Working Smarter : Visualization

Four Tips for “Beefing Up” Your Problem-Solving Tool Box – Part Four

Rich — Mon, 04 May 2009 09:25:00 GMT

This is part four of a four-part guest post contributed by Fred Nickols, Managing Partner of Distance Consulting LLC. All four parts focus on improving your problem solving efforts.

Tip #4: Draw pictures of the structure of the problem

A picture or model of the elements and relationships in a problem situation will help you to more quickly and more completely grasp the situation and figure out what to do about it.

Consider, for example, the diagram shown in Figure 4. It depicts the structure of a general-purpose work system. The elements of this system include inputs, a processor, outputs, a controller, and two control loops. On the front end of this system is a task initiation loop and on the back end is an evaluation and termination loop (the dotted lines). The relationships among these elements are such that inputs to the work system interact with the processor. The interactions between inputs and processor, which typically consist of prefigured routines, are referred to as “processes.” These processes produce the work system’s outputs. All this occurs under the watchful eye of the controller.

If the outputs of the work system are faulty, several possibilities are suggested by the structure of the diagram in Figure 4. The inputs might be faulty. The processor or the controller might be malfunctioning. Perhaps one or the other or both of the control loops is open and no information is getting through. Whatever the contributing factors, the diagram provides guidance regarding places to look for what might be causing the problem and for what might have to be changed in order to solve it.

The use of diagrams or schematics as an aid to problem solving is not new. Technicians have been using schematics as troubleshooting aids for years. Computer programmers and systems analysts are familiar with, if not dependent on, flowcharts and data structure models. Industrial engineers have relied on process flow diagrams ever since the days of Frederick Winslow Taylor. Diagrams and schematics should be found in your problem solving toolbox too.

Most important, get in the habit of visualizing the problems you tackle.

More Information

This is an edited excerpt from a longer piece titled “Ten Tips for Beefing Up Your Problem Solving Tool Box” that appears on Fred Nickols’ articles web site (www.skullworks.com). Many other articles dealing with problem solving and additional workplace-related subjects can be found there as well. Fred can be contacted by e-mail at nickols@att.net.

Be sure to read the previous three parts of this article from Fred Nickols.

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Video: a Cartoon That Makes it Easy to Understand the Credit Crisis

Aaron Stannard — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 22:00:00 GMT

When I was perusing some of my favorite blogs this morning I came across these two videos which artfully use visualization to explain a complex economic problem, the 2008-2009 credit crisis.

The cartoon probably doesn't address some of the important nuances of the crisis, but it succeeds where most of the major newspapers and opinion pages have failed: it explains a complex economic problem in a way that is fun and easy for the masses to understand.

This is why "a picture is worth a thousand words." Most people think visually – when we’re given a piece of information our brain attempts to understand it by visualizing it. This is why analogies are so popular – we describe a massive decrease in the index of a stock market as a “crash” because a crash is something that our brain can visualize into something more understandable. So how come more people don't try to communicate using visuals like these cartoons?

Because communicating visually used to be hard - it used to require that you have some sort of artistic talent, but no longer. That's no longer true with products like SmartDraw, which have automated just about any drawing that the average businessperson might need. So why not learn how to communicate visually and become a effective communicator, like the author of these cartoons?

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Why Do Adults Forget About Visualization?: An Interview with Dr. Brian Friedlander

Laurence — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 17:25:00 GMT

I was recently able to chat with Dr. Brian Friedlander about his views on visualization, education, and SmartDraw. Dr. Friedlander is a school psychologist with expertise in the area of assistive technology. He has a passion for using all kinds of technology in his professional work and is very interested in the use of mind mapping, visual learning, project management and Web 2.0 technologies. Dr. Friedlander readily applies these technologies in the graduate courses that he teaches at the College of St. Elizabeth in Morristown, N.J. Dr. Friedlander consults to many school districts in N.J. and is available for workshops, training and presentations. His blog can be found at http://assistivetek.blogspot.com

1. How do you see your role as a psychologist and educator?

I have been in the field of school psychology for over 20 years and am now a full-time assistant professor at the College of St. Elizabeth, Morristown, NJ where I coordinate the Graduate Program in Special Education and teach graduate courses in assistive technology. From my vantage point, I am now able to work with my graduate students whom themselves are all practicing teachers and help them develop their technology skills so that they can have greater impact in their own instruction in the classroom. I hope that in my role as professor that I am able to model for them how technology can be utilized and integrated into the classroom. More importantly I try to model how different technologies and approaches can be used so that I can reach all of my students with varied learning styles.

2. Does visualization (graphic organizers, mind maps, etc.) have an impact on K-12 academic performance? If so, what kind?

One of the overriding theories that I teach to my students is that of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). UDL posits that it is important to keep the following principles in mind when designing and instructing: multiple mean of representation, multiple mean of expression, and multiple mean of engagement. From my perspective it is essential that teachers look to software applications that allow them to represent concepts and ideas in multiple ways. This is where programs like SmartDraw 2008 come into play. With SmartDraw 2008 robust set of templates and tools teachers can have at their disposal a rich toolkit to be able to create visual materials to help their students better understand various concepts and principles.

I have been a firm believer that students sitting into today’s classroom respond very favorably to graphics and learn best when teachers can provide the necessary visual scaffolding. It is clear from the research that when teachers use graphic organizers and concept maps that it has a significant impact on learning and achievement that takes place in the classroom. There are many ways that teachers in the classroom can use graphic organizers and mind maps to help students learn. Both graphic organizers and mind amps can be used for brainstorming, prewriting, advance organizers, presentation tool, note taking as well as for study guides. Mind maps and graphic organizers help students by seeing the relationships between ideas and as well as having them use both sides of their brain to process the information which in my mind helps with retention of information.

3. What similarities/differences do you see between the use of visualization in the K-12 set and the college-aged or adult business segment?

That is a rather interesting question. It is interesting from my perspective in that while many students are taught how to use graphic organizers or mind maps in K-12 they do not generally see the value when they enter college. There seems to be a real disconnect and it is not until some of the same students enter the business world that they may begin to see others effectively use mind mapping to solve a host of problems. I myself am and avid mind mapper and use the tool throughout the day to help me work more effectively. I use mind mapping tools for designing my graduate courses, for project management, creating to-do lists, and for developing proposals. Having the information visually on the screen allows me to see the whole picture in a way that is both manageable and fluid. I am easily able to move ideas around on the screen and can work with my ideas without feeling that it is set in stone. Mind mapping tools gives me the freedom to work with ideas in a way that other tools do not.

4. What area of visualization do you see having the biggest impact on the day-to-day life of someone in business?

Students sitting in today’s classrooms need to develop their visualization skills more than ever so that they can understand the volume of data that they will be expected to process and comprehend. Those students that can use visualization tools to communicate ideas and use them in new and innovative ways will be a distinct advantage. We have only just begun to see how digital maps, GIS, and other visualization technologies are impacting every aspect of our life. As we generate more and more data it will become essential to use visualization (graphing) tools to help us make sense out of the data so that we can make informed decisions.

5. We spoke about the disconnect between children and adults from both sides (kids don't understand the usefulness of what they're learning and adults don't use what they've learned as children). Why do you think that is?

I think that changing a behavior or going about doing something in a different way can be difficult for some. Similarly, many children who learn how to use these tools in k-12 may not be able to generalize how they can be used, once they leave these environments. Once they are out of the k-12 environment the tool becomes decontextualized and they don’t see any reason to use it. I for one feel that if more students saw adults in their environments using these tools in their day to day work, that they too would not only see their value but would begin to actually use the tools more themselves. It was a real eye opener for me, who has been using mind maps and graphic organizers to find out there is a whole world out there that is using these tools to solve a host of different business problems. It is very exciting to be part of these communities and to find out how others are using mind maps and other visualization tools to solve real world problems. I think that we really need to show students that the business world values these tools and that these are lifelong tools that can be used to solve a variety of problems.

A big thanks to Dr. Friedlander for his time and insights from The SmartDraw Blog

Delicious Products: Appealing To Emotional Buyers Through Visual Symbols

Laurence — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 17:34:00 GMT

I was recently hurrying through the mall (horrible places, malls) and came across what must be the easiest, fastest sell in that massive hive of people, shops, and restaurants – cinnamon buns. Tell me this doesn’t make you hungry…

Even Dmitri could sell these if he hadn't tried to eat a whole one himself.

For a company like Cinnabon, visual communication is a no brainer. All they have to do is show a picture of the product and trigger the salivary glands of anyone within visual or olfactory range. Unfortunately, most of us don't sell cinnamon buns.

What if you don’t have a delicious product?

When I started to explain the benefits of visual communication to a friend of mine who works at a wholesale security company (they sells locks and other security products), he showed me the product page of their website - an attempt to show the visual nature of their site. The problem is this, unlike the cinnamon bun, the pictures of the locks don’t evoke any emotional reaction when pictured alone. Buying is an emotional decision. To help sell locks, we need a better visual strategy that triggers emotion.

Concrete images that symbolize an abstract idea are often more effective than the abstraction itself. If I were to offer advice to the security wholesale business I referred to earlier in the article, it would be to create a set of "secure" visuals around the products and "insecure" visuals around the rest of the site. A main page that features a shady figure breaking in through a window at night (concrete visual that implies "insecure") makes a bold and bright product page feel that much safer. You might even say, delicious.

This article is the spiritual successor to The Two-Second Sales Pitch.

Basic Design Principles With Jose (Part 2)

Laurence — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 11:11:00 GMT

Even a little bit of design know-how can go a long way toward making your project look like it was created by a professional. JM, the Art Director at SmartDraw, contributed his expertise to highlight these simple, yet effective techniques.

2. Alignment

Alignment can help elements seem unified and connected.

You may not feel as if you are placing items on the page randomly, but unless you are consciously aligning each new element with something on the page, that’s exactly what you are doing.

As with grouping, alignment helps the reader digest information. The imaginary line that connects aligned items reinforces their connection and pleases the eye. Different alignments elicit different reactions so experiment with left or right alignment for something more dramatic than the traditional centered look.

3. Visual Unity

Picking colors that harmonize with each other is the first step to a decent design. Repeating those colors, logos, icons, or shapes throughout your project creates a sense of unity-the feeling that this document, whether a one-page flyer or an entire book, is “one piece”. Pick a visual theme and carry it through. Your project will feel like a unified whole.

Part 1 of this series can be found here.

2008 US Primary Elections

Laurence — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 19:55:00 GMT

I was able to make this primary map in a few hours (a how-to is coming soon) and I wanted to share it. Sure it's not quite as pretty as the Time or Newsweek versions but I think it does a decent job of capturing the appropriate look and feel. I'm also sure it took them a LOOONG time to put their maps together whereas mine was a relatively quick solution using SmartDraw and MapsAlive.

~~You can use your mouse to drag the map around within the bordered area. Unfortunately, the map is wider than the column that I posted it in.~~ [Ed: fixed]

Be sure to check back here since I'll be updating this map as results come in. What other information would be useful besides the winner? How could I make this map better?

Cool Visualization Resources

Laurence — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 18:09:00 GMT

After a few days of holiday vacation (one can only take so much business graphics), I'm back and ready to rock your collective socks off with my profound elucidations on visual communication, business process, and all manner of other buzzword-worthy topics. Unfortunately, I haven't prepared much for this week so I've decided to introduce you to some excellent resources for visualization. From visualizing social news to five-year discussions on the efficacy of the Gantt chart (those Tufte folks kinda scare me), you will undoubtedly find something useful and interesting among this collection.

information aesthetics
form follows data - data visualization & visual communication

Updated frequently, this is where I go to find the latest cool visualizations. As the subheading suggests, aesthetic quality is a top criteria for making it on this site so don't expect great business ideas. The astounding breadth of examples, however, proves that visualization applies across all industries and data sets. The moral here is that visualization applies to any group that consumes or produces data. That should cover just about everyone.

Junk Charts
Recycling chartjunk as junk art

Horrified at the misleading charts frequently printed in "reputable" sources? This community loves picking them apart. If you want to find out what not to do when making a chart, come here.

Communication Nation

Dave Gray is a strong advocate for visual communication. His company, XPLANE, specializes in complex visualizations. If you want to know about the endgame of visualization, check it out.

Smashing Magazine
Data Visualization: Modern Approaches

This article at Smashing Magazine covers some of the new and exciting uses of visualization (mostly web-based). In essence, it does the same thing that I'm doing in my post.

Edward Tufte Q&A Forum

If you are serious about visualization, read up on Tufte. Intense discussions on all types of business graphics abound on the forums, so wade in at your own risk.

Of course, I don't want this to just be about ogling pretty pictures. You don't have to create magnificent art to take advantage of the benefits of visualization. The abstract thinking required to create the graphics in the first place is a useful exercise in and of itself. While you might not have time to create a procedural method for visualizing the data flow across your network, the fact that someone has should serve as motivation. Mapping out a simple process is cake-walk compared to that.

If I've left out your favorite resource, let me know in a comment.

Visualizing Ankle Sprains: A Decent Business Idea

Laurence — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 20:12:00 GMT

Help me understand what is wrong with my shoulder and I'll pay you $250. If I go to the doctor, get referred to a specialist and get an MRI, it will cost me well over that amount. Help others understand their soft-tissue injury and you stand to take a piece of a $6.5 billion dollar industry (2003 Medtech Insight Report). Many (in my experience, most) doctors don't have a clue when it comes to effective soft-tissue injury treatment, prevention, and rehabilitation. If they do, they certainly don't do a good job of communicating it. Orthopedists make money in imaging and surgery, not tracking down the true cause of your injury. And good luck getting referred in the first place...

Here's how to take advantage of this information gap (and make some money in the process): Create simple diagrams and handouts explaining common causes of common soft-tissue injuries along with a simple and effective treatment plan. Do the research, compile good information from around the world, and become an expert at communicating that information. You'll improve the effectiveness of doctor-patient communication ten-fold. Patients will receive more effective, standardized advice and the healthcare system will reap the benefits of a healthier, more informed public. This simple change would drastically reduce the number of useless doctor visits and surgeries. When the injury doesn't justify going to the doctor (such as a simple sprained ankle), this information would serve consumers directly. This is a win-win for patients and the healthcare system.

As costs of medical care rise precipitously, we, as patients (i.e. consumers of medical services), are expected to take on more responsibility for our own health care. We have to decide which injuries and ailments require a doctor's attention and which don't. But how am I supposed to make an informed decision on my strained sternocleidomastoid when it sounds more like a prehistoric elephant than a part of my own body? It is, in fact, a muscle in the neck. If patients are expected to make informed decisions, we need information in a format we can understand. The scientific jargon sounds like gobbledygook to most people. Simple diagrams are an absolute necessity.

It took me two years, a lot of a time, and a LOT of my insurance company's money to figure this out, but I'll give you this one for free - resting without some form of rehabilitation will almost never cure tendonitis. Unless you go after the root cause of the swelling, it will return as soon as you go back to whatever activity aggravated it.

Take-Away:

Information gaps like this exist everywhere. Leverage strong communication skills to fill them in and make money in the process.

The Two-Second Sales Pitch

Laurence — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 13:29:00 GMT

Could you deliver an effective sales pitch in two seconds? In the business world (and some would say everywhere else as well), our lives are a series of interrelated sales pitches. Whether it's convincing your boss to fund a new project, selling directly to a customer, or proving that you can complete the saltine challenge, everyone needs to have an effective sales strategy. For a moment, let's forget all the complicated systems, 10-step programs, and business-school-inspired models. If all you had was two seconds, your pitch would undoubtedly be a variant of "I/you/we should do [action x] because of [reason y]". Assume you are selling to someone who isn't just going to "take your word for it" and requires an explanation. After all, you wouldn't walk into your boss's office and ask for a raise because you feel like it (although if you would, please email me your company's information right away).

In order to provide an effective explanation, you must anticipate what the person you are pitching to wants. In the case of your boss, he/she wants higher profit (just a guess). Knowing this, you walk in confidently, look your boss straight in the face, and exclaim "You should give me a raise because I contribute to higher profits for the company!" Your boss stares back at you and says "Show me". Uh-oh. Clearly there's not enough time (you already used 1.5 seconds) to explain the details of your impact in your department and improvements on the product. The truth is, your boss doesn't really understand exactly what you did, so why bother explaing the details? In some cases you can daze your audience with facts. In two seconds, though, there's not enough time. When you need that initial impact, nothing beats visualization. It's no coincidence that all fast food menus have a picture of the food item with the price underneath it. How accurate those visuals are is another story...

How easy is it to follow the dollar bill in the example on the left? Eliminate the anxiety of your audience and help them out with directed visuals. You tell them where to look and they will do it.