The Visual Way to Solve Problems

Computers lack the vision thing. Humans, however, excel at vision -- computer vision pales versus how well we process images..

Can businesses use this incredible visual ability to systematically how they operate? That's Dan Roam's argument in "The Back of the Napkin" (see Bnet's Book Brief. He bills it as a book about using pictures to solve problems and sell ideas. The bonus element of the book is that we'll get rid of PowerPoint, too, in favor of more homespun ways to illustrate presentations.

His thesis:

"Visual thinking is an extraordinarily powerful way to solve problems, and though it may appear to be something new, the fact is that we already know how to do it."

It's a simple four-step process, in fact: Look, See, Imagine, Show.

Roam argues that we can solve almost any problem using images â€" our own, simple, hand-drawn images. People prefer these to slick-looking presentations, they're easier to change and adapt, and they are more targeted than working with templates on a computer.

I don't disagree with him, but I've struggled with the first two parts of the book. Maybe there are too many pictures (or too many words). Maybe it feels too much like reading a textbook (though his writing is good and the prose is broken into lots of small and presumably readable sections). Perhaps I've struggled because he's building a case I already agree with -- his book might be better for people who don't start off thinking the argument is straightforward.

The last two parts are on how to use his techniques to develop and sell ideas. Perhaps I will like these parts more than the first two. More soon.

UPDATE: see the rest of my review, Visual Problem Solving, Part II.