Visual Thinking: what it is, how to apply it, and practical examples

Visual thinking is a communication and learning technique that transforms complex ideas into clear and easy-to-understand visual representations. Discover how this methodology can revolutionize the way you learn, teach, and communicate information.

What is visual thinking?

Visual thinking is a methodology that uses graphic elements such as drawings, icons, diagrams, concept maps, and symbols to organize, understand, and communicate information more effectively than plain text.

This technique leverages the human brain’s natural ability to process visual information. According to studies in cognitive neuroscience, we process images up to 60,000 times faster than text, which explains why visual thinking is so effective for learning and information retention.

Definition of visual thinking according to experts

As explained by Garbiñe Larralde, a leading figure in Visual Thinking: “Visual thinking involves understanding information through the structured visualization of its parts”. This definition highlights three key elements:

1. Deep understanding: it is not just about drawing, but about understanding.
2. Structured visualization: visual organization has a purpose.
3. Analysis of parts: breaking down complexity into simple elements.

What is visual thinking used for?

Visual thinking serves multiple purposes:

• More effective learning: improves the understanding of complex concepts.
• Clear communication: conveys ideas in an accessible way for everyone.
• Information organization: structures data in a logical and visual way.
• Creativity stimulation: encourages new connections between ideas.
• Decision-making: visualizes options and their relationships.
• Problem-solving: identifies patterns and solutions.
• Collaborative work: facilitates shared understanding within teams.

Characteristics of visual thinking

This methodology, widely used in different fields—especially in traditional and corporate learning—has several key characteristics, which we will explore below:

1. Simplicity over complexity

Visual thinking turns dense information into simple and understandable representations. It is not about creating perfect illustrations, but about capturing the essence of ideas through basic strokes, geometric shapes, and universal symbols.

2. Structured visual hierarchy

It organizes information into levels of importance using:

• Different sizes to highlight main concepts.
• Strategic colors to categorize and differentiate.
• Spatial positioning to show relationships and flows.
• Visual connectors to link related ideas.

3. Versatility of application

Visual thinking works in a variety of contexts:

• Traditional education and e-learning.
• Corporate training and professional development.
• Business project management.
• Marketing and communication.
• Innovation and digital transformation.
• Strategic planning.

4. Universal accessibility

It does not require advanced artistic skills. Anyone can apply visual thinking using basic shapes, simple arrows, and keywords, democratizing this powerful communication tool.

Benefits of visual thinking: Why it works

Some of the advantages of visual thinking across different areas of application are:

1. Cognitive and learning advantages

• Dramatic improvement in retention: visual elements are up to 60 times easier to remember than plain text. This characteristic significantly enhances long-term retention and the ability to apply knowledge in real-life situations.
• Faster and deeper understanding: visual representations allow complex information to be processed instantly. What might require several paragraphs of text can be communicated through a well-designed diagram, accelerating the learning process.
• Activation of multiple brain areas: visually connecting concepts activates different regions of the brain simultaneously, strengthening neural connections and improving memory, attention, and concentration.

2. Creative and thinking advantages

• Creativity stimulation: visual thinking encourages free association and non-linear connections between ideas, developing lateral thinking and generating innovative solutions to complex problems.
• Development of critical thinking: it requires analyzing, synthesizing, and consciously organizing information, strengthening higher-order cognitive skills such as reasoning, evaluation, and critical analysis.
• Simultaneous global and detailed vision: it allows you to see “the forest and the trees” at the same time—understanding the big picture while maintaining clarity about specific details.

3. Communication and collaborative advantages

• Communication universal: it breaks linguistic and cultural barriers. Visual representations communicate ideas more universally than text, facilitating understanding among people with different languages or educational levels.
• Adaptation to different learning styles: although it especially benefits visual learners, visual thinking works for all styles, as it combines visual, textual, and spatial elements that activate different sensory channels.
• Improved teamwork: in collaborative environments, it provides a shared visual language that facilitates alignment, reduces misunderstandings, and speeds up group decision-making.

4. Motivational advantages

• Active learning and ownership: it places the learner or professional at the center of their own learning process, promoting a more meaningful experience where each person builds and represents their knowledge in a personal way.
• Turning the monotonous into dynamic: it transforms dense and boring explanations into visual, engaging, and memorable learning experiences, increasing engagement and motivation.

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Visual thinking techniques: How to do it

You already know what it means, its advantages, and its applications. But how is this methodology put into practice? Here’s how:

1. Mind maps (Mind Mapping)

Mind maps are the most popular visual thinking technique. They are built from a central idea placed in the middle, creating radial branches that represent main topics and sub-branches with details.

How to create an effective mind map:

• Place the main concept in the center using an image or word.
• Create main branches with key topics using different colors.
• Add sub-branches with details, using keywords (not sentences).
• Incorporate icons, symbols, and small drawings.
• Use space in an organic and natural way.

Practical applications:

• Project and campaign brainstorming.
• Planning training content.
• Organizing studies and syllabi.
• Developing business strategies.

2. Concept maps (Concept Mapping)

Unlike mind maps, concept maps use more formal hierarchical structures to represent how concepts interrelate within complex systems.

Distinctive characteristics:

• Hierarchical organization from top to bottom.
• Labeled connections that explain relationships.
• More formal and academic structure.
• Ideal for technical and scientific content.

Ideal for:

• Explaining processes and systems.
• Structuring academic knowledge.
• Analyzing cause-and-effect relationships.
• Documenting complex procedures.

3. Sketchnoting or visual note-taking

It combines text, simple drawings, lettering, and graphic elements to capture information during presentations, meetings, or classes in real time.

Key elements:

• Titles and subtitles with creative lettering.
• Simple drawings that represent concepts.
• Arrows and connectors to show flows.
• Frames and dividers to organize sections.
• Icons and symbols to highlight information.

Specific benefits:

• Greater engagement during presentations.
• Better real-time retention.
• Notes that are easier to review and understand.
• Transformation of passive lectures into active ones.

4. Storyboarding

It uses visual sequences to tell stories, explain processes step by step, or plan experiences, providing a logical and temporal visual narrative.

Training applications:

• Designing e-learning courses.
• Planning learning experiences.
• Developing narrative presentations.
• Creating training videos.
• Documenting user journeys.

5. Infographics

They represent data, statistics, and complex concepts through attractive visual design, combining icons, charts, illustrations, and hierarchized text.

Recommended uses:

• Communicating results and metrics.
• Presenting research data.
• Educational marketing materials.
• Visual summaries of extensive content.

6. Timelines

They visualize chronological events, process evolution, or historical development in a linear or creative way.

Perfect for:

• Historical and evolutionary content.
• Project roadmaps.
• Planning training milestones.
• Visualizing progress and achievements.

7. Flowcharts

They represent processes, decisions, and workflows using standardized symbols, eliminating ambiguities in the communication of procedures.

Key elements:

• Ovals for start/end.
• Rectangles for actions.
• Diamonds for decisions.
• Arrows for directional flow.

How to apply visual thinking step by step

Phase 1: Visual Mapping (Gathering)

Objective: Capture all relevant information without filters.

Actions:

• Gather all data about the topic or problem.
• Do not judge or filter at this initial stage.
• Include ideas, concepts, data, and references.
• Use free and open brainstorming.
• Document everything you consider relevant.

Useful tools: Post-its, lists, voice recordings, screenshots.

Phase 2: Visual Explore (Exploration and selection)

Objective: Identify and select the essential information.

Actions:

• Apply the 6W method to organize:
  • What: What is the main concept?
  • When: Are there time-related elements?
  • Where: Are there relevant contexts or locations?
  • Who: Who are the stakeholders involved?
  • Why: What is the purpose or cause?
  • How: How does it work or develop?
• Remove redundant or irrelevant information.
• Group related concepts.
• Identify hierarchies of importance.

Key balance: Keep enough information to be useful, but not so much that it becomes overwhelming.

Phase 3: Visual Building (Visual construction)

Objective: Transform words and ideas into visual representations.

Actions:

• Select the most suitable visual format (mind map, diagram, infographic, etc.).
• Define a clear visual hierarchy (main, secondary, details).
• Choose a coherent and meaningful color palette.
• Create basic sketches of visual elements.
• Establish connections using arrows and connectors.
• Add icons and symbols to reinforce concepts.
• Use differentiated typography for levels of information.

Fundamental principle: simplicity above all. Less is more.

Phase 4: Visual Testing (Validation)

Objective: Ensure your representation communicates effectively.

Validation actions:

• Show your visual to someone without prior context.
• Ask if they understand the main message.
• Identify points of confusion or ambiguity.
• Check that the visual hierarchy is clear.
• Confirm that connections are logical.
• Adjust colors, sizes, and positions based on feedback.
• Remove elements that do not add value.

Success criterion: Your visual representation should communicate on its own, without requiring extensive additional explanations.

Tools for visual thinking

To implement this methodology, there are certain tools that can be useful. Below are some of them:

Traditional physical tools

• Whiteboards and panels: perfect for collaborative brainstorming sessions, allowing ideas to be erased and reworked easily. Ideal for in-person group work.
• Sketchbooks and paper: essential for capturing ideas in the moment and developing initial concepts. The physical act of drawing reinforces memory and thinking.
• Post-its and sticky notes: excellent for organizing ideas flexibly, prioritizing tasks, and creating workflows that can be easily reorganized without losing information.
• Basic art materials: colored pencils, pens, markers, and cutouts allow creative expression without requiring advanced artistic skills.

Professional digital tools

Mind mapping software

• MindMeister: a leading collaborative platform for creating mind maps in real time with distributed teams. It offers cloud synchronization and multiple professional templates.
• XMind: a robust professional solution with a wide variety of templates, multiple export formats (PDF, PNG, Word), and advanced visual customization options.
• Coggle: an intuitive and minimalist interface ideal for collaborative mind maps. Perfect for teams seeking simplicity without sacrificing functionality.

Visual design platforms

• Canva: a versatile tool with thousands of templates for infographics, presentations, posters, and visual designs. Requires minimal design skills.
• Piktochart: specialized in creating professional infographics and visual data presentations. Ideal for turning statistics into visual narratives.
• Prezi: creates dynamic, non-linear presentations with impactful visual effects that break away from the traditional slide format.

Visual collaboration tools

• Miro: a powerful and intuitive collaborative digital whiteboard, ideal for remote teams. It offers templates for multiple methodologies (Design Thinking, Agile, Visual Thinking) and supports both synchronous and asynchronous work.
• Mural: similar to Miro, excellent for visual facilitation, remote workshops, and distributed team collaboration.
• Google Jamboard: a solution integrated with Google Workspace, perfect for organizations already using the Google ecosystem. Simple but functional.
• Creately: more than 1,000 professional templates for diagrams, maps, and visual representations. Combines simplicity with power.

Specialized tools for training

1. isEazy Author

isEazy Author positions itself as the most comprehensive professional solution for applying visual thinking in the context of corporate training and e-learning. This authoring platform allows you to:

2. Articulate Storyline 360

Articulate Storyline 360 is an advanced authoring tool that enables the application of visual thinking through an approach closer to interactive design and visual storytelling, with a high level of control over each on-screen element.

3. Adobe Captivate

Adobe Captivate is an authoring tool focused on creating visual and immersive learning experiences, especially useful when visual thinking is applied to processes, systems, or technical environments.

If you are looking for a tool that combines power, ease of use, and a specific focus on visual thinking in training, isEazy Author is the perfect choice to professionalize your training content.

How to use visual thinking in training

Implementation in the in-person classroom

Applying visual thinking in the classroom does not mean knowing how to draw well, but rather using visual resources as cognitive support to facilitate understanding. Some of the most powerful elements are:

• Contextualized images and symbols: students can use simple drawings, icons, or photographs to represent concepts in a personalized way, reinforcing understanding through active creation.
• Strategic use of color: different colors convey meaning, hierarchy, and categorization. They can differentiate concepts, highlight key information, or represent emotions and states.
• Educational mind maps: they allow syllabi to be organized in a non-linear way, showing relationships between concepts and facilitating a global view of a subject or complex topic.
• Visual narratives: students create visual stories that connect concepts, improving retention through narrative and emotional elements.

Integration with other educational methodologies

Visual thinking combines perfectly with:

• Project-based learning (PBL): using visual maps to plan projects, document processes, and present results in an engaging way.
• Educational gamification: creating visual progress boards, mission maps, and graphic representations of achievements and challenges.
• Flipped Classroom: providing visual pre-class materials and using in-person time to create collaborative visual representations.
• Cooperative learning: teams that jointly build visual representations develop shared understanding and collaboration skills.
• CLIL methodologies (AICLE): visual thinking reduces the language barrier when teaching content in a foreign language, facilitating understanding through universal elements.
• Educational augmented reality: combining physical drawn elements with interactive digital layers for hybrid learning experiences.

Visual thinking in corporate training

Some of the applications of Visual Thinking in L&D and Human Resources include:

• Visual employee onboarding: transforming dense welcome manuals into visual experiences that facilitate integration and understanding of policies, culture, and procedures.
• Explanation of internal processes: turning complex technical documentation into flowcharts, infographics, and visual maps that reduce operational errors and accelerate the learning curve.
• Mandatory compliance training: making regulatory content such as risk prevention, data protection, or financial compliance more digestible and memorable through visual narratives.
• Development of soft skills: representing abstract concepts such as leadership, effective communication, or emotional intelligence through visual metaphors and illustrated scenarios.

Transform your training with visual thinking

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Request a demo and discover how isEazy Author can help you create visual learning experiences that generate real impact.