The Tactile Advantage: How Physical Engagement with Ideas Promotes Problem Solving

Getting past the keyboard and stylus.

I love it when someone tries to diminish the utility of images for expressing ideas. There’s a kind of idea that pictures — especially hand-drawn ones — are somehow inferior to the written language. “Why would I draw pictures? I just write the stuff down.”

Invariably I simply ask them to show me their phone, and then ask them why they have lots of tiny little pictures on there — after all, would just having a text line for each app be better? If words are so much more powerful than images, why is the thing that occupies most of human attention filled with icons, colors, and animations, as well as constantly bragging about what amazing pictures they’re capable of taking?

Don’t get me wrong — I fully embrace the joy of text, as evidenced by the way you’re reading this as well as the interesting word usements I structure.

But if a client really needs to explain some wicked problems as quickly and efficiently as possible, I don’t help them write an email. If they need a group of people to work together, I don’t suggest a zoom meeting. If they need me to facilitate an innovative ideation session (consultant-speak for “brainstorm”) I make sure that keyboards are put away.