Denise Yu
The Power of Visual Narrative
Summarized using AI
The Power of Visual Narrative
by Denise YuThe video titled 'The Power of Visual Narrative' by Denise Yu, presented at RailsConf 2021, explores the significance of visual storytelling in technical communication. Yu shares her personal journey from software engineering to product management and highlights how effective communication is vital in large organizations. She emphasizes that despite her good verbal and written communication skills, many colleagues were not reading her emails. This prompted her to experiment with visual narratives by incorporating sketches into her emails, leading to improved engagement and understanding.
Key points discussed include:
- Personal Journey: Yu describes her transition from software engineer to product manager and the challenges she faced in communication.
- Visual Communication Impact: She discovered that visuals helped convey complex technical information more effectively than traditional text.
- Examples of Visual Storytelling: From drawing update emails to conference slides filled with whimsical characters, Yu illustrates how art can simplify dense subjects.
- Engagement in Conference Speaking: Yu emphasized that using engaging content and visuals can differentiate speakers, leading to acceptance in prestigious conferences.
- Benefits of Visual Narrative: The talk details advantages such as capturing information, inventing stories for better understanding, and starting meaningful conversations.
- Visual Flow and Hierarchy: Yu discusses techniques for effective visual layouts and designs, underscoring the importance of character creation, signposting, and maintaining clear visual flow.
- Encouragement for Others: She urges viewers to embrace their own storytelling abilities, stressing that everyone has a unique voice worth sharing.
In conclusion, Denise Yu's presentation reinforces the idea that visual storytelling is a powerful tool for technologists, enhancing understanding and fostering engagement. By incorporating visual elements into technical communication, individuals can bridge gaps in understanding and create a more inclusive environment in technology. The talk encourages exploring and practicing visual art as a means of personal and professional development in technical fields.
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Hi everyone! My name is Denise, and this talk is called "The Power of Visual Narrative."
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My Twitter handle is @DeniseU21. I'm really excited to be speaking at RailsConf this year! This is actually my first time ever speaking at RailsConf.
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I want to start by diving straight in with a true story. In 2018, three years ago, I was working at Pivotal as a software engineer.
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It was my first big kid job, and I was really excited about working on so many cool products with very smart people.
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The way teams work at Pivotal, which is quite similar to how teams work in the industry, consists of engineers and product managers who collaborate.
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Together, we build roadmaps, figure out what to develop for our customers, and prioritize tasks.
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Typically, when you get hired as an engineer, you remain an engineer. Similarly, if you begin as a product manager, you stay in that role.
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Although there are opportunities to work on different projects, you usually don't move between disciplines.
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In 2018, due to some unforeseen circumstances in our office, we suddenly had a shortage of product managers. Leadership looked around and wondered what to do.
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So, I raised my hand and volunteered to become a product manager. It was a rare opportunity, one that not many engineers get.
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As excited as I was, I learned that transitioning into product management did not fit seamlessly.
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There was so much for me to learn. I had just become comfortable as an engineer, and now, moving laterally into product management made me feel like I was starting from scratch.
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I often felt confused and lost. One of the essential skills I needed for my new role was communication.
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I considered myself quite good at written and verbal communication. I was on the debate team when I was younger, so I knew how to talk to people.
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However, it turned out that communication within large organizations is different.
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There were key stakeholders I needed to communicate with, including customers and various team members.
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At that time, our primary communication tool was email, given that we were spread across many offices and time zones.
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I found myself writing a lot of emails, but soon discovered that people were not reading them.
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People kept interrupting my team, asking the same questions repeatedly, questions that I had already addressed in my update emails.
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It felt like I wasn’t sending out those emails at all.
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For my product, I was working on a highly technical tool that was used by other engineering teams to develop even more technical products.
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Because my product area was so technical and difficult to understand, I assumed there was no way to talk about it without getting technical.
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I thought I could only write these emails as hopelessly long walls of text, which I later realized were unread.
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Outside of work, I had started attending a sketchnoting meetup that was completely unrelated to my job.
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At this meeting, I learned various tools, tips, and tricks for telling stories through art.
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So one day, I decided, why not try drawing my update emails? Why not use art instead of walls of text?
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At that point, I had nothing to lose; no one was reading my emails.
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And you know what? It worked! I began receiving positive feedback on my emails.
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People started reading them, and my team experienced fewer interruptions.
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Finding a different way to communicate what I thought was dense subject matter had a transformative effect on my relationship with other teams.
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It also fundamentally changed my connection to my work and the industry.
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Surprisingly, I discovered that art is a powerful way to grab someone's attention and encourage them to open an email they had previously ignored.
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I continued to explore how I could incorporate art into my daily work as a technical contributor.
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I began drawing my slides for conference talks.
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I created art for my personal blog posts, for the company's blog, for social media, and internal documentation.
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I paired with other teams, capturing their work in the form of cat drawings.
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It was a lot of fun, and I became quite well-known in the company.
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Not to toot my own horn, but people recognized me as the go-to person for creating fun, artistic artifacts related to our very technical domain.
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I leaned into the idea of illustrating technical concepts repeatedly.
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In late 2018, I submitted a talk about distributed systems to DevOpsDays London, and surprisingly, my talk was accepted as one of only 16 full-length presentations.
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I later learned that hundreds of people had submitted for those slots.
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An organizer told me that my promise to use cat drawings to explain distributed systems was a key differentiator.
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At that time, I was not an expert in distributed systems; I was very much still learning.
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But my desire to communicate the topic in a unique way made my submission stand out.
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I continued to iterate on this talk and submitted it again to SRE Con the next year.
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I was stunned to not only be invited to present my talk but to do so as one of two closing keynotes for the entire conference.
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I felt a bit like an imposter since I wasn't even a site reliability engineer.
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However, I learned that there is so much more to conference speaking than just being an expert.
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While having knowledge is essential, you also need to engage the audience.
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Conference organizers value captivating content that attendees will remember long after the event.
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I learned two significant things from this experience: first, as fun as product management was, I believe I will stick with engineering for now.
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I am grateful for the experience, as it has given me more empathy for product managers.
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But I have discovered that engineering brings me more joy, allowing me to apply a product mindset.
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The second lesson is that visual storytelling is incredibly powerful.
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Using visuals, even simple cat drawings, can command attention in a way that words alone cannot.
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So, to introduce myself properly: Hello RailsConf! I hope you're enjoying the first fully asynchronous RailsConf!
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My name is Denise, and I work as a senior software engineer at GitHub.
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I am part of a team called Communities, focused on building tools that enhance open-source community engagement.
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I've been drawing since I was a little kid, filling the margins of my notebooks with doodles.
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So, I'm thrilled to have discovered that this passion is a transferable skill that I can apply as a technologist.
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Today, I'm excited to discuss the intersection of storytelling, art, and learning as a technologist.
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Let’s break down what happened during my transition.
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I used a TED Talk format of public speaking, jumping into a story without introducing myself upfront.
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I did this intentionally because stories are engaging.
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You were likely more engaged by my story than by any introductory slides.
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Stories capture attention; our brains are wired to love them.
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This appreciation for storytelling dates back to epic poetry and the earliest human fables.
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Conflicts, characters, and plot twists keep us intrigued, leading to resolutions.
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Without resolution, of course, we might be watching a French film, where that's often the theme.
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Visual narrative is a way to enhance storytelling.
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Stories are fantastic, and we should always tell them.
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Whether on stage, around campfires, or in writing, they hold value.
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But incorporating visuals can elevate the experience.
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Visual storytelling allows the audience to empathize with characters.
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My characters often look like little yellow cats, which act as stand-ins for me.
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Drawing these characters helps express my thoughts and experiences, creating a stronger connection.
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When I post a comic online, people often respond, "That’s me!" This feedback indicates a resonance that feels powerful.
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Stories also serve as a platform for metaphor, crucial for getting everyone on the same page.
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Metaphors can help contextualize complex ideas, providing footholds for understanding.
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Once someone grasps a basic concept, layers of information can gradually build.
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Visuals also grant control over tone.
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While you can write with different voices to influence tone, visuals can do this more effectively and quickly.
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I prefer a whimsical and fun tone in my work because software does not have to be too serious.
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The more we can demystify concepts, making them engaging, the more accessible technology becomes.
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We should strive to reduce gatekeeping in tech to make our content approachable.
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Art is a powerful vehicle for communicating ideas.
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Visual storytelling helps balance aesthetic appeal with information delivery.
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The first common use case is capturing information.
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I used to see one or two individuals at conferences sketching along with speakers, but nowadays, it’s more common to see a larger group.
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This practice is wonderful for learners as it helps them build a useful skill set.
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Capturing talks, like TED talks, is an excellent way to develop this skill, as they often have a clear flow.
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You can trust that speakers have structured their content to gradually build context without overwhelming newcomers.
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Another approach is to invent.
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You can read blog posts or watch videos on a topic and recompose them into your own story.
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This involves thinking about how to structure your ideas and the pacing for delivering information.
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The final use case is to start a conversation.
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For example, after reading a chapter from the Site Reliability Engineering book, I identified key concepts that were grouped together.
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When I saw the concept of "four golden signals," I decided to draw it, organizing my page into four quadrants.
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However, I don’t expect my drawings to convey complete understanding; the aim is to pique interest.
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I hope my drawings encourage viewers to explore the SRE book further, making it feel more approachable.
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When it comes to fidelity of information, I aim to start conversations rather than providing exhaustive answers.
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It’s important to distinguish visual storytelling from technical documentation.
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These two have different goals; we're seeking to communicate at various levels of abstraction.
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We are not attempting to anticipate every possible use case or provide exhaustive answers.
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Our goal is simply to spark interest and concern.
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Moreover, writing good documentation is a specialized skill.
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Technical writing and documentation hold immense value and should be respected; not everyone can do it.
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We aim to build shared foundational knowledge and adhere to the principle that if they want every detail, they can consult the documentation.
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Let’s reflect on why I pursue sketch noting and visual storytelling.
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People often ask me why I engage in sketch noting; they’re curious about my motivations.
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Personally, it's been a great way to reinforce my own learning.
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I have a hard time absorbing information from reading alone, but drawing helps me process it better.
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I also genuinely enjoy helping others learn new things.
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Receiving messages from people saying my work or tutorials helped them understand concepts brings me immense joy.
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Many people hesitate to share their insights due to the fear of duplicating what's already been said.
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I encourage everyone to share their voice anyway; your unique perspective may click with someone.
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Through visual narratives and drawings, my goal isn't for everyone to have a click-moment, but to encourage them to discover helpful resources.
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I've also been struck by how effective sketch noting can be as a networking tool.
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Initially, I felt awkward approaching speakers by saying, "I drew your talk!" But I received positive reactions every time.
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No one ever gets upset about someone sketch noting their talk—it's always a compliment.
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In the beginning, my sketch notes were messy and made with neon markers, but people appreciated that I paid attention to their presentations.
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I’ve stayed in touch with many speakers, forming valuable professional relationships.
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If you're looking to build your network, sketch noting talks is an effective way to do it.
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Now, let’s explore building blocks for creating engaging sketches.
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Many ask how to develop their doodles into a more sophisticated visual narrative.
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There are several key components I'll discuss quickly.
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First, we have characters—an essential part of storytelling.
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Most of us have drawn stick figures at some point in our lives; that's absolutely sufficient.
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Stick figures can effectively convey emotions and actions.
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If you want to expand your toolbox, star people (with starfish-like appendages) are another option.
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They convey more attitude and are fun to draw.
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On the other hand, tooth people (faces made from circles and d shapes) might be easier for depicting groups.
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Using tooth people is a quick way to represent multiple stakeholders.
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Now, let's discuss signposting, which is about guiding the viewer in visual narratives.
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Effective visual narratives have clear headings and text wrapped in banners or shapes.
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Manipulating your handwriting can create a visual hierarchy, which is critical.
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This concept helps communicate information more intuitively.
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Another aspect is quick representation, or building a visual library.
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A visual library contains images and characters you can draw quickly without much thought.
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The key is practice—aim to draw each item in under 30 seconds.
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For real-time sketch noting, aim for under 10 seconds for most items to keep up with the speaker.
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Practice helps you prioritize what to illustrate when multiple concepts arise.
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You can create Post-it notes with various words and challenge yourself to draw them quickly.
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This drill prioritizes visual communication during real-time events.
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You can utilize different techniques in visual storytelling.
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Visual flow is key; it guides viewers through the information and connects related content.
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This can be achieved using arrows, numbered lists, and boundary lines to delineate sections.
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If you create visual artifacts on digital platforms, think about how to incorporate background and transparency layers.
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Going digital allows for more flexibility while giving your drawings fluidity.
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Nonetheless, perfectionism can be a trap with digital tools.
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Resist the urge to keep fixing and focus on moving forward instead.
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Finally, my reflections on the past few years—drawing has been a useful outlet during hard times.
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Even outside of tech, creativity can provide escape and focus.
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If you're uncertain about pursuing art, consider tapping into its restorative potential.
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Organizations like Let's Sketch Tech host workshops focused on the intersection of tech and art.
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After this talk, I will share links to a workshop available on the Let's Sketch Tech YouTube channel for free.
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There, you’ll find step-by-step instructions on creating characters, layouts, and much more.
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The slides for this presentation will be available after the conference.
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I encourage everyone to explore materials like the Sketch Note Handbook by Mike Rohde.
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Thank you all so much for your time! I hope you enjoy the rest of your RailsConf.
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I look forward to seeing you online!
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