{"id":15152,"date":"2025-01-14T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-14T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.opengis.ch\/?p=15152"},"modified":"2025-08-04T15:18:22","modified_gmt":"2025-08-04T13:18:22","slug":"visualizing-ideas-from-circles-to-planets-to-story-arcs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.opengis.ch\/fr\/2025\/01\/14\/visualizing-ideas-from-circles-to-planets-to-story-arcs\/","title":{"rendered":"Visualizing Ideas: From circles to planets to story arcs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

My first day at OPENGIS.ch back in September wasn\u2019t what you usually expect when starting at a new workplace. Instead of diving head first into some complex code repository or reading up on company policies, I found myself scribbling lines and circles onto paper.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The OPENGIS.ch team was meeting in Bern at Puzzle ITC<\/a> \/ We Are Cube<\/a> for a workshop on visualizing ideas, hosted by Mayra and J\u00fcrgen from We Are Cube. For a few hours, a room full of slightly unsure, but mostly intrigued geo ninjas armed with pencils and paper discovered a new way to express their ideas through simple visuals.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Hard<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Getting Started: Persuading the \u00abI-Can\u2019t-Draw-For-My-Life\u00bb Crowd<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Entering the meeting room, some felt slightly threatened by the pencils on the table, but we were quickly assured that no one was expected to become the next Picasso \u2013 just to visualize ideas. Easy, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visualizations help us understand, remember, and process ideas better<\/strong> than text or numbers can. Our brains are wired to process images far quicker than text. Being able to sketch ideas is a great skill, so let\u2019s do it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But for some of us, artistic expression is limited to drawing UML diagrams, and even that can be outsourced to code (see this nifty little tool called Mermaid<\/a>). So, when it came time to draw our favorite animals as a warm-up, some people were a bit out of their comfort zone<\/strong>. But we soon learned that there are many neat tricks and strategies to make visualizing ideas easier<\/strong>.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Basics: Shapes, Containers, Arrows, Expressions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After getting over the stress of drawing animals, it was time to get into the basics. J\u00fcrgen explained that everything<\/em> can be visualized using just a handful of simple shapes: circles, squares, triangles, and lines<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Basic<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

By adding a few details to these shapes, we can visualize many different objects without getting lost in the complexity of reality<\/strong>. And suddenly, a circle can be a hole in the paper, a plate or planet earth.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Evolution<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

To then visualize even more complex ideas, only three basic elements are needed \u2013 containers (like rectangles or circles), arrows, and facial expressions. Containers<\/strong> represent the things we care about (whether that\u2019s a person, an object, or an idea). Arrows<\/strong> help us show the relationships or flow between them. And facial expressions<\/strong>, well, they capture emotion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By using these basic elements we build complex ideas – no high-level artistic skill required!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Story Arc: Put your idea into a story<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now that we were a bit more comfortable with expressing ourselves on paper, we were introduced to the Story Arc<\/em>. It\u2019s a framework that helps structure a narrative visually<\/strong>. Whether you’re presenting a project, brainstorming a new product, or explaining a complex process, having a clear story structure makes everything easier to understand and remember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So the last task of the day was to invent a story and visualize it. With nothing more than some simple circles, squiggly lines and lots of imagination, we were able to convey our stories with ease<\/strong>. The results were some catchy tales about empty phone batteries, juggling demanding job tasks or flying to the moon to solve a customer problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Story<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion: The power of visualizing Ideas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Turns out, visualizing ideas isn\u2019t just for artists! Whether it\u2019s brainstorming a new product or explaining a complex concept, simple visual tools can make ideas clearer and more memorable.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"A<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

So, the next time you’re staring at a blank whiteboard or trying to figure out the best way to pitch an idea, just remember: grab a pencil, draw a circle, and let your imagination go wild. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks, Mayra and J\u00fcrgen from We Are Cube \u2013 you\u2019ve taught us that even non-artists can visualize ideas, and it\u2019s all just a handful of simple shapes away!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Experience Patricia’s first day at OPENGIS.ch back in September which wasn\u2019t what you usually expect when starting at a new workplace. She found herself scribbling lines and circles onto paper.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":15162,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[161],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.opengis.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/workshop_visualizing_ideas.jpg?fit=1137%2C787&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":14450,"url":"https:\/\/www.opengis.ch\/fr\/2025\/03\/21\/django-full-stack-engineer-with-devops-affinity-80-100-remote\/","url_meta":{"origin":15152,"position":0},"title":"Senior Django Full-Stack Engineer with DevOps Affinity | 80 – 100% (Remote)","author":"Marco Bernasocchi","date":"21 mars 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\ud83c\udf0d\ud83d\ude80 Ready to shape the future of geospatial tech? 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