A Visual Thinking Warmup for developers
summary
Introduces Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) as a facilitation method that runs short, evidence-based image sessions — typically three images at ~15–20 minutes each — using three scripted questions: “What’s going on?”, “What do you see that makes you say that?” and “What more can we find?” Cites organizational uses (CIA training, Harvard’s “Training the Eye”) and measurable outcomes: better observation, more accurate medical diagnoses, quieter participants speaking up, reduced authority bias, and rapid team alignment for UX reviews and problem framing.
AI-written summary · about
chapters (20)
- 0:00Introduction by Alex West
- 1:05What is Visual Thinking Warmup
- 3:13First VTS session begins
- 11:00Second VTS session with cats
- 16:23Third VTS session with micro-cats
- 22:13Reflections on the VTS process
- 24:13Why VTS works for teams
- 26:38Why art is used in VTS
- 28:51VTS in CIA training
- 30:14VTS at Harvard Medical School
- 31:18Setting up a VTS program
- 34:07The three VTS questions
- 35:57Facilitating a VTS session
- 38:23Future applications in tech
- 41:14Encouraging quiet team members
- 45:16Duration and depth of sessions
- 46:37User research with VTS
- 49:32Neutrality in facilitation
- 51:05Feedback and next steps
- 52:57Q&A session begins
related talks
01h 08mA Visual Thinking Warmup
08m"Being a Visual Thinker"
48mClosing Keynote - Visual Thinking Changed My Life
38mA Picture Is Worth a 1000 Lines of Code
48mKickstarting your Sketching and Visual Thinking skills
33mVisual thinking - simplify complex
15mCreating & Executing a Visual Content Strategy that Scales
25mA Picture Worth a Thousand Programmes