Visual thinking with a surface: live-action video capture

The shapes and line work are informed by other lines and shapes as they are created. Working with no preconceived idea of what the final outcome will be, generates an image that will surprise the drawer. What value this has (if any) in an ideation session is something I'd like to investigate further.

What would a football coach do without visualization?

“To deploy this play, Left Twins Tight End Give, Center hands off to the Quarter Back while the Tight End drops back and travels behind and to the right of the QB. The QB hands off the ball to the TE, while the two Wide Receivers rush the opposing team to ensure a gap for the TE who attempts to run up the field.... Got it? Let's go!"

or

What does a research paper look like?

(Thinking outloud about the basic structure of my current research paper.) 

The “innovation” portion is of course very optimistic. What’s important about this sketch is the proportion allotments given to the report. Although not quite in the right proportion as shown. 75% of the document should be about your innovation, that is after all the prime driver behind the project. The remainder is essentially comprised of the supporting material, general "housekeeping" and academic requirements. ( The 75/25 ratio was originally suggested by professors from OCAD University). 

The evidence that was gathered through research will ultimately feed your hypothesis and create the main section of your story. Elemental ideas that underpin the hypothesis are also embedded in the content of every section of the report. 

My challenge, as a neophyte researcher, is to keep the evidence that is gathered as objective as possible and let it suggest a gap for any new hypothesis to develop.

(A visual discovery: this sketch starts to look a bit like the "drilling down" one as in the 5 why's post here but inverted. It seems natural to use the same structure to find the most valid answer to your research question).

Gigamap your way to creative discovery.

In this age of multidisciplinarity and cross-pollination between domain experts it’s important to find new ways to share research data and information. I don’t propose we eschew the creation of traditional documents and reports but we can aid and expedite comprehension through visual translation and visual thinking. In part, this would entail the creation of gigamaps ¹: aesthecially designed visual artefacts that take on the form of richly detailed, large scale images² representing various levels of textual and visual information. This map essentially captures and communicates the story of research and thought-process that has been—and is being—conducted. In turn, it acts as a centerpiece for collaboration with all the stakeholders.

¹Sevaldson, B. (2011). Giga-mapping: visualisation for complexity and systems thinking in design. Nordic Design Research Conferences. retreived from http://ocs.sfu.ca/nordes/index.php/nordes/2011/paper/view/409/256

²The form the gigamap takes is open. It could be a video, or even a entire room filled with research data. The key point to remember is that whatever form it takes, there has to be a flow. It is, after all, a type of “story”. It must allow for instinctual discovery. The creators and users need to be able to “read between the lines” to discover and tease out new insights.

The most important question: Why? (x5)

It's always the hardest question to answer and even a harder one to evade, especially in the 5th iteration of the same question. The heart of the matter is often a surprise to both the questioner and "questionee." Try it next time a client asks you to create a "viral" video for them...

The calculus of success.

"Just do it" works for the simpler things, but when it comes to bigger, more complex objectives you need a different approach. If you can parse the big project into sections and arrange them in order of "enjoyment" or fun-to-do, the big job will get done with the least amount of pain and procrastination.

The "x" axis could also be configured in terms of the main task's "difficulty." The curve will then become inverted: the easiest tasks at the beginning, with the most difficult one at the end.

What constitutes "difficulty" and "enjoyment" will always have very personal characteristics, so this is probably a technique best reserved for singular working sessions and not a collective one.

The best skeuomorphic representation of UX vs UI

UX vs. UI Infographic taken from this post on Design.org

Patterns with meaning.

Your hypothesis and area of interest predisposes you to look for a particular set of stimuli. How can there be any meaning in what you see or sense without some prior experience of it?

Finding patterns that have meaning is a singular activity, sharable only when you have made the discovery yourself first. Creating a data set, amassing a body of research or distilling a literature review is the first step. You can collaborate freely at this point. This is the point of divergence where you intentionally reach beyond the initial scope of your interest. How can you know where your interest really lies, unless you know where the boundaries are?

I'm interested in Lake L'Amable, a small, deep, spring-fed body of water just south of Bancroft, Ontario. If you are too, then this pattern has meaning to you as well.

The biggest black blog is the actual lake (aerial view) and 

it's just off the main hwy. (#62) 

Visualizing: thesis, antithesis and synthesis

This is a whimsical take on positing a thesis and antithesis, concluding with a synthesis. True concepts don't come together or are synthesized in such a straightforward fashion. I've obviously just visually "forced" the final frame. However there is a peculiar an interesting revelation here. Notice that the "climbing man"as the central figure against the ground of a mountain scape does not actual change   shape or form and yet looks completely different in "antithesis" and "synthesis". He's exactly the same, just "reflected" on the x-axis and rotated 90 degrees clockwise.

Visually the images are appealing in every iteration ( at least to my eye). And the "solution" or synthesis required a relatively simple manipulation of form, to work. Is there a process embedded in this exercise that has any bearing on creative problem solving?  (A corollary to this visual demonstration

exists in geometric theorems that are proved through visual manipulation only.)

What makes "change" happen?

“If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” 
And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, 
I know I need to change something.”

Steve Jobs, Standford Commencement Speech, 2005

Dissatisfaction.

This is almost a perennial state of mind for people in any creative field. The solution to the brief is never perfect of course, it can only come close. But this also serves as motivation for doing it better the next time, for learning from the missteps. Inevitably the day comes when just getting it close-enough happens too often. Being jaded is dangerous; no longer caring about the outcome invites the kind of change that will never be strategic or productive: clients will leave and contracts will be cancelled.

Vision & Articulation.

We need to see real possibilities. To look past the horizon line and fix our gaze on a tangible goal, even when it’s not fully in view. It starts with an idea, the plans and tactics to bring it to fruition follow. It’s never an easy path, it’s constantly revised and anxiety prevails. Where does the vision come from? A desire to emulate another mental construct? To reflect a process or an idea that has worked for someone else? I think it’s always the original voice that gets heard above the din of all the imposters and posers. Creating a vision is really just a matter of being true to oneself. The trick is “knowing” oneself in the first place, getting to the heart of your mission, decoding the DNA of your company and finding your own path. Vision and perspective go hand in hand. You have to step outside your usual circles and your usual patterns in order to gain enough psychic distance to find the right vantage point to review those patterns and circles. Physical distance helps too. Working abroad, even for a short period, where you are immersed in different cultures, confronted with different world views, often brings clarity to your own. “Visual acuity” improves greatly when you finally get a sense of your own mortality. It starts with witnessing the demise and passing of others. The closer they are to you, the more effective the lesson. I’ve stopped waiting for the perfect moment, for inspiration to strike. There’s not enough time left for that. Any step forward is a good thing, even if it may not be quite the right one. The first step is always the most important one.

Resistance. 

“Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose” 

Me and Bobby McGee - Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster

Resistance in any organization is often just a fear of the unknown, a reluctance to change patterns and deviate from a comfort zone. Even a productive pattern needs to be disrupted in preparation for future success. The degree of resistance appears to be directly proportional to what is at stake. When the coffers are empty, the motivation to try a different tactic is exceptionally strong. This is of course is a reckless form of leadership when you’re faced with a payroll and overhead. (Somewhat more acceptable when it’s just your own savings account that’s at risk). Although independent contracting in my case does not involve permanent staff or even regular business relationships, there is still the ecology of my current business model, my clients needs, my “brand” and value proposition. The forces at play naturally come from outside sources and it’s not just about my personal desire or wish to grow or change a service offer. This gets complicated. If you’re dealing with clients who have hired your “brand” or expertise, changing the brand is impossible. You have to change (inform) the client by educating them (which can be a herculean task!) or begin to target new ones, if the brand or value proposition shift is too great.

Introducing the Vroodle (variations on a Venn)

We all use the venn diagram. And overuse it. 

Is there a best practices strategy for venn diagramming for a type of set theory in complex social systems?  Applying mathematical theory to social systems is way out of scope for me. But I can certainly have a little fun with it. So here are some of my Vroodles!

But what’s a vroodle exactly? It’s when a Droodle says hello to the venerable Mr John Venn, the originator of the Venn diagram (1880).

But what’s a droodle ?

The name "Droodle" is really just a made up word suggesting doodle, drawing and riddle. It was coined by Roger Price in 1952.

Go ahead do a few and I'd love to post them here too!

How do teams work? Perception vs Reality

If everyone leaves their ego at the door, who will lead the meeting?

This is just a personal observation based on anecdotal evidence. If you spend all of your time trying to reach a consensus you're spending less time coming up with ideas. The point of multidisiplinary collaboration is to embrace all of the different perspectives at the table, to live in the problem-space with this ambiguity and creative tension and to tred lightly as you work through as many diverse ideas as possible.

(Are you a black triangle?)

Visualizing social behavior.

Even through visual expression, indirect reciprocity appears to be a naturally "expansive" form of social interaction. This is by no means definitive proof. These diagrams just feel and look correct to me.

From thinking to doing: How do you bridge the gap?

Synthesis. 

What does yours look like?

After all of the problem finding and framing, the data collection and parsing, the iterations and the incubation comes the big insight. But how exactly did you get there?

Moving up Ackoff's knowledge pyramid is arduous work. Dissecting the process seems to destroy any hope of finding any definitive structure or element that defines the actual synthesis when shifting from one stage into the next.The insight comes into view not because you're following a particular critical thinking methodology, but because you're doing something. 

Critical thinking methods are important for that reason alone. The make you think about your data in a very structured way. They can't actually lead you to the insight, the methods just keep your thinking agile and focused so that you'll be able to recognize and act on an idea when it does finally flash before your minds eye.

What do you see in our DNA?

What does "logic" look like?

Roger Martin, describes abductive reasoning as "The logic of what might be". I think this statement also embodies the belief that true insights require a leap of faith. They are hard won and the process can be a little scary.

Why is sketching good for your thoughts?

Getting it out of your head to examine your idea or process, automatically gives you more information about it. You see it in a new dimension. Not only is it readily shared with others in the room, it also becomes less “precious”. You have to overcome the natural desire to protect your ideas. If they cannot stand up to the harsh light of reality, then you need to iterate and move on.

Colin Ware(1) describes concept sketches as images that contain both “appearance” and “idea”. Although he is referring to graphical systems or 3-dimensional artefacts, sketches of process can have a true appearance to them as well. In fact, the actual appearance of a process may have even more value than the ideas it embodies. ( More on this later).

The following examples (2) of sketches and prototypes  are of course just plain hilarious and fantastic. No design iteration is required: straight from the visual thinking sketches of a child into production!

1. Ware, C. (2010). Visual thinking: For design. Morgan Kaufmann.
2.(from Jack Beveridge and Joshua Lake)

The "Opposable" mind-set and Innovation

Understanding how great innovators think is not the challenge. The real challenge is, how do to emulate them. To use a technical metaphor, you can’t copy “software” to the hard drive and expect it to work, it needs to be initiated and “loaded” into the cpu according to a specific set of rules.

Reflecting on the anecdotes of successful innovators and even a more careful analysis of how they think is never enough to embed their knowledge and ability into your own process. It's a good start though. Ultimately, it's your own DNA that will need to generate a personal innovation style, call it "opposable" or "a gestalt" or anything you want. It will have to be a cognitive tool that is yours alone, that can only be described to others but never really instilled in them.

see:  http://rogerlmartin.com/library/books/the-opposable-mind/

The Power of the Sketch

What were you doing at 17? Don't think, just sketch...make a mark on paper first. This is not as easy to do as you may think and especially if you're not comfortable with sketching anything. It's not about the quality of the sketch, no artistic talent for drawing is necessary. What comes to the surface should be the tacit knowledge of that time in your life: events, feelings and things in general, that you may think you forgot or may have even tried to forget.

The key to successful and meaningful sketching, in this context, is intimately connected to the ability of the participant to discard inhibitions. 

How else can we use the "power of the sketch"? TBD!

(note: this was also an exercise given to the cohort near the beginning of my MDesign program at OCAD U. This is my sketch. I was amazed that I actually recalled so much vivid information about this particular time in my life as a high school oarsman. The arrow points out my position in the boat).

The visual metaphor and "emergent properties"

In a recent paper on visual thinking I was trying to describe the relationships of elements on on a surface (e.g. painting) or aural patterns (music) as a type of complex system. The relationship that the we have to the painting or music is both unique and universal at the moment of perception.

The emergent property of a complex system of pigments and structure is that special feeling that one gets when viewing art or listening to music. We can create a diagram as a metaphor  that may demonstrate an emergent property, as a cognitive model.

To be clear, the dotted line is not a property at all, it’s actually just a curved vector, but it has some communicative power to suggest that when two forces collide a third and greater “result” is the conclusion. This diagram is only a metaphor for an emergent property. These visual metaphors are still powerful and can communicate complex ideas and as such have an important role to play in the composition of a gigamap.*

* carefully designed visual artefacts that take on the form of richly detailed, large scale images (static or dynamic) representing various levels of textual and visual information.

Innovation and the shoulders of giants (thoughts on the creative process) Part 1.

As an inventor* (in this episode), Homer was on the right track. In fact, through his own“process” he discovered a truly original idea: the un-tippable chair. Unfortunately Thomas Edison beat him to it decades earlier, D’oh!

When do you stop researching? As a neophyte researcher and someone who resisted looking too deeply at things lest they “pollute” my own vision, this may be a very naive question. Early in my career as an art director you were warned by some senior creative directors not to study the creative annuals of award winning work. Look, but don’t look too hard at. It was obvious, however, that many others would take more than just a little inspiration from the work they saw. I was determined to be original.

I suppose, by being blind to some of what’s really out there may make you think you’re being original, but as google and computer information systems in general, become smarter and even more ubiquitious there’s no excuse not to be intimately familiar with the arena you’re playing in. The reasearch is out there. All the information you want is at your fingertips. With even just an average ability to comprehend your material, gaining basic mastery over your subject area is no longer a time-consuming task.

* with respect to innnovation / invention , I realize that they are very different things. An invention is not necessarily an innovation. I prefer Art Fry’s definition “Innovation is where people switch to a new practice or use a new product”

What does my iPhone see when I'm walking and listening to music?

Shooting stills while walking and listening to music.
I don't need to look through the lens.
I trust in my iPhone.
It will see what it wants to see.

(images and color adjusted in Ps5)

Why do solvers go off brief?

The problem-statement brief changes as soon as you read it. We all see different aspects of the brief with varying degrees of attention and focus. The more complex the document the more varied the perception of it amongst the solvers. We see the things that interest us first: the things we know how to do or have done before.  These biases are difficult to avoid without following a strict critical thinking methodology. The variations of perspectives, on the other hand, can lead to deeper and more creative insights when the problem solving process is made "public"and shared.

This diagram (click to view) represents the "hidden" nature of the solving process. If you can involve the client in some of your "synthesis" steps the less disingenuous rationalization you'll need to do when it comes time to present your solutions.

The creative process is often hidden from the key stakeholders. They don't participate in the synthesis, which is a messy and protracted event that's difficult to unravel and even more difficult to share. It evades scrutiny and description and therefore never really surfaces for discussion during the final presentation stages. Instead, the primary stakeholders are subject to a dog and pony show that attempts to rationalize the final solution in light of the original brief which is in fact a "different"one for the solvers.

There is an approach to "surfacing" the synthesis as described by Jon Kolko*. He calls this a synthesis framework which involves 3 basic steps.

1. Prioritizing
2. Judging
3. Forging connections

By naming the process, making it more tangible the client can not only see how you got to your solution, they can also participate. I think it's important to emphasize that the client (the authors/owners of the problem statement, as well as the researchers, directors of a problem-finding mission) have much more knowledge about the issue at hand than the solvers. What a waste of a valuable resource if you cannot include them in your creative problem solving process.

•Kolko, J. (2010). Abductive thinking and sensemaking: The drivers of design synthesis. Design Issues, 26(1), 15-28. Retrieved from http://iefx.engineering.illinois.edu/ sites/iefx.engineering.illinois.edu/files/Kolko(10)The drivers of design synthesis.pdf

What does the larva and caterpillar want you to see?

There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly. - B.Fuller

With all due respect to Mr. Fuller I am distorting his original intention to suit my own needs.

What’s in a caterpillar that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly?

Photos: Larva by ddavid, Monarch Butterfly by William Warby

It’s just an exercise in being acutely aware of your surroundings through vision, to really look at things beyond just what they appear to be at first glance. It’s not about a prolonged staring contest, “things” don’t stare back. What they do offer is a myriad of hints to their true meaning and structure. 

You don’t draw the figure of a human body by examining the surface features alone, you draw from the inside out. The skeletal and muscle structures define the surface shape. The play of light and shadow on the surface only makes sense when you understand what’s happening on the inside. You can replicate the light and shadow that defines a surface but without knowing why the shadow bends the way it does, you’re just “reporting” on what you see rather that drawing what is really there. If your subject were to disappear but you have a  knowledge of anatomy,  you could still make relevant and deep changes to your sketch.

What does the object of your attention want you to see?

My comparison between larva and a butterfly may be a little glib, but I do believe that the way you look at your subject and the skills of perception naturally leads to a deeper appreciation of it.

( see Inge Druckrey,“teaching to see” produced by Edward Tufte, 2012)

I feel, therefore I think

"....we live in a world where we are taught from the start, that we are thinking creatures that feel. The truth is, we are feeling creatures that think..." 

                                    Jill Boyle Taylor (b.1959) neuroanatomist

In the process of my literature review on "visual thinking" I'm often distracted by trains of thought that are tangental to my main focus of inquiry. That's perfectly ok though, it just takes more time to get to the heart of the matter. I'm fascinated  (as well as overwhelmed) by the amount of material developed on cognition and the creative ideation process. How do we solve problems? What's my process, what's yours? It's not a private affair any longer -- although we still have to do deep critical thinking on our own -- the real work happens outside of our heads. The work gets done in the room, with as many relevant stakeholders as possible and practical.

The thought process is shared, it's a distributed cognition that relies on the input of others as well as any artefacts we can get our hands on:  the white boards, the sticky-notes, the idea sketches scrolled all over presentation pads.

It feels at once familiar and strange to me. This is how we used to "play" in early grade school. I think it still needs to be considered a type of "play". It may require rigorous attention to detail and process, especially when using cognitive tools to structure information and data. But aside from the brain work, we can't ignore the body work. What does the body know? Or the heart? How we feel informs what we think and do. The holistic approach to problem-solving is natural and so necessary when faced with the complexities of our time.

Somewhere between an overwhelming preponderance of evidence and your assumptions...

Visual Solutions

It would be virtually impossible to solve the following problem without using pure visual thinking. Or in this case: eye-hand coordination and applying a marker to a substrate.

the problem: (from McKim's Experiences in Visual Thinking)
"With a continuous line that does not retrace draw the pattern below"(p12)

It took a lot of trial and error ( and I even tried to cheat, but could not find the solution in the book)....
- scroll down for solution.....

Deciphering the doodle

While listening to professors talk about the essentials of a good research paper - I was drawing. I was paying attention, but still drawing. It's not a picture of anything, but it may hint at my own process .... note the pillar-like object middle right. I think that would be my main research question. Judging by the "weight" of the structure above it, I may need to make it a little more robust!

Distributed cognition, or thinking outloud.

tacit knowledge +visual thinking + the "hunch" + reframing + emotional intelligence

 = thinking outloud

Releasing Tacit Knowledge with Quick Sketches

Test 1.
Have you ever tried to capture your "place and time"? Thinking about the past or future is very difficult and linear if you just try to project backwards (to recall memories of events, milestones) or project forwards (in anticipation of goals to be achieved). Events move in all directions, they reflect reality as much as personal fiction or misrepresentations as well as aspirations.

The sketch below (first in an iterative series), is an attempt to get a feel for my "landscape" in terms of time/age. ( The "marks" and lines in this sketch are not self-evident of course, but there should be a sense of "horizon" and structure. Note also that I've ignored the usual convention of moving from left-to-right to capture the passage of time).

"community engagement" as a diagram

(outliers shown in grey)

The process:

Visualizing "The Penguin and the Leviathan" Y. Benkler

To see this poster in better detail please visit http://www.krop.com/shewchuk/