Challenge: Describe your challenge, including all relevant information.

The September/October 2004 issue of CG&A introduced the term visual analytics to the  computer science literature.1 In 2005, an international team of multidisciplinary panelists  consensually and collectively defined the then newly established area as “the science of  analytical reasoning facilitated by interactive visual interfaces.”2 The means and targets of  VA have since evolved and expanded significantly, covering both scientific and nonscientific  data of different types, shapes, sizes, domains, and applications. As extreme-scale datasets  began revolutionizing our daily working life,3 researchers looked to VA for solutions to their  big-data problems.

Today’s extreme-scale VA applications often combine high-performance computers for  computation, high-performance database appliances and/or cloud servers for data storage and  management, and desktop computers for human-computer interaction. Sources of extreme- scale data often come from models or observations, arising from different scientific,  engineering, social, and cyber applications. Although many petabyte (1015) or even terabyte  (1012) data analytics problems remain unsolved, scientists have begun analyzing exabyte  (1018) data.

Selection: In your own words, briefly describe the tool you selected (e.g., what it is and  why you selected it for your challenge -- including any appropriate video lecture  references).

Consider the famous saying “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Images help us grasp things much  more quickly and effectively than words alone. They can capture complex systems on a single page,  convey meaning in an instant, and tap into powerful emotions. Images make ideas tangible and  concrete, and they allow people to share and develop ideas together. Visualization brings a different  part of our brain into play: It’s a different way of knowing. We have all heard about the differences  between the “left brain” and the “right brain.” The left brain, we’re told, is analytical and logical—it’s  the “business” brain. It likes numbers and language. The right brain contributes much of what makes  us human: emotion and intuition. Visualization is a right-brain tool. Current brain science tells us  that it is not quite that simple, but “right brain/left brain” is still a useful metaphor. Part of our brain  (the right part, according to the metaphor) is an expert at syntheses, thus tapping into it helps us see  connections and make sense of all the data we will -3- UVA-BP-0550 collect in our exploration  process. Recent brain science studies have taken us a step further in understanding why visualizing  ideas and activities is so important by demonstrating the existence of mirror neurons. Only humans  and orangutans are known to have these neurons (hence, “monkey see, monkey do”), which  rehearse the physical steps of an activity we observe without sending the execute command to our  muscles. Therefore, if you are watching someone hitting a baseball, you are actually practicing your  batting swing in your head. You are working all the neurological connections you need to actually  stand up and swing. Consequently, we learn to make something real by seeing it. Seeing can be as  important as doing. Visualization approaches need not be complicated or sophisticated. Just working  together to capture images on a board is a way to think together and get different disciplines on the  same page.

Describe how you applied the tool you selected to your challenge (e.g., what you did and  how the tool was applied effectively or ineffectively).

One of the great things about most of the design tools we’ll discuss (including visualization) is that  they require very modest capital investment: a whiteboard and markers. Flip charts, Sharpies, and  Post-it Notes are also extremely useful. More sophisticated aids, such as PowerPoint software,  digital cameras, and camcorders, can be handy as well. Designers use a more sophisticated set of  software tools, such as Illustrator and Photoshop, but mastering these isn’t necessary to reap the  extraordinary benefits of visual thinking (though a trained designer is an absolutely invaluable  addition to the team!). -4- UVA-BP-0550 Here are some basics to get you started: 1. Keep it simple.  Make your visual representations as simple as possible; basic stick figures can often do the trick. Use  color in a meaningful way. Keep clip art simple and avoid the clutter of multiple fonts and other  fancy effects. Remember: This is not about displaying your artistic ability; it’s about using your  imagination. Rudimentary can be better. Creating visuals that are too polished can backfire when  your goal is to solicit feedback. 2. Start by breaking your problem down into components. In his  bestseller on visual thinking for managers,1 Dan Roam argues that you need to consider only these  components: who, what, how much, where, when, how, and why? 3. Learn to think in metaphors  and analogies. Can you come up with an image for every key point? 4. Use photographs.  Photographs can be enormously helpful for both capturing data and communicating to others. Think  of a bullet point in a PowerPoint presentation from a financial services organization that reads, “Our  clients have an average of more than five different accounts.” Now think of a photograph of a man’s  wallet stuffed with credit cards and another one of his desk littered with bank statements. What is  the difference in impact between the line of text and the photographs? How can you marry words  and pictures for maximum communication impact? 5. Get comfortable working with personas.  Personas are fictional characters that you can create to exemplify certain customer attributes. They  help you visualize your customers. Because personas make the potentially abstract concept of  “customer” very personal and human, they enhance your ability to build the empathic  understanding of customers that is at the heart of design thinking. In Tool #2, we’ll talk in more  detail about building and using personas. For now, just think of creating a set of characters and then  using photographs and descriptions to bring them to life.

Describe the insight you gained from applying the tool you selected to your challenge  (e.g., how an insight affected your thinking about the challenge and about design thinking  more broadly).

Making your work visible reduces project risk substantially (and is especially important for effective  cross-disciplinary collaboration) because words are much more open to interpretation than pictures.  When you explain an idea using words, the rest of us will form our own mental pictures, usually  informed by our training. When you say, “We need a new growth platform,” the IT specialist sees  servers and code and exchange rules, the marketing guru sees an advertising campaign, and the  manufacturing manager sees new tooling. And we all think, “I’m sure he means what it means to  me, and that sounds good. We’ll sort out the details later.” And, of course, that’s what kills us: We  each go off and do our own thing, based on what your words meant to us. Later, you may well say,

“That’s not what I was talking about!” If instead you present your idea to us by drawing a picture of  it, you reduce the possibility of unmatched mental models. This is no guarantee that we will all agree  with your idea, but now at least we will know what we are disagreeing about.

Describe what you might do differently next time -- applying the same tool you selected or  a different one -- and the reason(s) why.

Journey mapping focuses on tracing the customer’s experience as he or she interacts with a  company in the process of receiving its product or service, with special attention to the emotional  highs and lows and the meaning that the experience holds for the customer. This tool 1 Dan Roam,  The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures (New York: Portfolio, 2008).  -5- UVA-BP-0550 is part of an ethnographic approach to studying customers in their own  environments instead of encountering them in focus groups or surveying them. Its aim is to identify  the customer’s “pain points” and spark innovations that can reduce these low points and maintain  and increase the high points. As we create and then analyze the maps, we are looking for touch  points, moments of truth, and pain points within the journey. These hold the key to identifying  value-creating innovations. And central to these is emotion. Jill Taylor, PhD, a former Harvard  Medical School brain researcher, noted: Sensory information streams in through our sensory  systems and is immediately processed through our limbic system. By the time a message reaches our  cerebral cortex for higher thinking, we have already placed a “feeling” upon how we view that  stimulation—is this pain or is this pleasure? Although many of us may think of ourselves as thinking  creatures that feel, biologically we are feeling creatures that think. 2 Operations experts advise  managers to “staple yourself to an order” to really understand the flow of activities within your firm.  We’re suggesting that you go further and “staple yourself to a customer”—it may change what you  believe about the customer’s order.


Challenge : Describe your challenge , including all relevant information . The September / October 2004 issue of CG&A introduced the term visual analytics to the computer science literature.1 In 2005 , an international team of multidisciplinary panelists consensually and collectively defined the then newly established area as “ the science of analytical reasoning facilitated by interactive visual interfaces . ”2 The means and targets of VA have since evolved and expanded significantly , covering both scientific and nonscientific data of different types , shapes , sizes , domains , and applications . As extreme - scale datasets began revolutionizing our daily working life,3 researchers looked to VA for solutions to their big - data problems . Today ’s extreme - scale VA applications often combine high - performance computers for computation , high - performance database appliances and/or cloud servers for data storage and management , and desktop computers for human - computer interaction . Sources of extreme- scale data often come from models or observations , arising from different scientific , engineering , social , and cyber applications . Although many petabyte ( 1015 ) or even terabyte ( 1012 ) data analytics problems remain unsolved , scientists have begun analyzing exabyte ( 1018 ) data . Selection : In your own words , briefly describe the tool you selected ( e.g. , what it is and why you selected it for your challenge -- including any appropriate video lecture references ) . Consider the famous saying “ a picture is worth a thousand words . ” Images help us grasp things much more quickly and effectively than words alone . They can capture complex systems on a single page , convey meaning in an instant , and tap into powerful emotions . Images make ideas tangible and concrete , and they allow people to share and develop ideas together . Visualization brings a different part of our brain into play : It ’s a different way of knowing . We have all heard about the differences between the “ left brain ” and the “ right brain . ” The left brain , we ’re told , is analytical and logical — it ’s the “ business ” brain . It likes numbers and language . The right brain contributes much of what makes us human : emotion and intuition . Visualization is a right - brain tool . Current brain science tells us that it is not quite that simple , but “ right brain / left brain ” is still a useful metaphor . Part of our brain ( the right part , according to the metaphor ) is an expert at syntheses , thus tapping into it helps us see connections and make sense of all the data we will -3- UVA - BP-0550 collect in our exploration process . Recent brain science studies have taken us a step further in understanding why visualizing ideas and activities is so important by demonstrating the existence of mirror neurons . Only humans and orangutans are known to have these neurons ( hence , “ monkey see , monkey do ” ) , which rehearse the physical steps of an activity we observe without sending the execute command to our muscles . Therefore , if you are watching someone hitting a baseball , you are actually practicing your batting swing in your head . You are working all the neurological connections you need to actually stand up and swing . Consequently , we learn to make something real by seeing it . Seeing can be as important as doing . Visualization approaches need not be complicated or sophisticated . Just working together to capture images on a board is a way to think together and get different disciplines on the same page . Describe how you applied the tool you selected to your challenge ( e.g. , what you did and how the tool was applied effectively or ineffectively ) . One of the great things about most of the design tools we ’ll discuss ( including visualization ) is that they require very modest capital investment : a whiteboard and markers . Flip charts , Sharpies , and Post - it Notes are also extremely useful . More sophisticated aids , such as PowerPoint software , digital cameras , and camcorders , can be handy as well . Designers use a more sophisticated set of software tools , such as Illustrator and Photoshop , but mastering these is n’t necessary to reap the extraordinary benefits of visual thinking ( though a trained designer is an absolutely invaluable addition to the team ! ) . -4- UVA - BP-0550 Here are some basics to get you started : 1 . Keep it simple . Make your visual representations as simple as possible ; basic stick figures can often do the trick . Use color in a meaningful way . Keep clip art simple and avoid the clutter of multiple fonts and other fancy effects . Remember : This is not about displaying your artistic ability ; it ’s about using your imagination . Rudimentary can be better . Creating visuals that are too polished can backfire when your goal is to solicit feedback . 2 . Start by breaking your problem down into components . In his bestseller on visual thinking for managers,1 Dan Roam argues that you need to consider only these components : who , what , how much , where , when , how , and why ? 3 . Learn to think in metaphors and analogies . Can you come up with an image for every key point ? 4 . Use photographs . Photographs can be enormously helpful for both capturing data and communicating to others . Think of a bullet point in a PowerPoint presentation from a financial services organization that reads , “ Our clients have an average of more than five different accounts . ” Now think of a photograph of a man ’s wallet stuffed with credit cards and another one of his desk littered with bank statements . What is the difference in impact between the line of text and the photographs ? How can you marry words and pictures for maximum communication impact ? 5 . Get comfortable working with personas . Personas are fictional characters that you can create to exemplify certain customer attributes . They help you visualize your customers . Because personas make the potentially abstract concept of “ customer ” very personal and human , they enhance your ability to build the empathic understanding of customers that is at the heart of design thinking . In Tool # 2 , we ’ll talk in more detail about building and using personas . For now , just think of creating a set of characters and then using photographs and descriptions to bring them to life . Describe the insight you gained from applying the tool you selected to your challenge ( e.g. , how an insight affected your thinking about the challenge and about design thinking more broadly ) . Making your work visible reduces project risk substantially ( and is especially important for effective cross - disciplinary collaboration ) because words are much more open to interpretation than pictures . When you explain an idea using words , the rest of us will form our own mental pictures , usually informed by our training . When you say , “ We need a new growth platform , ” the IT specialist sees servers and code and exchange rules , the marketing guru sees an advertising campaign , and the manufacturing manager sees new tooling . And we all think , “ I ’m sure he means what it means to me , and that sounds good . We ’ll sort out the details later . ” And , of course , that ’s what kills us : We each go off and do our own thing , based on what your words meant to us . Later , you may well say , “ That ’s not what I was talking about ! ” If instead you present your idea to us by drawing a picture of it , you reduce the possibility of unmatched mental models . This is no guarantee that we will all agree with your idea , but now at least we will know what we are disagreeing about . Describe what you might do differently next time -- applying the same tool you selected or a different one -- and the reason(s ) why . Journey mapping focuses on tracing the customer ’s experience as he or she interacts with a company in the process of receiving its product or service , with special attention to the emotional highs and lows and the meaning that the experience holds for the customer . This tool 1 Dan Roam , The Back of the Napkin : Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures ( New York : Portfolio , 2008 ) . -5- UVA - BP-0550 is part of an ethnographic approach to studying customers in their own environments instead of encountering them in focus groups or surveying them . Its aim is to identify the customer ’s “ pain points ” and spark innovations that can reduce these low points and maintain and increase the high points . As we create and then analyze the maps , we are looking for touch points , moments of truth , and pain points within the journey . These hold the key to identifying value - creating innovations . And central to these is emotion . Jill Taylor , PhD , a former Harvard Medical School brain researcher , noted : Sensory information streams in through our sensory systems and is immediately processed through our limbic system . By the time a message reaches our cerebral cortex for higher thinking , we have already placed a “ feeling ” upon how we view that stimulation — is this pain or is this pleasure ? Although many of us may think of ourselves as thinking creatures that feel , biologically we are feeling creatures that think . 2 Operations experts advise managers to “ staple yourself to an order ” to really understand the flow of activities within your firm . We ’re suggesting that you go further and “ staple yourself to a customer”—it may change what you believe about the customer ’s order .