An introduction to visualisation
A wide range of techniques may be used to capture and describe design stages from basic design ideas through to 'customer journeys' and 'user experiences'. From concept generation through to design specification, techniques range from the humble napkin sketch through to photorealistic computer images of products or buildings. They include techniques such as 'mood boards', and the charting of 'user experiences' or the 'customer journey' to describe less tangible concepts.
This range reflects the ongoing business aspiration to ever better understand customer preferences and behaviours - as this has become more sophisticated, so too have the techniques used to explore and specify them.
Currently, there are three broad themes in how visualisation techniques are developing and how designers are using them:
- Visualisation and computers - Computer technology continues to impact greatly on the quality and type of visualisations possible.
- A trend towards visual storytelling - Designers are using these techniques in a more contextual, holistic way to collaborate and tell richer stories.
- Visualisation and visual thinking - Visual thinking is beginning to establish itself in more mainstream areas such as business and education.
Predictably, developments in computer technology have greatly impacted on the types of visualisation possible. They have enhanced the quality of presentation visuals, enabled the accurate modelling and prototyping of concept designs, and led to the establishment and expansion of specialist design disciplines.
An important development is the range of accurate models now possible through computer generation. Familiar examples are the photorealistic animations of architectural buildings or products, or computer-enhanced movies and television graphics. Precise computer modelling also allows the '3D printing' of physical models in paper, plastic, or metal. These 'rapid prototyping' techniques help to develop and refine designs before commitment to actual production or construction. See the topic on CAD for more information about computer modelling.
In addition to these technical and process enhancements, the spread of screen-based information interfaces such as personal computers and other electronic information displays, has extended the disciplines of information design and wayfinding, and helped established the discipline of interaction design.
As well as exploiting these technical enhancements, designers also use other less-traditional visualisation methods to capture and describe the intangible aspects of design concepts. These include the perception of a company brand, the customer experience of a product or service, or the user experience of accessing a website or using a software application.
Advertising, brand and design strategists try to enter into the 'world' that a company may wish to embody by imagining the lifestyle, objects and aspirations of the consumers they want to target. They use mood boards, 'service blueprinting', 'brand rooms' or 'war-rooms', to evoke what it would be like to live in such a world, 'living it out' to see 'how it feels'.
Design teams use empathic research techniques to gain insights into consumer psychology and behaviour. They use storyboards, physical props, user scenarios, role-playing and other 'body-storming' techniques to drive out pre-existing assumptions and to visualise how a new concept might fit into a person's day-to-day life.
Beyond specialist design and science disciplines, the visual presentation of information is also being adopted as a tool in general business and other areas. Data visualisation and analysis techniques are becoming more applicable to commercial use, scenarios and 'war rooms' are becoming more common in strategic business planning, and 'visual learning' is starting to be promoted in mainstream education.
Visual note taking and analysis techniques already augment the familiar charts, graphs and diagrams of business reports and presentations, and 'visual learning' is starting to be promoted in mainstream schools. Coupled with 'creative thinking' methods such as 'concept maps' or 'mind maps', visual learning techniques are being used to foster more innovative thinking and effective communications within companies and organisations.