Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Design Tools

In The Back of the Napkin Dan Roam explains the four step process of Visual Thinking: Look; See; Imagine; and Show. The Information Design process would appear focused on the Show step, and most design tools are targeted there. However, tools do exist to aid in the other steps. In this article I will be examining one that I use regularly when working with clients as we collectively Imagine their future design.

In The Back of the Napkin Dan Roam explains the four step process of Visual Thinking:
  1. Look - Take in all the information available to build an initial "Big Picture"
  2. See - Assess the information and begin making connections
  3. Imagine - With eyes closed, visualize what isn't immediately obvious and begin manipulating the information to make hidden connections visible
  4. Show - Find the best method to visually represent a summarization of the information observed and the connections found
The Information Design process would appear to be focused on the Show step, and most design tools are targeted there.  Andrew LeBarron  briefly reviews three of these: Piktochart; Gelphi; Gliffy; all of which can be used to create striking visualizations of information. While not as readily visible in the final web design, one tool I frequently use is FreeMind.

FreeMind is a mind mapping tool useful in creating diagrams that visually outline information. A mind map is a graphical way to represent ideas and concepts. It is a visual thinking tool that aids in structuring information, helping us to better analyze, comprehend, synthesize, recall and generate new ideas. A mind map is often created around a single word or text, placed in the center, to which associated ideas, words and concepts are added. Major categories radiate from a central node containing the key idea, with lesser categories as sub-branches of the larger branches. Categories can represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items related to the central  idea.

Mind Maps organize the information in the same way our brain organizes information. This makes it very natural and easy to understand. Our brains like thinking in pictures. The smooth curves and colorful pictures create powerful images for our brains to remember.

We have two halves to our brains which think in different ways. The left half thinks linearly following direct linkages to related ideas. Our right brain likes to see the whole picture with colors and flow. A mind map caters to both sides of the brain at the same time, which makes it a very good way of storing and recalling information, presenting complex concepts to other people, and brainstorming new ideas.

Brainstorming is encouraged through the use of a radial hierarchical layout and non-linear creation of categories. This creation process generates mind maps that are unique in structure and design, making it easy for our brains to process and retain the information.

I have found mind mapping a useful practice in helping clients identify key driving forces behind web projects, as well as the information and its association to be contained within their web-based system.  Below is an example mind map created interactively with a client describing a future cloud-based business system.



 
Works cited:
Roam, Dan. The back of the napkin (expanded edition): Solving problems and selling ideas with pictures. Portfolio, 2009.

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"delivering the BIG PICTURE through managing the little details"
 
When you sit in a boardroom with Tim Foley, it becomes clear that he is a key contributor and valued advisor within the IT Security environment.  And, what may not be as readily apparent is a more personal side that compliments and adds depth to his management style.  Often using humor and real-life examples to illustrate a point, Tim brings an air of levity to an often dry and complex technical discussion.  Recently, when explaining the mortgage crisis of 2007 to a neighbor, he likened it to buying strawberries at Costco and created an entire scenario surrounding the process.  Afterwards, the neighbor remarked that although he had been trying to understand the mortgage crisis situation for some time, he had never truly understood it clearly until this discussion.  Being an avid reader, Tim brings a wealth of general knowledge into his discussions, making him an engaging conversationalist.