Map Shock

Although this blog is dedicated to the powers of the visual depiction of ideas, I will also show examples of how not to do it. This example is sometimes known as map shock. Let me explain.

Just scan down and examine the infographic and note your response. Confused? Overwhelmed? Something like that, no doubt. The map is way too complex to be able to take in. A well–structured piece of text with clear headings would do a better job. And, perhaps, a simple map showing the major ideas and how they interconnected would help.

This example was taken from the military and while it may have served as a working record of ideas of team thinking, it doesn’t work as a piece of communication.

All of which reminds me of the insight offered me by Dave Gray, founder of visual company Xplane. He told me at a conference we attended in Berlin a few years ago, that maps are very powerful in analysing and planning but not necessarily that good at communicating. People, he told me, like to look at people. And that’s where infographics come in.

They are stories of people layered over a map, or flowchart. The map or flowchart gives the structure and the people give the human interest.

If you want to download, and study, this map, go to
http://www.comw.org/wordpress/dsr/afghanistan-stability-coin-dynamics-chart-pa-consulting