Visual Thinking, Doodles As Well As The Hand-Drawn Path Through Scientific Discipline

yesteryear Jacopo Sacquegno

Science has ever benefitted from the usage of visualization. We tin almost nation that since the really beginnings of enquiring into nature inwards the 17th Century, producing visuals as well as images to depict phenomena as well as explicate theoretical models has been intrinsic to science.

Today, the development of advanced software tools allows researchers to generate a huge amount of visual content, such equally high-definition pictures as well as 3D realistic models of microscopic structures. Nevertheless, simple, hand-made drawing fifty-fifty inwards its most basic shape is withal fundamental inwards scientific discipline agreement as well as communication.

From the drawings of the magnetic fields lines yesteryear Faraday to graphical representations of atomic orbitals as well as chemic bonds; from the sketched lines as well as ellipses, Kepler used to depict planetary orbits to the master phylogenetic tree inaugural of all drawn yesteryear Darwin on his notebook. Now, equally then, scientists imagine novel relations, attempt out ideas as well as elaborate noesis through doodling, sketching as well as tracing charts as well as graphics.

As this written report underlines, an increasing torso of bear witness supports the thought that visual literacy should live purpose of a researcher’s toolkit equally a means to laid as well as tape knowledge, argue on measurements as well as observations, deepen comprehension as well as encouraging farther investigation, as well as communicate scientific discipline yesteryear sharing their representations.

Some scientific back upward to the visualization case

But why is visualization, as well as increasingly so, of import to science? To respond this, allow me apply some scientific data.

Humans have got been communicating amongst each other for exactly about 30,000 years, 10 times longer than the usage of written words. This is why our encephalon is “hard wired” to procedure visual information.

• Our vision accounts for two-thirds of the electrical activity of the brain, as well as 50% of the brain is involved straight or indirectly inwards processing visual information; 
• A recent written report showed nosotros need only 13ms to empathise the important of a complex epitome (even faster than what previously known); 
• It tin have got up to xx times equally long to procedure as well as recognise words. 
• In recent decades, visual information has increased by 142% inwards newspapers (from 1985 to 1994), 400% inwards literature (since 1990) as well as an astonishing 9900% on the internet (since 2007). This tin live mainly imputed to “information overload”: 
• We have 5 times equally much information today equally nosotros did inwards 1986; 
• 34 gigabytes, or 100,500 words – is the amount of information nosotros swallow exterior of function on an average day 
• On average users only read 28% of words per visit

Images, videos as well as infographics are spreading so much because they merely aid people brand feel of a neat amount of information inwards few instants.

As for science, the huge volumes of information generated inwards these years have got made information analysis as well as visualization a primal betoken of scientific research. In fact, nowadays most of the enquiry on how to communicate as well as organize large datasets to facilitate clear thinking involves graphic artists, information pattern specialists as well as visual cognitive scientists.

What is visual thinking as well as how tin it live used

Visual thinking methodologies to synthesize ideas as well as concepts position together traditional handwritten notes amongst drawings, symbols, frames as well as other creative elements inwards a structured layout. The final result is an engaging map of ideas amongst clear visual cues.

By combining visuals amongst relevant verbal content in a non-linear structure, visual thinking allows fostering the alternative as well as organization of information. According to the definitions laid yesteryear this study, this “universal language” is both efficient (using fewer possible words to tape the higher possible number of concepts, relying heavily on imagery to stand upward for ideas) as well as effective (highlighting the overall framework of the topic – the “big picture” – as well as embellishing that framework amongst critical specifics) for memorization as well as long-term recall, comprehension as well as connecting ideas.

Visual thinking tin live used for personal visual note-taking, creating the so-called sketchnotes, equally good equally for capturing inwards real-time key concepts from conference sessions on sketchnote boards to give attendees a visual summary of the insights at a glance, inwards what is called scribing. Being hand-drawn, this fashion of representation outperforms laptop note-taking on conceptual agreement as well as long term recall. When it is created real-time for the audience, it farther enhances engagement.

But at that spot is more. Visual thinking is a really versatile tool as well as the scientific discipline communication as well as outreach champaign may uncovering many applications inwards it. For example, it is perfect for creating non-linear, multimedia presentations. This study, amidst others, has shown how multimedia presentations, mixing verbal content as well as video/images, function amend for recalling information than presentations using text only as well as sometimes also images only, because of information integration as well as also repetition.

Moreover, recent observations have got warned presenters as well as speakers on the usage of PowerPoint. Linear presentations similar these, oft overloaded amongst written content, are equally good stiff as well as do non favor farther reasoning on the subject; do non encourage “out of the box” reasoning, as well as allow the audience rely equally good much alone on the information contained inwards the slides.

Using visual thinking to create presentations overcomes both these issues, strengthening visual aids amongst a express amount of written content as well as creating non-linear, to a greater extent than Prezi-like vogue content frames that aid navigate through the context inwards a non-rigid means as well as encouraging connections betwixt ideas.

The instance for visual abstracts

There is a recent tendency amidst scientific journals to usage visual communication inwards club to deliver enquiry contents, methods as well as results inwards a to a greater extent than engaging, slow to catch, clear as well as memorable means both to Earth as well as other scientist colleagues. Visual abstracts are i of the best examples of this, as well as their success has been scientifically tested.

In this article, the writer as well as fellow member of the editorial board of Annals of Surgery present how the introduction of visual abstract for their journal’s articles posted on Twitter increased yesteryear 2.7 times the number of article visits, yesteryear 8.4 retweets as well as 7.2 tweet views. Another instance study is that of “cartoon abstracts” required yesteryear Taylor & Francis Publishing Group journals. Using the visual format of comic strips, they add together an chemical constituent of visual storytelling, which farther increases appointment inwards the reader: “cartoon abstracts have got generated over 12,000 extra downloads for articles published inwards journals which hit across the sciences, technology, as well as maths. With the authors represented through characters inwards the cartoon strip, they’re also a useful networking tool amidst peers”.

The reaction on social media sharing of these abstracts reflects their mightiness to communicate scientific discipline as well as enquiry to a broad audience inwards an accessible as well as funny way. What’s more, these visual abstract tin easily move beautiful posters to present at the side yesteryear side conference.

In this sense, visual thinking tin easily move a format to create a visual abstract inwards a synthetic as well as illustrative way, mixing the chemical constituent of visual storytelling as well as cartoon-ish illustration of a comic amongst the idea-connection as well as logic of a concept map. Telling the stories, practices as well as concepts of scientific discipline as well as enquiry through visual thinking makes them slow to empathise as well as accessible also for those who uncovering them tough to grasp, allowing so to accomplish a wider audience. Visualizing inwards this means the methods as well as results of a scientific paper or a long collection of bear witness such equally a scientific review is also useful to give swain researchers novel perspectives inwards a clear as well as brief visual summary.

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Jacopo Sacquegno, MSc inwards Molecular Biology as well as withal passionate virtually natural science, is a professional person visual thinking practitioner. He industrial plant amongst companies as well as professionals inwards the most various fields, but his primary mission is to usage doodles as well as concept maps to facilitate scientific discipline understanding, enquiry as well as communication. You tin run into a collection of his function on his website or follow him on his Linkedin, Instagram or Twitter profiles.