Figure It Out: Getting from Information to Understanding

by Stephen P. Anderson, Karl Fast

Overview

Information is easy. Understanding is hard.

From incomprehensible tax policies to confusing medical explanations, we're swamped with information that we can'’t make sense of. Figure It Out shows us how to transform information into better presentations, better meetings, better software, and better decisions. So take heart: under the guidance of Anderson and Fast, we can, in fact, figure it out—for ourselves and for others.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781933820958
Publisher:	Two Waves Books
Publication date:	05/26/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	34 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: From Information to Understanding

Chapter 2: Understanding as a Function of The Brain, Body, and Environment

Chapter 3: Understanding is Fundamentally About Associations Between Concepts

Chapter 4: Everyday Associations: Metaphors, Priming, Anchoring, and Narrative

Chapter 5: Everyday Associations: Aesthetics and Explicit Visual Metaphors

Chapter 6: Closing Thoughts and Cautionary Notes About Associations

Chapter 7: Why Our Sense of Vision Trumps All Others, and What It's Great For

Chapter 8: An Intelligent Understanding of Color

Chapter 9: Ways We Use Space to Hold and Convey Meaning

Chapter 10: Interacting With Information

Chapter 11: A Pattern Language for Talking About Interactions

Chapter 12: Seeing the System of Cognitive Resources

Chapter 13: Coordinating a System of Resources

Chapter 14: A Critical Look at Tools and Technologies for Understanding

Chapter 15: A Perspective on Future Tools and Technologies for Understanding

Editorial Reviews

"The challenge of making sense of the oceans of information brought to us by digital technology is the truly significant task of our era. Not since Pinker's 1997 tome has anyone addressed this important arena with the breadth and clarity it deserves"
— Alan Cooper, author of About Face and The Inmates Are Running the Asylum

"Stephen and Karl have cracked the code on how to make complex concepts not only simple but tangible."
— Dan Roam, Author of The Back of the Napkin and Draw to Win

"Required reading for designers and anyone else who needs to explain things."
— Hugh Dubberly, Principal, Dubberly Design Office

"A rich and actionable toolkit for sharpening thinking and extending capabilities for understanding and reasoning."
— Eva-Lotta Lamm, designer and visual thinker

From the Publisher