Developed by Dan Roam (The Back of the Napkin, 2008).
Matches the kind of question a problem poses (who, how much, where, when, how, or why) to one of six simple pictures, then sketches it to think and to explain.
When to reach for it
When a problem can be stated but not seen, a whiteboard discussion keeps circling, or a colleague keeps saying they do not get it.
How it runs
- Write the question in one sentence and name its type.
- Pick the matching picture: portrait, chart, map, timeline, flowchart, or plot.
- Decide simple or elaborate, quality or quantity, vision or execution.
- Sketch a small thumbnail before drawing it full size.
- Show it and redraw wherever people stumble.
Where it sits in SOLVE eX
Go to the source
- The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures, 2008