This document discusses various methods for visualizing information, including mind maps, concept maps, visual brainstorming, visual maps, sketchnotes, word-pictures, graphs, diagrams, and visual metaphors. It explains that visualizing information can reveal the big picture and details, show relationships between parts, and be more engaging for the brain compared to plain text. Examples are provided of each visualization method.
3. This is a text. It is a string of words that are put one
after another based on a system of rules called
grammar. As you read along you try to make sense of
what you read and you might make pictures in your
mind to remember what was being said at the
beginning and to figure out where this is all leading
to. If you have a short attention span, however, you
might have already forgotten what was said at the
beginning and you could also get lost in the details
and miss the complete picture. Besides, these black
marks on white paper look ... well, they look rather
dull. Because of this and for other reasons and to
make a long story short, we like to
visualize information
4. This is a text. It is a string of words that are put one
after another based on a system of rules called
grammar. As you read along you try to make sense of
what you read and you might make pictures in your
mind to remember what was being said at the
beginning and to figure out where this is all leading
to. If you have a short attention span, however, you
might have already forgotten what was said at the
beginning and you could also get lost in the details
and miss the complete picture. Besides, these black
marks on white paper look ... well, they look rather
dull. Because of this and for other reasons and to
make a long story short, we like to
visualize information
VISUALIZING INFORMATION BENEFITS:
reveal the big picture AND the detail
show relationships between the parts
>literally< more exciting to our brain
VISUALIZING INFORMATION BENEFITS:
reveal the big picture AND the detail
show relationships between the parts
>literally< more exciting to our brain
5. Mindmaps
Probably one of the better
known tools
Was used in antiquity already
but was made popular by Tony
Buzan in the 1970s
Works really well to visualize
hierarchical structures or parts-
of-a-system overviews (eg.
Book contents, etc.)
8. Concept Maps
If it is necessary to spell out the
relationships between the nodes
of a mindmap, you call it a
concept map
Some mindmapping software
allows you to do that (eg.
TheBrain)
11. Visual Brainstorming
As strange as it sounds, your mind thrives on
limitations; where a blank page can be
intimidating, this technique can help:
12. Visual Maps
With the rise of Graphic Facilitation, there are
more and more visual map templates that
visually chunk information (eg. Business Model
canvas, etc.)
Others use a metaphor to get people to
associate and create a story around their topics
14. Sketchnotes
Visual notes made of a
speech, video, article,
book, your own thoughts
etc.
(mainly) made popular by
Mike Rohde
Great for retaining
information but
depending on the design
might only make sense to
the one who created it
20. Graphs and Diagrams
Graphs and diagrams
can be used in a
figurative sense
rather than a number
sense
self-help
visualizations
(cf. The Decision Book,
Krogerus&Tschaeppler)
21. When to use what?
Who is it for?
(Yourself or other people?)
What is for?
(Purpose? Exploration, planning, retaining information, education,
persuasion, etc.)
Good questions to ask yourself about your
visualization:
How memorable is it?
How conclusive is it?