Not really.
But students, teachers, or corporate staff, imagine how much nicer your project, presentation, report or personal notes would look like if it included a couple of the charts from the Periodic Table of Visualization Methods.
(ironically, I can’t find “Periodic Table” as one of the methods…”Table” doesn’t count…)
You’ve probably seen these diagrams in the daily news, Geog/Social Studies textbooks, Ecology notes, or at this morning’s boardroom meeting (and the only thing you remember about it is the pretty chart that appeared in the middle of the presentation…)
Granted, some of the methods presented are *essentially* the same (I say *essentially* because people will disagree over what the essence of each method is), but the list is pretty comprehensive and nicely categorized into Data, Information, Concept, Strategy, Metaphor and Compound Visualization.
The chart also differentiates between:
1. Process vs. Structure Visualization
2. Overview vs. Detail
3. Divergent vs. Convergent Thinking
This is useful, because the way we represent ideas can significantly affect the way we _______ and the effectiveness of our _______ing (fill in blank with: think, memorize, learn, teach, present… &c.)
A related point is how data structures can aid reasoning and thinking. The success and power of object-oriented programming is evidence of the power of appropriate data structures.
The key word there, though, is “appropriate”. It takes skill to decide how best to organize and present one’s data. And what works for someone may not work for another. Personally, I find the table the most efficient and space-saving method, especially for making notes. But for the many who disagree, there’s plenty more to choose from!
(and don’t ask me why the tone of this post is the way it is… can’t seem to shake it off once I started writing the second line…)
