Reflection – Design Thinking Tool Visualization

Challenge & Selection

The challenge I chose for applying the design thinking tool of  visualization is a research project including a scientific study and  writing a thesis that I conducted together with a colleague from a  different discipline. In addition, the topic of the study included an  intercultural comparison with Japan, therefore involving also a Japanese  colleague to help.

During this intercultural and interdisciplinary scientific project with my  two colleagues, the foreseeable challenge that our differing prior  knowledge, background, culture and diverging ideas and approaches may  potentially lead to misunderstandings and wrong expectations towards one  another in the process, arose and got in the way of making progress  planning the research project. Meeting only virtually additionally  increased these potential difficulties. The study we planned to conduct  revolved around the topic of “perception of emptiness in architecture”  which is not only an abstract concept but also one that, when translated  into Japanese, has a different meaning and connotation.

This is where the tool of visualization came into play. As explained in the  video lecture, it makes ideas or abstract concepts more tangible and  concrete. It can be a sketch, a photo, map or a picture you draw. Anything  that is more than language and stimulates visual thinking.

Application

In the described challenge, I started to use the visualization tool during  the meetings and discussions with my two colleagues in order to clearly and  vividly communicate my ideas.

In the team meeting with my research partner, I used a digital whiteboard  to draw and sketch the process of the project, including literature  research, generation of scientific hypotheses, creating stimuli material,  the questionnaire, data collection, analysis etc. That way the approach to  the project I had in my head was easier to communicate for me and became  understandable for my colleague as compared to before when I was describing  what I was thinking merely with abstract words.

Also, instead of citing or recalling the titles of books and scientific  papers that were suitable sources according to me, I collected photos and  screenshots of the cover pages and added them to a virtual pinboard.  Starting from there, I was able to vividly explain how these books and  articles had led me to my idea and hypotheses I introduced to my colleague.

In a similar way, when discussing the concept of “emptiness” with my  Japanese colleague, instead of relying on words that are – especially  across cultures - prone to misunderstanding, making use of the  visualization tool I presented to him photos of architectural spaces and  asked him to put them in an order from the most to least “empty”. The  visual material could help overcome the boundaries of (intercultural)

verbal communication and enhanced discourse and understanding, and beyond  that even learning and memory.

Insight

Everyone creates their own reality. When communicating with words, the  images created in people’s minds are different for everyone. Only by  communicating visually, an idea, thought or concept that does not yet exist  can be translated into something more tangible that helps all members of a  team create a similar image in their mind. Only when everyone is on the  same page of what is being talked about – achieved by applying  visualization – a foundation for successful collaboration is laid. This is  what the tool of visualization taught me during the challenge of my  intercultural and interdisciplinary research project. It was once I started  transforming my words and ideas into sketches and lines and onto pinboards  that a more effective dialogue with my colleagues emerged.

Approach

For any next project – whether it be similar to the challenge described  here or different – I will always and first of all use visualization. It is  suitable for every project or challenge since it makes abstract, not yet  existing ideas and thoughts more concrete, tangible and understandable. It  activates areas in the brain that are not activated in a merely verbal  conversation and stimulates visual thinking. Since visualization has the  power to put intangibles into concrete terms and put everyone involved in a  discussion – no matter what background or culture – onto the same page as  far as this is possible – the only challenge that remains in my opinion is  to constantly remind myself of applying this valuable tool.

