Draw your problem
By: Katie Mccurdy
Tags: Startup, Design, Problem Solving, Drawing, Visual Thinking

Draw your problem

Your hand, a pen and some paper are your greatest problem-solving tools

When I get stuck on something, a problem I can’t figure out how to solve, I tend to do things like ruminate on the problem, write down some words about it, have a [talking] meeting about it, maybe go for a walk in nature. I expect that with enough dedicated thought, I’ll figure things out.

I forget (again and again!) that one of the best tools available to me is drawing. Drawing benefits the brain in many ways, according to Cara Bean’s cute illustrated ‘Why Draw?’ booklet:

Drawing can instigate the development of critical thinking and problem-solving .

. The act of drawing can stimulate positive brain chemistry like serotonin, endorphins, dopamine, and norepinephrine.

like serotonin, endorphins, dopamine, and norepinephrine. Drawing can reduce stress .

. (references)

So drawing can reduce the stress of feeling stuck, help you get unstuck, and make you feel happier. I know this, so why do I keep forgetting to draw my problems? (I think the answer is this: too much screen time keeps me overly focused on using technology to address my problems.)

It happened to me just this week. As I’ve been starting up Pictal Health, a company to help patients visualize their health histories, I’ve been feeling all of the pain, imposter syndrome, and overall discomfort that goes along with starting something outside of my comfort zone. I’m a designer who likes to solve problems and make things, and I’ve felt blocked about how to approach business models, sales strategies, and things of that nature.

I was spinning out, ruminating in circles, thinking that maybe I should do something else with my life, when I decided to draw my problem.

I’ll come back to that in just a minute, along with some other problem-drawing examples. But first…

How do you draw your problem?

First, you don’t have to be an ‘artist’ to draw your problems. And you don’t have to even draw a picture — writing words down on a blank piece of paper can help. Just put pen to paper. If you want, start with some simple lists. For example, ‘things that are blocking me.’ Or the classic ‘pros & cons’ list:

Or what about a simple table? A table or matrix can be really helpful when you’re trying to compare multiple facets of the same items. A classic example is a scorecard. Let’s say you’re scoring different pieces of software. How do the different options compare on price, customer service, and usability? Often we use a spreadsheet for tables, which makes sense in many cases, but hand-drawn tables can also be interesting (as you’ll see.)

You could also start to loosely map out relationships between things — this is helpful when you’re trying to make sense of how different entities (like departments, teams, etc.) relate. This is called a mind map or ‘ecosystem diagram,’ and these things can get pretty involved!

A nested bubble diagram, as shown below, can be a nice, quick, sketchy way to represent categories with sub-items or sub-categories. Of course you could use lists for something like this too, but I find something satisfying about the bubbles, and you can use them to represent size or importance if you want.

When you’re trying to sort out upcoming events, a timeline can be a very effective, calming tool. (I’ve written about the value of ‘sketchy timelines’ in the past.) Somehow, when you can see everything that’s coming up, it’s more manageable. There are a lot of ways to draw time, and below is one type of timeline that shows discrete events — I usually keep a version of this on my refrigerator at all times to show upcoming events and travel.

You can show phases of time using a simple gantt chart format; this is a common need for interdisciplinary teams who need to coordinate their work. There are plenty of project management tools that you can use to create detailed gantt charts, but it’s also nice to take a very first pass by hand to kick off your thinking.

I often will use some kind of rough flow diagram to help me understand what needs to happen in what order.

So, these are just a few methods and diagrams I like to use to sketch out problems.

It can and should be ugly.

The above examples are misleadingly tidy; drawing your problem doesn’t need to be pretty, and it doesn’t have to make sense to anyone but you. At this stage, you’re just writing words down and drawing shapes in an attempt to create some meaning out of that jumble of thoughts that’s smashing around in your big, smart brain.

It’s pre-work, basically; sketching out a general framework that you can then turn into something more polished — for example an article, an agenda, an itinerary or work plan, a proposal…you get the idea.

Off-screen is best.

I’m partial to using large pieces of 11x17 paper to draw out my problems. A whiteboard is also nice. Any format that enables you to represent ideas ‘in real life’ and at large scale will give you the space to explore them differently than you could if you were constrained by a specific screen size. And, drawing on paper gives your eyes and mind a much-needed break from your screens. I like to keep a stack of paper on the side of my desk at all times, so I can grab one and start drawing when needed.

All that said, I have often used a tablet to draw out ideas and illustrations (including many of those in this article.) So that’s a legitimate option.