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Figure It Out

figure it out spot image

Getting from Information to Understanding

By Stephen Anderson & Karl Fast

Published: May 2020
Paperback: 432 pages
Paperback ISBN: 978-1933820-96-5
Ebook ISBN: 978-1933820-95-8

Information is easy. Understanding is hard.

From incomprehensible tax policies to confusing medical explanations, we’re swamped with information that we can’t make sense of. Figure It Out shows us how to transform information into better presentations, better meetings, better software, and better decisions. So take heart: under the guidance of Anderson and Fast, we can, in fact, figure it out—for ourselves and for others.

Who this book is for

  • Mid-career professionals who are ready to think more critically about how they work with information.
  • Product Managers, Software Engineers, Project Managers, Content Strategists, Product Strategists.

Information is easy. Understanding is hard.

From incomprehensible tax policies to confusing medical explanations, we’re swamped with information that we can’t make sense of. Figure It Out shows us how to transform information into better presentations, better meetings, better software, and better decisions. So take heart: under the guidance of Anderson and Fast, we can, in fact, figure it out—for ourselves and for others.

Who this book is for

  • Mid-career professionals who are ready to think more critically about how they work with information.
  • Product Managers, Software Engineers, Project Managers, Content Strategists, Product Strategists.

Testimonials

Table of Contents

Foreword by Christina Wodtke
Chapter 1: From Information to Understanding
Chapter 2: Understanding as a Function of the Brain, Body, and Environment
Chapter 3: Understanding Is Fundamentally About Associations Between Concepts
Chapter 4: Everyday Associations: Metaphors, Priming, Anchoring, and Narrative
Chapter 5: Everyday Associations: Aesthetics and Explicit Visual Metaphors
Chapter 6: Closing Thoughts and Cautionary Notes About Associations
Chapter 7: Why Our Sense of Vision Trumps All Others
Chapter 8: An Intelligent Understanding of Color
Chapter 9: Ways We Use Space to Hold and Convey Meaning
Chapter 10: Interacting with Information
Chapter 11: A Pattern Language for Talking About Interactions
Chapter 12: Seeing the System of Cognitive Resources
Chapter 13: Coordinating a System of Resources
Chapter 14: A Critical Look at Tools and Technologies for Understanding
Chapter 15: A Perspective on Future Tools and Technologies for Understanding