In a previous post I put Dan Roam's book The Back of the Napkin among my favorites. It's about how we can solve problems with simple pictures. According to Dan, 55-60 percent of our brain's neurons process vision. Research also shows that those who best describe the problem are most likely to solve the problem. His premise is that we're all experiencing information overload and the use of simple visuals can bring clarity to communication and problem-solving. Visual thinkers Arnheim (1969) and Tufte (1983) have also done pioneering work on this topic.
I attended his presentation and he had us all drawing on napkins. My drawing looked something like the picture below:
There are six ways of seeing a problem.
Start with three paths in parallel -- who/what, how much and where and then when and how
For who/what, use a qualitative visual like a portrait
For how much, use a bar chart where comparisons can be easily seen
For where, use a structural visual like a map
For when, use a timeline or show the passage of time
For how, use a cause and effect visual like a flow chart
Check out the White House Whiteboard
www.whitehouse.gov/whiteboard
www.slideshare.net for sharing presentations "the youtube for presentations" Check out Dan Roam's presentation on American Health care, a 4 napkin presentation.
Also check out RSA Animate videos on YouTube
Tufte visualization
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