Thinking visually

- [Instructor] I love teaching how to think visually, because the answer is so easy. Just don't think visually. Wait, what? No, seriously. Many people don't have a visual-first way of thinking. And even for those who do, it's not the right way to visualize abstract concepts. Why? Because if you go straight to visuals, one of two things is probably happening. You may just be regurgitating stereotypical iconic images your brain has been exposed to a gazillion times, which may not be the most appropriate image for the concept you're communicating in the context you're communicating it. Or you may be ideating on all kinds of cool and interesting visuals, but without really first thinking about what you're trying to do, the nuance you're trying to share, and the context where that visual will be used. "Okay, so if I'm not supposed to think visually, what am I supposed to do?" you ask. You're supposed to think of the meaning of the concept itself. Duh, that's obvious, right? Of course you need to understand the meaning of the thing you're visualizing. But as obvious as this idea is, people skip this step, or at least they just very quickly clarify the meaning, taking the first and most shallow explanation for it, and then run too fast into visual mode. Let me share an example from a few perspectives. Say you're trying to communicate the idea of sending a message. Simple. I bet you already have a visual in your mind. It probably looks like an envelope, like the typical email icon. In some contexts, that may be the exact right idea. For instance, when the Microsoft Outlook designer was coming up with the icon for that part of the interface, they needed the most intuitive visual that millions of people could use to send any type of message. In that context, the simplest, most obvious immediate idea is exactly the right one. But you may not be designing a user interface. Maybe you're creating a presentation, and you're sharing the idea that when your company receives a complaint, the policy is to send a message to customer service and marketing simultaneously, with the original message and a plan for how to address it. Hmm. That is much more nuanced and specific, isn't it? An email icon could sort of work, but it doesn't quite capture all of that information I just described. I really want to visualize the idea that an identical message is sent to two recipients, and they get two things, the original complaint and my solution. Now I can brainstorm a more nuanced visual. Maybe I'll combine some simple icons or make a custom illustration that gets more of that nuance across more clearly. This visual is more likely to really communicate that more complex and complete idea to my audience, so they're more likely to understand and remember that process, compared to just showing them an email icon. So when it's time to think visually, whatever you do, just don't start by thinking visually. Get to a deeper understanding of the context and the nuance of the meaning of your concept, and you're much more likely to come up with an impactful visual.