Visual programming is programming in two or more dimensions, using graphics, icons, diagrams etc. to express instructions, instead of using text. After years of one dimensional programming one may question the need for visual languages. Research into this field is spurred by the convergence of new technology in the fields of graphics, image processing, video and by the growing interest in multimedia communications.
Visual languages introduce a new dimension to programming.
Pygmalion was one of the earliest visual programming environments. It allows users to work out computational problems in a freeform workspace, similar to a white board. Since then several other visual languages have appeared, proving to be highly beneficial, both to users in general and to programmers in particular. There is an obvious motivation behind visual languages. The human visual system processes data in more than one dimension.