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A Picture Is Worth a 1000 Lines of Code

Rich Steinmetz • July 10, 2023 • Atlanta, GA

In the presentation titled "A Picture Is Worth a 1000 Lines of Code," Rich Steinmetz discusses the imperative of visual communication in coding education and workplace interactions. He emphasizes that our brains are wired to process images, making visual aids crucial for understanding complex concepts. With numerous examples from coding environments, he highlights how traditional methods involving excessive text and code can lead to cognitive overload while underutilizing our visual processing capabilities.

Key Points:
- Visual Thinking: Steinmetz asserts that drawing should be regarded as integral to thinking and communication, similar to speaking or writing. Most school systems focus on verbal skills, often neglecting the development of visual literacy.
- Cognitive Load: He reflects on modern content consumption, noting that excessive verbal information can stress the verbal brain while underutilizing visual pathways, leading to engagement problems.
- Framework for Visualization: Steinmetz proposes a structured framework consisting of six micro-frameworks aimed at visualizing problems, emphasizing the use of a 'visual alphabet' that includes basic shapes and symbols to convey ideas effectively.
- Personal Journey: He shares his personal struggle with drawing, likening it to common experiences where many believe they lack drawing ability. His journey from self-doubt to visual competency illustrates that with practice and the right mindset, one can develop visual thinking skills.
- Practical Applications: Sharing anecdotes from coding discussions, he illustrates how visualizing relationships and processes can result in clearer communication and better problem-solving. He illustrates the application of his framework in making abstract coding concepts accessible to others.
- Conclusion: Steinmetz concludes by urging his audience to embrace visual thinking and to integrate it into their professional practices, suggesting that doing so can lead to richer, more effective communication.

His call to action is for individuals to start drawing, thus fostering a culture where visual thinking is embraced, ultimately leading to better collaboration and creativity in tech environments.

A Picture Is Worth a 1000 Lines of Code
Rich Steinmetz • July 10, 2023 • Atlanta, GA

Let me show you how I turned my "two left hands" into eight superpower tentacles, going from "I can't draw" to visualizing more and less abstract concepts all over the internet.

A simple visual framework can let you do the same rather quickly because this is what your brain is wired to do: process and generate images.

The coding education industry and workplace communication mainly consist of simplified code examples, boring text walls, and sometimes never-ending speeches from the loudest people in meetings.

All it takes to make abstract concepts visible is identifying your visual thinking type and empowering yourself with a reproducible process to make your communication more understandable, memorable, unique, collaborative, and fun.

RailsConf 2023

00:00:20.660 Unfortunately, we don't have time anymore.
00:00:25.699 So, if you're up for it, we can play a little drawing game after the show.
00:00:32.220 Let's dive right in because I came all the way from Europe.
00:00:38.040 I brought a very well-known saying from Barcelona: A picture is worth a thousand lines of code.
00:00:44.700 There’s a very common situation where you buy a book, you read it, and it’s filled with a lot of code and text.
00:00:52.680 This often leads to a roadblock, also known as a code blog: more code, more text.
00:00:59.280 Your brain can feel overloaded by it.
00:01:05.939 But here’s an interesting thought: if we look with one eye, we can see something.
00:01:12.720 After 50 pages of text and code, there’s often a picture.
00:01:18.780 This picture, where Michael Hartl is explaining the MVC framework, has stuck in my mind.
00:01:26.820 We all love these visual bits because our brains are wired for visual processing.
00:01:39.479 Feel free to draw along if you see something that resonates with you.
00:01:46.560 Let me ask you a question: what do you think this represents?
00:01:52.920 You might think a circle, or perhaps more of an egg.
00:01:58.320 I’d like to picture this as a sophisticated schematic image of your brain.
00:02:03.840 We enjoy these visual bits because 30% of our brain processes images.
00:02:10.640 30% of your brain is currently working on what you see right now.
00:02:16.780 Additionally, 20 to 30% of our brain is processing some form of visual information.
00:02:22.060 Essentially, we are visual processing machines.
00:02:30.840 So it's no surprise that we often feel overloaded by information.
00:02:39.600 We’re all very happy when I promise to make one point per slide.
00:02:45.540 But those moments of relief are rare, often amidst overwhelming content.
00:02:51.300 Think about the content you've consumed in the past week.
00:02:57.180 Reflect on it for a moment.
00:03:02.640 If you're like me, you’ve been crushed by verbal content, audio, and text.
00:03:08.760 I receive numerous messages, emails, and private communications.
00:03:14.400 I read a lot, whether it’s books, audiobooks, community chats, or Discord.
00:03:23.180 There are thousands of Slack messages and countless podcasts.
00:03:29.040 And documentation, including Stack Overflow, piles on to the information overload.
00:03:36.840 By the end of the week, your verbal brain feels completely overloaded.
00:03:43.380 Meanwhile, the visual parts of your brain are probably quite bored.
00:03:49.380 What if we lived in a world where drawing was as valid a mode of thinking as writing or speaking?
00:03:55.000 In school, we are taught to speak and write, but often we shy away from drawing.
00:04:02.880 Imagine a world where more things were explained visually, perhaps even interactively.
00:04:11.120 Newcomers wouldn't fear algorithms; they would visualize how data flows.
00:04:19.020 We would have people sketchnoting effectively.
00:04:25.620 In fact, how many of you are sketchnoting right now?
00:04:31.620 A few hands, that's great to see!
00:04:36.660 Next year, I expect many more people will be sketchnoting.
00:04:42.780 Podcasts with videos would show real people sharing visuals.
00:04:49.420 And colleagues would send engaging emails with little sketches to explain concepts.
00:04:56.220 No one really reads the long, text-heavy emails.
00:05:03.000 This could lead to more engaging meetings, establishing common ground.
00:05:09.840 In the end, our visual processing machines would be happier on average.
00:05:16.080 Consider whether a particular topic truly concerns you.
00:05:22.920 Is this really about you? Do you care about it?
00:05:29.820 I learned from someone at this conference that this slide is now deprecated.
00:05:36.000 The individual said, 'Rich, this concept of thinking types is really cool, but I don't have thoughts at all when I close my eyes.'
00:05:43.020 This person is essentially meditating all the time.
00:05:51.840 This illustrates that we are all unique and somewhere on a spectrum.
00:05:58.380 Many people fall between types 1 and 3.
00:06:05.700 Some are extreme image thinkers. For them, images flow to their minds like an Instagram feed.
00:06:12.960 Engineers might see code patterns; some visualize files moving around.
00:06:19.500 People like me may have step-by-step thoughts.
00:06:25.080 Let’s do a quick exercise: think about a cat.
00:06:31.920 What comes to mind? A concrete image of a cat?
00:06:38.040 Or maybe you're like me, and you picture very simple stick figures.
00:06:45.000 Even the verbal thinkers, those who describe things in words, enjoy visuals.
00:06:54.240 Visualizing enhances everyone's understanding.
00:07:01.080 However, we face a barrier: many people say, 'I can't draw.'
00:07:08.940 Twenty years ago, I felt the same way.
00:07:14.660 I labeled myself as someone with 'two left hands' and quit drawing.
00:07:20.640 Five years ago, I lamented to my wife, who's an artist, that I couldn't even draw a simple cup.
00:07:27.180 It was a sad and relatable moment.
00:07:36.340 Many here may share this experience.
00:07:43.440 There’s someone in the visual thinking community who suggests that 75% of people say they can't draw.
00:07:50.220 Only 25% will engage with a whiteboard if there’s a problem to solve.
00:07:57.120 Interestingly, it's not always easy for visual thinkers, either.
00:08:05.100 Switching modes from verbal to visual thinking requires energy and effort.
00:08:13.540 In an environment without a drawing culture, how do we prompt visual thinking?
00:08:20.640 How do we avoid being seen as 'the weirdo' who draws without practice?
00:08:26.160 We must start with ourselves and make it easier.
00:08:34.380 What makes things easier? Perhaps a framework.
00:08:40.500 We’re at a Framework Conference, after all!
00:08:45.840 We use frameworks to avoid reinventing the wheel.
00:08:51.360 Processes guide us even when we don’t realize it. Refactoring involves processes.
00:08:58.530 Our vision can be parallel processes, similar to how computers work.
00:09:06.840 Now, we're going to introduce a framework to help you visualize.
00:09:12.840 Imagine you’re in a park on your favorite bench. Picture this scene.
00:09:20.640 Let’s explore some images: what do you see?
00:09:28.440 Notice the details; look closely.
00:09:34.380 Now, imagine how you'd draw it.
00:09:41.160 Vision involves six neural pathways engaged in visualizing.
00:09:49.680 When entering a room, you first detect the objects.
00:09:56.760 How many chairs are there? Is there one person or many?
00:10:02.640 Your brain makes guesses and tries to relate objects.
00:10:09.240 As time passes, it also constructs a timeline.
00:10:15.720 Once you gather frames, your brain begins to make connections.
00:10:23.160 The flowchart is often a culmination of the thought process.
00:10:30.480 However, we jump to conclusions too quickly.
00:10:37.440 Understanding relationships helps reveal why things happen.
00:10:43.560 For example, dogs and birds interact, but it can get chaotic.
00:10:50.160 So, we can use a six-by-six framework.
00:10:57.240 We need a visual alphabet.
00:11:02.040 If you say 'I can't draw', you probably lack a visual alphabet.
00:11:09.960 It’s simple: start with basic shapes—squares, circles, triangles, lines.
00:11:15.480 When I began visualizing, I used circles and squares for mind maps.
00:11:22.440 With practice, I developed more complex stick figures.
00:11:28.560 Let’s see the framework in action with an example.
00:11:35.880 I won't do this live since it's challenging. Maybe we can do it later.
00:11:42.300 Starting with a clarity challenge allows you to visualize better.
00:11:50.400 Think of a moment when you struggled to explain something.
00:11:56.760 I faced a recent challenge at a Toastmasters event.
00:12:03.300 I was asked why Ruby is an amazing language.
00:12:09.360 I felt as if I didn’t convey the core of the language's value.
00:12:17.880 To make it concrete, my conversation partner was Maria, a linguist.
00:12:25.560 She is concerned about AI taking her job and wants to learn coding.
00:12:32.400 My explanation focused on Ruby's human readability and criticized Java.
00:12:40.680 I rambled about syntax instead of addressing her real concerns.
00:12:45.840 I wondered if using the framework would lead to a better explanation.
00:12:54.600 The first step is to clarify what we have in this situation.
00:13:02.640 There’s Ruby, Maria, and her dilemma with AI.
00:13:09.300 Next, identify how many relevant people and aspects are involved.
00:13:16.560 Engagement with the Ruby community is vital.
00:13:23.640 Ruby's syntax stands out in the realm of programming.
00:13:32.520 This community particularly welcomes newcomers.
00:13:40.620 Now, let's visualize relationships and connections.
00:13:48.480 Maria's journey highlights these connections.
00:13:54.720 Consider the goal she aims to achieve.
00:14:01.800 With the right support, she can navigate the coding landscape.
00:14:10.920 AI can serve as an assistant along the way.
00:14:17.100 After gaining fundamentals, she will have greater opportunities.
00:14:23.880 With a clearer sense of relationships, we can map out timelines.
00:14:31.080 Starting timeline estimations help in pacing her journey.
00:14:38.160 The realism of a timeline will show the effort required to achieve her goals.
00:14:44.520 Providing a logical end point offers a clearer route.
00:14:50.520 Ultimately, committing to a plan will empower her progress.
00:14:56.880 In this scenario, I could have offered a more expressive response.
00:15:03.540 Imagine saying: 'Hey Maria, if you combine Ruby, true commitment, and the Ruby community, maybe you'll find opportunities!'
00:15:09.480 That would feel more directly connected to her problem.
00:15:15.660 In short, context supports better communication.
00:15:23.580 Often in engineering, we rush toward solutions without understanding the bigger picture.
00:15:30.840 So zooming out and seeing various parts can guide us better.
00:15:37.200 Frameworks will be useful in different contexts.
00:15:45.060 Don’t underestimate the power of visualizing complex topics.
00:15:53.640 Use visual thinking not only for understanding but also for memory.
00:16:01.500 You can bring a unique quality to your explanations through images.
00:16:09.900 All you need to start drawing is a pen and paper.
00:16:18.120 A whiteboard is perfect for explanations in physical spaces.
00:16:25.560 Consider online tools for collaboration if in a virtual setting.
00:16:32.880 Use your visual skills daily to improve understanding.
00:16:40.080 In my teams, we collaborate to create visuals for newcomers.
00:16:47.520 During brainstorms and design sprints, visuals always elevate engagement.
00:16:54.360 Visual thinking fosters collaboration and brainstorming.
00:17:00.840 Practice problem-solving with frameworks at your convenience.
00:17:08.760 Your brain will appreciate the engagement and clarity it brings.
00:17:15.300 In conclusion, utilize visuals to foster better understanding.
00:17:23.040 Remember that visual communication can enlighten discussions.
00:17:29.520 Ultimately, let visualization help you express your thoughts better.
00:17:41.040 Together, we can create a world where thinking and drawing align.
Rich Steinmetz
@RichStone
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