3 Takeaways from ‘The Back of a Napkin’ for Idea Generation and Visual Problem-Solving
One joy I’ve encountered is when I dive into my father’s collection of old books and find small scraps of paper, notes on the the margins, and even napkins where he left short insights while reading the book. It’s amazing how airline napkins he wrote on years ago offer the perfect amount of space to break down long chapters into one or two visual points.
In his book, Roam makes the case that drawing simple pictures is a powerful tool for communicating complex ideas in a way that everyone can understand. One industry known for unlocking this value are consultants.
“Visual thinking is not about being an artist, it’s about being able to use simple drawings and diagrams to clarify and communicate complex ideas.” — Dan Roam
My close friend once recounted to me a story about the best season of his life- studying abroad. He mentioned what made it so special was that at the start of the program, the leaders had every student take the napkin at their dinner table and write down a bucket list of things they wanted to experience before the program ended. He stated that exercise was poignant because of the impermanence and small size of the napkin which capped the amount of items he could write on…
