by 5 people |
Visual mapping is a module in visual thinking school, a course designed to help you learn how to think and communicate better using the visual part of your brain.
Visual mapping is a way to think through complex issues or solve problems that has several benefits. Visual mapping makes it easier to work creatively and collaboratively with a group. It's non-linear, so you can work out complex hierarchies and relationships. It allows you to see a whole issue, problem or plan, in its entirety and at a glance. It helps you see patterns, relationships and dependencies that might otherwise remain hidden.
The napkin sketch
Napkin sketches happen when you are trying to communicate something and words fail.
A napkin sketch is a way to think about what you want to achieve and the general approach you will take to get there. Because it's on a napkin there's not a lot of room for deatil -- and that's the way you want it.
You don't even need a napkin! A napkin-level sketch can be drawn with whatever is handy: a stick in the sand or chalk on the side of a building.
What better way to begin any mapping endeavor?
Napkin Sketch of Tim...
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Demo
Mind maps
Mind maps and concept maps are a way to think visually and creatively about an issue or problem. Just put down the main focus of the map in the center of a large sheet of paper, and let ideas flow out like a web or tree. You can use lines, shapes and drawings as well as words to capture your thoughts.
Here are some examples that might inspire you:
Invest in Content
Evolving ecology of...
impacts
impacts
226 of 365: Me and o...
Day 14 of 100 Days E...
100 Days Envizualize...
100 Days Envizualize...
100 Days Envizualize...
Concept maps
Concept maps are similar to mind maps, but they can be more free-form in structure and may not have a center like a mind map does. This is useful when you aren't sure exactly what the issue is but feel a need to look at it.
Ch 5 Concept Map
Visual Thinking in P...
Planning Total Utter...
Kick-Ass Visual Thin...
Relationships and Re...
How to draw a cartoo...
Shopping list
Creating cartoon cha...
If you don't know if...
Flow charts
Flow charts are a way to simply describe a process or flow. There are standard conventions for how to visualize documents, flows, hubs and start/end points.
You can learn the basics of flow charting in an hour or less, so it's easy to get started very quickly.
Your sex is on fire.
Flow chart
DECplate Flow Chart...
Blog posting flow ch...
Flow chart
flow chart for hapin...
3-27-08 Plan
the only flow-chart...
Determining a Clicka...
Rapid paper prototyping
Paper is still the best tool for visual thinking and mapping. Even the most high-tech industries rely on paper for some of their most creative and inventive work.
Popular in the software industry, rapid paper prototyping is a way to quickly mock up a software interface or user experience without spending a lot of time and money.
Interface designers sketch paper "screens" and test their effectiveness by asking users to think out loud and interact with the paper as if it were an actual computer interface.
User-testing of Pape...
Paper Prototype Test...
Paper Prototype Test...
Paper Prototype Test...
Paper Prototype Test...
Paper Prototype Test...
Laika XDS Testing v0...
Conveyor Homepage Id...
Eye and Mouse Motion...
UML
UML stands for "Universal Markup Langage." It's a visual language used by software designers to define classes, hierarchies and user scenarios. It's quite flexible and can be used to visually map all kinds of things. However it's also complex and not easily mastered.
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The blueprint
We began this exploration of visual mapping with the napkin sketch, so it's fitting to end with the other end of the spectrum -- the blueprint.
Blueprints are usually the outcome of a planning process; they communicate the specifics of the plan. They must be highly detailed, because they will generally be handed to another person or team for execution.
For this reason blueprints generally use specific graphic conventions that can be written and read by all parties.
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Books to improve your visual mapping
The Elements of UML™ Style (Sigs Reference Library)
Amazon Price: (as of 07/13/2009) 
The Mind Map Book: How to Use Radiant Thinking to Maximize Your Brain's Untapped Potential
Amazon Price: $16.50 (as of 07/13/2009)
Flowcharts: Plain & Simple: Learning & Application Guide
Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 07/13/2009)
Mapping Inner Space: Learning and Teaching Visual Mapping
Amazon Price: $27.85 (as of 07/13/2009)
Next mini-course module
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