Review III. Research (4)

This post will conclude the profound findings in the Contextmapping research and provide a promising direction to solve the most critical problem in Visual Thinking sessions.



The findings in the Contextmapping research provide new perspectives on Visual Thinkers’ characteristics, experience, and how they perform their roles/functions with their natural instincts and learned techniques in Visual Thinking sessions. It proved that Visual Thinkers are balanced in both sides of brain.


The stereotype is just like a perceptual bubble which prevents the human interactions, true values of Visual Thinking, to happen.


We just need a needle to burst it. Therefore, Visual Thinkers can work with session participants from the very beginning of the sessions.

Review III. Research (3)

After understanding how Visual Thinkers interact in sessions, we continued to explore the second research question: "What is the most critical problems when Visual Thinkers interact with the dynamic context in sessions?". In the post, the most critical problem is revealed, and the reasons behind it are discussed.



Research question is "What is the most critical problem in sessions?". The answer to this question will be the key to improve the performance of Visual Thinking method in sessions.


The conceptual framework is applied to map the coded phrases.


The results (see the poster above) of the “Problems & Solutions” are clustered based on the conceptual framework. Each cluster is defined with a specific problem based on the coded phrases.


According to the analysis in the research, the most critical problem is defined as "What is my role? & Where is my stage?", which indicates that JAMmers can not always gain a proper stage to interact . The problem always happens early and its influence lasts long.


The problem results in people’s stereotype on the roles of people who can draw. Because of that, session participants sometimes ignore and sometime misunderstand their functions in Visual Thinking sessions as being a problem-solver but not an entertaining cartoonist.

Review III. Research (2)

This post is going to show the finding on research question 1, "How do visual thinkers interact with the dynamic context?". The “Characteristics”, “Techniques”, and “Roles/functions” of the Visual Thinkers in group sessions will be represented in detail.



Research question 1, "How do visual thinkers interact with the dynamic context?".


To answer the research question 1, “How do Visual Thinkers interact with the dynamic context?”, the coded phrases were categorized in three groups, “Characteristics”, “Techniques”, “Roles/functions”.


The coded phrases of each group were mapped on a two-dimensional map, which emphasizes the diverse inclination of a Visual Thinker in sessions.


The result of the two-dimensional map is three posters with the categorized coded phrases. These three posters are composed on the groups of “Characteristics”, “Techniques”, “Roles/functions”. The above is the "Characteristics" poster.


Each category in the "Characteristics" poster is defined with a term, for example, "Empathetic", "Active", and "Honest". The terms of the "Characteristics" are shown on the table above. “Techniques” and “Roles/functions” posters are also processed in the same procedures.


All of the three tables are finally integrated into one table which features the relationships of “Characteristics”, “Techniques”, and “Roles/functions”. A visual translation of the table is presented as the following.



In Visual Thinking sessions, Visual Thinkers have to be rational and square to convince people and to be sensitive and flexible enough to understand people’s true expectations.


In the relations of the techniques, Visual Thinkers use the logical thinking to lead session participants with clear pictures in the left hand side, like a grown man. And in the right hand side, Visual Thinkers are like a curious girl to discover inspirations and support people.


On the left hand side, it is a logical output to translate the logical thinking into convincing and clear drawings in order to lead sessions to correct direction.


The essence of the logical output indicates that Visual Thinkers compose systematic and organized drawings to convince and challenge participants, which represents fairly the value of “Truth Teller”.


On the right hand side, it is an empathetic output to surface people’s expectations and to trigger their inspirations and actions.


The essence of the empathetic output indicates that Visual Thinkers use empathy to find out participants’ motivation and inspire them with proper drawings, which is in line with the function of “Passion Trigger”.


From right to left, it is an inside-out process to process received data into systematic and organized thinking.


The essence of the inside-out process indicates that Visual Thinkers’ nature is to actively support discussion and thinking flow in sessions, which meets the description of “Discussion Supporter”.


From left to right, is an outside-in process to read people’s thinking, body language, and the group dynamic to understand their intentions and to gain key triggers.


The essence of the outside-in process indicates that Visual Thinkers utilize their all sensory to receive explicit and implicit information in order to follow the dynamic context, which fits the description of “Sensitive Balancer”.


The visual translation above expresses how Visual Thinkers interact with session participants by their characteristics, techniques, and roles/functions. It implies a balanced mind between the right-sided and left-sided brain which eventually physically and mentally activate session participants thinking to a practical and creative vision or solution.

Review III. Research (1)

The process and findings of Contexmapping research is recorded in Review III. Research (1),(2),(3),(4). The goal of the research and two research questions focus human interactions in Visual Thinking sessions based on conclusions in Review II. Background. Contextmapping is chosen as the research approach. In the process, seven visual practitioners are interviewed, and two case studies are conducted. The data collected in the phases is coded, categorized, and analyzed with an experimental analysis approach.



In the Contextmapping research method, the participants and researchers can follow the processes, to know what they said (Tell me), to see what they do (To show me), and finally to understand what they can only feel and how to express (To involve me). Therefore, we can collect all necessary information to rebuild the context in an understandable way.


In the research on human interactions, the first research question is “How do visual thinkers interact with the dynamic context?”. And the second is “what is the most critical problem when they interact with the dynamic context?”


All of the collected data were destructed and coded as 246 coded phrases. The following are some examples.


The 246 coded phrases were further analyzed in Review III. Research (2) and Review III. research (3) in order to answer the research questions.

Need a Neddle to Burst the Stereotype

The findings in the Contextmapping research provide new perspectives on Visual Thinkers’ characteristics, experience, and how they perform their roles/functions with their natural instincts and learned techniques in Visual Thinking sessions. In the poster (See the post), it provides a balanced and dynamic figure of the JAMmers in Visual Thinking sessions, which switches from “the leading roles” (the blue-man side) to “the supporting roles” (the orange-girl side).


The conclusions in the previous post indicate clearly that the JAMmers need to inform and impress the participants and facilitators well in the introduction, in which they can convert their stereotype that drawers cannot be a logical thinker. The stereotype of the session participants is just like a bubble distorting the impression on Visual Thinkers. It can result in other critical problems afterwords, such problem 9, “Time issue”. Therefore, the conceptual design will be the goal to address the problem 1, “What is my role? & where is my stage?” (See the previous post).

This stereotype results in the neglect of participants or a conflict with facilitators who should cooperate with JAMmers. However, JAMmers usually have only several minutes to introduce their roles/functions to the participants in the sessions. In order to solve the problem, a concept will be developed to inspire participants and facilitators initial awareness about Visual Thinking in the beginning of the sessions. As a result, the effectiveness of Visual Thinking will not be shadowed by the misunderstandings.

9 problems & possible solutions in Visual Thinking sessions

These nine problems defined in the previous analyzes are presented in identity cards depicting its scenarios, quotes, seriousness, and suggested solutions. Problem 1 is categorized with three stars as it is the most critical problem. Problem 8 and Problem 9 are categorized with two stars, and the rest of the problems are categorized with one star.

Analyses for research question 2

To answer the research question 2, “What is the most critical problem when Visual Thinkers interact with the dynamic context in sessions?”, the coded phrases from the Sensitizing phase and the Deep reflection phase are partly categorized in a group, “Problems & solutions”. The conceptual framework is applied to map the coded phrases (See Figure A). The results of the “Problems & Solutions” are clustered based on the conceptual framework (See Figure B). The coded phrases with similar meanings or inclinations are put together in clusters, and each cluster was summarized in a general problem (See Figure C). The summarized problems are translated into individual identity cards for each problem to provide the insights for further solutions.Figure A. The conceptual framework

Figure B. Results of the “Problems & Solutions” clustered on the conceptual framework

Figure C. Each cluster is summarized in a general problem.