You’ve heard the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” These days, most anything you buy that comes with paper instructions uses very few words, but lots of grey-sketch drawings. Do you ever look at these pictures and wish for more words? I do, and I’m a visual person. Eventually the pictures make perfect sense, but I can spend a lot of frustrating time getting to that point.
Companies sell in who-knows-how-many global markets, but they want to print only one version of instructions because it makes their manufacturing and packaging easier. Hence, they use pictures to help minimize space so there is room for six different languages of small font text.
I rely on pictures a lot. My iPhone has about 20 photos of my recent white board scribbles at work. I think with a pencil – or in the case of a white board, an erasable marker. If I’m with my team or some colleagues trying to work something out, I find that capturing the conversation on the white board does a couple things. First, it makes participants feel heard when their remark is in writing – and it keeps them from repeating it. Second, it supplements the conversation, keeping track of its evolution and key points. But when all there at once, it actually allows me to start making connections that I might not have made just listening. At the end, having the photo allows me to refer to the discussion later.
My team just humors me and lets me do my thing.... and extra credit today if you can identify the product I bought from those picture instructions.
Companies sell in who-knows-how-many global markets, but they want to print only one version of instructions because it makes their manufacturing and packaging easier. Hence, they use pictures to help minimize space so there is room for six different languages of small font text.
I rely on pictures a lot. My iPhone has about 20 photos of my recent white board scribbles at work. I think with a pencil – or in the case of a white board, an erasable marker. If I’m with my team or some colleagues trying to work something out, I find that capturing the conversation on the white board does a couple things. First, it makes participants feel heard when their remark is in writing – and it keeps them from repeating it. Second, it supplements the conversation, keeping track of its evolution and key points. But when all there at once, it actually allows me to start making connections that I might not have made just listening. At the end, having the photo allows me to refer to the discussion later.
My team just humors me and lets me do my thing.... and extra credit today if you can identify the product I bought from those picture instructions.