human thinking via paper or computer?
Throughout the last hour at work i have been designing an extension to an existing web application, what pages link to each other, what values are passed on the query string, where post-backs must occur and database connections are opened close – that sort of thing. I have found several times now that it is far easier to think and ‘brainstorm’ on paper and with peers away from the computer than it is using MS Visio or word to write your thoughts, ideas, diagrams etc…
I don’t think it is the software at fault, is it more a psychological thing?
Why is it far easier to think and express your thoughts on paper than it is when on a computer? I know others who feel the same too including old tutors at college as well as some Maths lecturers I have spoken too…
Do we associate computers with remedial tasks and this is blocking the left side of our brain? Does pointing & clicking a mouse interfere with thinking?
I just thought i would place a seed for thoughts to spring from with this post…..
Its all about laying things out and how our brain needs to see things in context. A screen is very small and our minds like to think large until something small catches our eye and then we focus in on that. A whiteboard is ideal for this due to the space and we can “ignore” sections of it we don’t want to see, but come back to them later just by glancing at them. Even a 30″ screen cannot provide this.
I would further argue that the strokes of a pen feel closer to our thought process because its all in one sequence of events. Typing documents can be too, but drawing diagrams tends to require both keyboard and mouse in sequence and this breaks this flow such that we aren’t as comfortable working this way. I couldn’t imagine developing without first having a bit of brainstorm on paper or on a whiteboard.
As for communicating with others concerning a project, it is simply easier face to face and using speech – the human race has been communicating a lot longer that way than we have using a computer
Thats my 2p worth anyhow
It would be interesting to use a tablet and see how things changed. If you could draw the diagram out yourself it may well vastly improve the experiance.
That said I like the speed of using a writing pad. While I can type faster than I can write, I can’t draw a small squiggle that in my handwriting translates into a complete description for a website, on a computer lol.
I have to say that I always use my tablet, or OneNote, or something similar to ‘think’ with, I’ll never go back to paper and pen.
I do however, often use a whiteboard when I’m in design sessions with other people – but this is mostly because there’s one projector, and varying things get shown up there. The whiteboards are permanent reminders and can trigger a thought five hours after something was written down.