Visual models are "Objects Placed into Territories"

"Objects Placed into Territories" is a universal pattern behind pretty much all visual models. This framework gives us the language to talk about visual representations.

Those are three categories of visual elements and properties that allow us to communicate information via visual representations:

• Objects -> Visual properties (e.g. shape or color)
• Placement -> Arrangement, Sequence
• Territory -> Shape, Boundaries, Relationships and Visual treatment
  • Meanings are often assigned to territories (e.g. kanban board)

Many visual models are created by arranging objects in space -> bottom up creation of territories. But then objects are then removed which enables the model to be re-used and re-filled with objects again. (e.g. concept models are like this). In that case, territories are pre-defined.

Many people are looking for pre-existing models that offer a way of understanding something – they just need to fill them with objects.

Visual models are often a kind of external structure used to understand something (see External structures support thinking).

Visual models can represent a metaphor (e.g. iceberg model). Because we know that Visual representations trigger associations, we have to be mindful of how exactly we create these models.

Tags: understanding

ID: 2021-0323-0720

References:

• Anderson, Fast – Figure It Out, ch. 9, p. 230