innate ability to see—both with our our ability to look at complex information,
eyes and our mind’s eye—gives us entirely see important patterns emerge, imagine new
new ways to discover hidden ideas, develop possibilities, and clearly show those discov-
those ideas intuitively, and then share those eries to others—is about to become our most
ideas with other people in a way they are valuable skill.
simply going to “get.” In my book, The Back Of The Napkin: Solving
In fact—as we all know—visual thinking isn’t Problems And Selling Ideas With Pictures, I give
“new” at all. It’s our oldest problem-solving dozens of examples of how businesspeople
toolkit of all, predating verbal communications have solved complex problems through learning
in the evolutionary chain by eons, and giving to think with their eyes. But more importantly,
us as Kindergartners the ability to explore I introduce my simple set of four basic visual
and explain our ideas long before we could thinking tools that anyone can use to address
read and write. any problem at any time.
As globalized supply chains and emerging In order to keep the book as focused as possible
markets flatten the world, as information on the “how-to,” I decided to remove one
overload becomes the status quo, and as com- of my favorite chapters. Entitled “The Ten and
munication channels proliferate, problem- a Half Commandments of Visual Thinking,”
solving complexity is only going to increase. I’m pleased to present that missing chapter here
In other words, there’s more data out there in its entirety. I hope you find it useful and
in more forms and languages than ever before, eye-opening.
and there’s a greater need than ever for —Dan Roam
businesspeople to make good decisions and
communicate their thinking to others.
No 44.03 Info /14
3. ChangeThis
1. Any problem can be solved with a picture.
Strategic, financial, operational, conceptual, personal, and emotional—it doesn’t matter
the nature of the problem we face—if we can imagine it, we can draw it. By drawing it
we will see otherwise invisible aspects and potential solutions emerge. Drawing out our
problem is always worth a try. Even in the worst case—if no solution becomes visible—
we’ll still end up with an infinitely clearer view of our situation.
No 44.03 Info /14
4. ChangeThis
2. Everyone starts by saying, “I can’t draw, but...”
If you think you can’t draw, you’re in good company. The only demographic group
who really knows they can draw is in Kindergarten today. Wait a minute... weren’t you once
in Kindergarten, too? The fact is, we are all born excellent visual thinkers. If you’re visual
enough to walk into a room without falling down, you’re visual enough to solve problems
with pictures.
No 44.03 Info /14
5. ChangeThis
3. Avoid drawing on the linen.
The whole point of “napkin sketching” is that you never know when you might want to visually
explore an idea. Any paper napkin will work as a drawing surface, which is why cafes and bars are
great idea-sharing places. But when you’re in a more proper establishment with fancy linens, you’ll
need to BYOP (Bring Your Own Paper). Best lesson: always carry a little notebook and a pen.
(Tip: while waiters in proper establishments are always willing to loan a pen, be sure to give it back.)
No 44.03 Info /14
6. ChangeThis
4. To start, draw a circle and give it a name.
The hardest line to draw is the first one—so don’t even think about it.
Just draw a circle in the middle of your page and label it with the first name that comes to mind:
“me,” “you,” “them,” “today,” “yesterday,” “tomorrow,” “profit,” “loss,” “our product,”
“our company,” “our competitor,” “the globe,” “the weather”—whatever.
It really doesn’t matter what you select at this point; all that matters is that you get started.
No 44.03 Info /14
7. ChangeThis
5. Select the best picture type from the “Basic Six”
(Who/What, How Much, Where, When, How, Why).
Once we’ve got that first circle drawn, all we need to do to keep our sketch going is select
which of the “Basic Six” frameworks best supports the type of problem we’re solving:
1) a PORTRAIT for a “Who” or “What” problem; 2) a CHART for a “how much” problem;
3) a MAP for a “where” problem; 4) a TIMELINE for a “when” problem; 5) a FLOWCHART for
a “how” problem; or 6) a MULTI- VARIABLE PLOT for a “why” problem. From just these six,
we have the backbone framework for any problem-solving picture.
No 44.03 Info /14
8. ChangeThis
6. Anthropomorphize everything.
People respond to people. Faces and stick-figures, however crudely drawn, immediately
elicit attention, understanding, and reaction. Whether to show relationships and quantities,
emphasize a point, or just provide a sense of scale, draw people in by drawing in people.
(In a similar vein, the reason hand-drawn sketches are particularly powerful in sales
and communications is their visibly human imperfections—and their “work-in-progress”
appearance—invite participatory input from the audience.)
No 44.03 Info /14
9. ChangeThis
7. Take advantage of every mental trigger you can.
(a.k.a. Use “pre-cognitive” attributes.)
The human mind has evolved to process a wide range of visual cues instantly, even before
we consciously “see” them—hence the term “pre-cognitive.” We recognize and apply meaning
to size, shape, orientation, direction, and position—and make associations and distinctions
between these traits—long before we have time to think about them. Since we don’t waste
any “higher-level” cognitive cycles processing these basic attributes, the more information
we convey through them, the more we free up our minds (and those of our audience) to look
for deeper meaning.
No 44.03 Info /14
10. ChangeThis
8. Doodle aloud—and erase even louder.
When the first person said, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” he or she permanently warped
our understanding of pictures. The point of a good picture isn’t to eliminate words, it’s to replace as
many as possible so that the words we do use are the important ones. (Rather than spending time
verbally describing coordinates, positions, percentages, qualities and quantities, if we simply show
them, we have more time to talk about what they mean.) So as you work through your picture, make
a point of describing—even if it’s only to yourself—what the pieces mean and why you’re drawing
them where you are. Even a stream-of-consciousness babble makes sense when it supports an
emerging picture. And when something looks wrong, go ahead and erase it, talking through that
as well. The combination of simultaneous creation and narration is magic.
No 44.03 Info 10/14
11. ChangeThis
9. Don’t draw what’s out there, draw what’s in here.
(a.k.a. The sky is blue, except when I think it isn’t.)
Everybody has his or her own idea of what things “really look like,” and we’re all wrong. The point
of problem solving pictures isn’t to create great art. We’re not trying to show to ourselves and to
others what things look like “out there” (in the real world); we’re trying to show what things look like
“in here” (what we see in our own heads). The human brain is a remarkable problem-solving device.
More often than not, we already know the solution to our problem—usually because we’ve already
seen it somewhere before—but it’s locked away just out of grasp. When we see our problem mapped
out in front of us pictorially, the solution often jumps right off the page. Don’t worry about what
your picture looks like, concentrate on what it shows.
No 44.03 Info 11/14
12. ChangeThis
10. Draw a conclusion.
The simple act of creating our picture is the most important part of visual problem solving.
Drawing things out helps us look, see, imagine, and show ideas that would have remained hidden
had we not picked up the pen. That said, it’s always worth it to take our picture to the point
where something new emerges. When you think you’re done, push that pen one more time to
write a title, a conclusion, an insight, or a comment. Squeezing one last drop out of your
visual thinking muscle almost always delivers a “eureka!”
No 44.03 Info 12/14
13. ChangeThis
10 1/2 . Don’t lie (not to yourself, not to your audience, and most of all not to your picture).
Pictures are powerful. Because processing images activates more corners of our minds
than words alone, we have a greater tendency to believe what we see—and the images we
create are far stickier than things we only hear. While any problem can be helped with a
picture, the wrong picture can make any problem worse. So when you’re done with your image,
go back and take one more look, if only to make sure that you haven’t gotten so caught in
the marvelous act of drawing that you’ve mislead even yourself.
No 44.03 Info 13/14
14. ChangeThis
info
About the Author
Dan Roam is the founder of Digital Roam Inc, a management consulting company that helps business
executives solve complex problems through visual thinking. Dan developed his understanding
of the power of pictures as a business problem-solving tool when he founded Red Square Productions
in Moscow in 1990, the first marketing communications company in the (then) Soviet Union.
When he arrived in Russia, his lack of Russian language skills forced him to use his visual skills to
share ideas with colleagues and clients, and that is when he began developing the visual thinking
tools introduced in The Back of the Napkin. He now lives in San Francisco.
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This document was created on March 5, 2008 and is based on the best information available at that time.
Check here for updates.
ABOUT CHANGETHIS Copyright info WHAT YOU CAN DO
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