Did Visio kill the business graphics market?
If computers are the powerful productivity tool we think they are, why is it that only graphic designers and hardcore technical users, with their mystical knowledge of Photoshop and Visio can create decent looking business graphics? It's not as if they possess special powers of visual communication. You may have never gotten past the stick figure stage in art class, but what really separates the average person from these "creative geniuses" is practice. Practice means time, which for most of us is our most valuable commodity. When confronted with a presentation, project, or process that would benefit greatly from graphical representation, a typical response is "I don't have the time to learn [insert name of graphics program here]". The underlying goal of business graphics, and its associated software, is to increase efficiency and save time. If this doesn't hold true for a majority of business and home users, then the business graphics industry has failed.
If your boss asked you to diagram your network or document your sales pipeline, what would you say? Unfortunately, many of us would stick our fingers in our ears and yell "la la la I can't hear you!" I applaud those brave souls, the do-it-yourselfers, who enjoy taking on this sort of challenge. For some, their first experience with Visio was so harrowing, so torturous that they vowed to never build another flowchart. Seen as preoccupied with the advanced technical user, Microsoft's Visio remains the standard in the field and has transmitted that stigma to the whole industry. Personal computers have been used to create these kinds of graphics for more than 20 years and people are still scared of making a basic sales map.
I encourage people to try business graphics again. Not being an artist is never an excuse. The majority of current business graphics users don't even show their graphics to more than 3 people. Nobody is showing off their flowchart to critical artistic acclaim (although don't let that discourage you). That being said, you might be surprised at just how good programs have gotten these days.
Why don't you use business graphics regularly*? Let us know! Leave a comment.
*I've seen your presentations...
