What are Visual Aids? The Ultimate Guide For Neurodivergent Entrepreneurs
Quick Summary:
If your brain is bursting with ideas, but you struggle to wrangle them into a cohesive plan, this guide is for you. We'll talk about how to use visual aids to make sense of complex thoughts, communicate your vision with confidence, and make decisions that move your business forward. Learn how tools like vision mapping, explainer videos, and even toys can help you harness your unique strengths and express your ideas clearly.
Thinking differently is an overlooked advantage for neurodivergent entrepreneurs. It's the spark behind our innovation, creativity, and ability to spot opportunities others miss. But being a kaleidoscope thinker can also feel like having a scattered brain.
It's common for us to have too many ideas or struggle to explain big-picture concepts in a way that resonates with clients and colleagues. That's where visual aids swoop in to save the day.
These visual communication tools are perfect for:
Make sense of information overload.
Untangling complex thoughts for confident, CEO-level decisions.
Enhancing your natural problem-solving and communication abilities.
Making your ideas more accessible and engaging for your audience.
In this article you’ll learn how to use visual aids to grow as a neurodivergent entrepreneur.
What are Visual Aids?
A visual aid is anything you can look at that helps you understand or remember information. It could be an illustration, chart, diagram, vision map, explainer video, or even a toy (I’m looking at you, Legos)! Visual aids are tools to untangle big ideas, gain clarity, and help others understand your vision.
While commonly used in presentations or educational materials, visual aids have a much wider reach.
At Illustrative.us, I use visual aids in presentations, client journey mapping, organizing ideas, and conceptualizing offers. I also teach entrepreneurs how to design visual aids in my Oh I See! Community Membership.
Ultimately, visual aids allow people to understand each other better – something our world could always use more of!
5 Benefits of Visual Aids for Business
Hold Attention: A well-placed visual can instantly pique curiosity and draw your audience in.
Simplify the Complex: Visuals distill complex information into easy-to-understand pieces.
Make it Memorable: Our brains are wired to remember visuals, making your message memorable.
Foster Connection: Visuals create a shared experience for deeper connection and understanding.
Inspire Action: A compelling visual can motivate your audience to take the next step, whether it's making a purchase or changing their perspective.
How Do Visual Aids Work?
Ever since the first person decided to show instead of tell, we've been communicating visually. Cave drawings, hieroglyphics, emojis... visuals have long been a way to get our message across clearly.
That’s because visual aids tap into how the human brain is naturally wired.
90% of the information our brains process is visual.
We process images 60,000 times faster than text.
And we remember 65% of what we see, compared to only 10% of what we hear.
So what does this mean for us? It means that we shouldn’t ignore visuals.
People process visuals faster and visuals help people retain information more than words alone.
Most people find visuals helpful and need clarifying visuals to understand a topic. But it can’t be any visual.
Visuals that add little value to what you’re saying can actually distract or confuse your audience. Visual communication tools are most effective when they provide information people can’t get from their other senses.
The Best Visual Aids:
Provide context.
Offer additional information.
Be accurate (avoiding manipulation).
Match the tone of your message (congruency).
Next we’ll discuss different types of visual aids and how to use each effectively.
Read More on Choosing Intentional Visuals: Top 10 Visual Aids For Biased Conversations
12 Visual Aids Types
Let's bust a myth right off the bat: visual aids aren't limited to drawings or illustrations.
In fact, there's a whole toolkit of visual communication tools at your disposal, each designed to tackle different communication challenges.
Here are some of the best visual aids you can use in business.
Vision Mapping
Vision maps are visual aids that combine images and text to tell a story about your goals, plans, or current situation. Think of it as a detailed roadmap, but on a single canvas. It's like goal-setting with eye candy that helps you break down complex ideas into actionable steps.
Types of Vision Mapping
Vision mapping isn’t the only type of helpful mapping that includes visuals. Visual mapping is a broad term that refers to using visual elements to organize and present information.
Although "vision mapping" and "visual mapping" might seem interchangeable, there's a difference worth noting. Vision mapping is a specialized technique most often used for personal or business goal setting, while "visual mapping" includes a wider range of graphic organizers and mapping tools.
Let’s review the most common (and fun!) to use.
Empathy Maps: These visual aids help you understand your audience better, which is foundational for compassionate marketing and offer development. By capturing your audience's feelings, thoughts, words, and actions, these maps create a holistic view of their needs, challenges, and motivations.
Ecosystem or Stakeholder Maps: These visual aids help you see all the players in your industry — competitors, partners, and other stakeholders. Seeing the connectedness among these relationships brings to light opportunities for collaboration, helps you foresee competitive threats, and allows you to stay ahead of emerging trends.
Customer Journey Maps: These visual maps depict your customers' journey from the moment they discover your brand all the way to when they become loyal fans (and beyond!). By understanding every step of their experience—including their feelings, struggles, and aha moments—you can tailor your marketing and services to meet their needs at every stage.
Client Onboarding Maps: This style of visual mapping is for business owners who want to create high-end customer experiences. Not only does a clear client onboarding experience make the process of working together seamless, it also increases the likelihood a customer will purchase from you again. See how below.
How to Use a Vision Map
You know that feeling when you have a big dream and a vision but you can’t translate it into practical steps?
Early in my career as a brand designer, a jumbled onboarding process made my clients lose faith halfway through a project. It seemed like the vision would get blurrier the closer we got to the mid-way point. We had to stop, regroup, and make a bunch of edits.
I needed a better way to get everyone on the same page. I started drawing.
I’d sketch a plan as they described the vision. Visuals dissolved the communication barrier.
This was the beginning of my signature vision mapping process.
Vision Mapping Example
Ever since, vision mapping has been a huge part of my visual support studio, Illustrative.
Read how to create a vision map or see a vision mapping example of a customer journey here:
Vision Mapping 101
Let your ideas fly free and allow me to catch them and organize them for you into a visual picture of what’s possible in a 1:1 vision mapping session. This can be done solo or with your team to end confusion and share your trail blazing ideas confidently.
2. Visual Aids For Presentations
If your presentation is a movie, then visual aids are the special effects that keep your audience’s attention. They can be anything from slides and infographics to interactive whiteboards and props.
The key is to choose visuals that complement your message and resonate with your audience. Here are types of visuals you can use to bring your presentation to life.
Examples of Visual Aids for Presentations
Slides: Go beyond bullet points and use high-quality images, impactful quotes, and thought-provoking questions to create visually appealing and memorable slides.
Props: Bring abstract concepts to life with tangible objects that your audience can see and touch.
Whiteboards or Flip Charts: Encourage collaboration and participation by inviting your audience to contribute their ideas and thoughts visually.
Videos or Animations: A well-crafted video or animation can add a touch of humor, emotion, or excitement to your presentation. Learn how below.
Infographics: Turn complex data into visually appealing and easy-to-understand graphics that tell a story.
Handouts: Provide a tangible takeaway for your audience to reference and reinforce your key messages.
3. Visual Note Taking
Visual note-taking is a way of capturing information, whether it's a live event, a meeting, or your own thoughts. These visual aids make information more engaging, memorable, and easier to act upon.
How to Use Visual Note Taking
Visual brainstorming with visual notes and illustrative narrative analogies help us work through problems by looking at it from a fresh perspective. The goal is to organize information so it’s easier to take action. No more notes that collect dust!
Visual note taking is particularly helpful for:
Onboarding clients
Brainstorming ideas
Explaining key processes
Making complex decisions
I’m a big visual note taker (see my visual note taking process using Post-Its). I love it because it’s a multifunctional visual aid type you can use on just about any occasion.
Learn more about taking visual notes in this article.
4. Analogies
Using a story or process that people already know to explain a complex topic is absolute visual gold! It helps people really play the whole idea from start to finish and ask educated questions about your topic using the analogy as a guide.
When you’re coming up with analogies to explain a complex topic, ask yourself: If you were explaining a problem to someone what would you say it’s like?
For example, a business plan is like a recipe for your entrepreneurial growth.
How to Use Analogies as a Visual Aid
Analogies aren't just for explaining complex concepts; they're also a tool for mapping out marketing strategies.
For example, imagine a nutrition business whose mission is to challenge standard diet culture. They could use the analogy of "choosing a path less traveled" to guide potential clients through a visual journey:
Start with the Destination: Your email list is the destination of this journey. Place it visually at the end of the path.
Visualize the Journey: Imagine a winding path, representing the road less traveled. Place your potential client at the starting point.
Identify Obstacles: What challenges might someone face on an untraveled path? These could be clearing debris, navigating unfamiliar terrain, or avoiding potential dangers.
Map the Nutrition Path: Alongside each obstacle on the path, identify corresponding challenges in the nutrition journey. For example, clearing debris could be analogous to identifying harmful thoughts and beliefs about food.
Create Visuals: Use this visual map to brainstorm engaging content that resonates with your analogy. This could include blog posts, social media graphics, or even an interactive quiz that guides clients through their personalized journey.
This visual analogy provides a framework for developing a marketing strategy that not only captures attention but also speaks to your audience's desire for a healthier, more intuitive relationship with food.
5. Explainer Videos
Ever had an idea so brilliant you wished you could just beam it into someone else's brain?
Explainer videos are the next best thing. They harness the power of visuals and storytelling to make even the most complex concepts crystal clear.
Explainer videos are a visual aid type to simplify, educate, and persuade.
How To Use Explainer Videos
Imagine a potential client landing on your website's services page – instead of reading through a wall of text, they're greeted by a captivating video that walks them through the experience you provide. That’s why explainer videos are an invaluable asset for selling online.
They tell the story of your product or service so they're confident in your process and ready to take the next step.
How to Make Explainer Videos
Ready to make a explainer video? Here's the a simple process for beginners:
Brainstorm: Get clear on your goal, audience, and story. What's the one thing you want viewers to understand or do? Pro tip: Stick with one idea per video explainer.
Script It: Write a short script that hits all your main points. Think under two minutes. Keep it simple with text and stickfigure thumbnail sketches to get an idea of how to explain your topic before creating the final version.
Get Visual: DIY a simple explainer video by acting out your idea or using everyday objects as props. Or, hire a professional animation studio like Illustrative.
Add the Final Touches: Record a voiceover, add music and sound effects, and edit.
Need inspiration? Check out this example on racial disparities in society. It's a reminder of how explainer videos can clarify the most complicated topics.
6. Mock Ups
Ever wish you could see a finished product before investing your time and energy into creating it? That's exactly what mockups do.
They're like dress rehearsals for your ideas, giving you a glimpse of how they'll look and function in the real world.
Think of them as test drives for your projects. By seeing a mockup, you can catch any potential issues early on and make adjustments before it's too late. This saves you time, energy, and resources in the long run.
7. Printable Activities
Printable activities are a visual aid tool that reinforce learning while encouraging solo and group brainstorming. Plus, they are fun!
From coloring pages and puzzles to worksheets and templates, printable activities can be tailored to any topic or audience. This hands-on experience makes it easier for participants to absorb information without overwhelm. They may not feel like they’re learning at all!
I love printable activities because they're a tangible reminder of your brand or message long after the activity is complete. In the digital age, it’s a refreshing break from screens and offers a chance to engage with your content aside from double tapping.
8. Visual Storytelling
Visual storytelling is like making a comic book of your ideas. It's using pictures and words to show what you're thinking, not just telling. This makes things easier to understand and more interesting for the people you're talking to.
Imagine each picture as a step in your story, just like a comic book panel. This helps people follow along and see the big picture. You can use this for lots of things, like:
Showing new clients how you work, so they know what to expect
Coming up with cool new ideas by drawing them out
Making tricky ideas super simple with pictures
Showing how customers use your resources
Visual storytelling makes your message stick.
9. Toys & Games As Visual Aids
Think back to your childhood. Remember the joy of building with LEGOs or molding Play-Doh into whatever your imagination could conjure? Turns out, those weren't just fun and games – they were powerful visual aid tools for learning and creativity.
The same principles apply as adults. Using toys and games as visual aids spark new ideas, out-of-the-box solutions, and make complex concepts more approachable.
Here's are three ways to use toys and games as visual aids:
LEGO Serious Play: This method uses LEGO bricks to braindump and organize ideas for real-world challenges, fostering communication and problem-solving in teams.
Play-Doh Brainstorming: This playful approach encourages free-flowing ideas and experimentation, making it perfect for breaking through creative blocks.
Board Games and Card Games: These can simulate real-world scenarios, helping you test strategies and explore different outcomes in a pressure-free atmosphere. I use a board game to welcome new members to my Oh I See! membership community. See how it works here.
Next time you're stuck on a problem or looking for a fresh perspective, ditch the whiteboard and grab some toys. You’ll be surprised at what your inner child dreams up.
Read More Play & Creative Innovation
10. Charts & Infographics
Charts and infographics are OG visual aids. They take boring data and transform it into eye-catching visuals that make you go "Aha!"
Infographics increase learning, attention, and information retention by as much as 61 percent! And, increase web traffic by 12 percent.
With a well-designed chart or infographic, you can:
Spot Trends and Patterns: See the big picture and make data-driven decisions with confidence.
Simplify Complex Information: Make even the most complicated data accessible to everyone.
Grab Attention and Audience Engagement: Spice up your presentations, reports, and social media posts.
Whether you're a data analyst, marketer, educator, or anyone who works with information, charts and infographics are your creative outlet for making data make sense.
11. Animations & GIF as Visual Aids
Sometimes learning new things feels like stumbling through a dark forest. You're tripping over jargon, getting lost in the weeds, and wondering if you'll ever see the light of day. A little comic relief or light-heartedness makes the learning curve less stressful.
Animations and GIFs are like those funny friends who make even the toughest situations bearable. But these visual aids don't just add a dose of humor—they actually help you learn. Research show humor reduces stress, improves engagement, and boosts memory retention, making complex topics more approachable.
12. More Types of Organizational Visual Aids
Organizational visual aids help you declutter your thoughts, connect the dots, and plan with clarity. Think of them as blueprints, providing a visual framework for organizing and prioritizing all of your wonderful ideas.
Types of Organizational Visual Aids
Mind Mapping: Think of it like a tree of ideas. Your main concept is the trunk, and as you branch out, you capture related thoughts, creating a visual web of connections. Perfect for brainstorming and exploring the relationships between ideas.
Site Maps: If you're building a website or app, sitemaps are the framework. They provide a visual overview of the structure, content, and navigation of your digital space, ensuring a smooth user experience.
Matrices: Need to compare and contrast information? Matrices are your go-to tool. They organize data in rows and columns, making it easy to identify patterns, prioritize options, and make informed decisions.
Structure Mapping: Structuring mapping is popular with my clients. Perfect for breaking down complex topics, structure mapping visually represents the relationships between different parts of a whole. It helps you see the big picture while understanding the individual components.
Let’s talk about how visual aids are used to solve real world problems.
Visual Aid Support Quiz
Visual communication saves time and energy in your business, but which ones should you use?
Take my free quiz to find your best visual support tools for your communication style.
Take The Visual Support Style Quiz
Visual Aid Examples in the Real World
Albert Einstein, the brilliant (and likely neurodivergent!) physicist, is often credited with saying, "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough."
While he didn't win the Nobel Peace Prize for his communication skills, his ability to simplify complex ideas was key to his success. He used visuals, analogies, and thought experiments to make his theories accessible to both scientists and the general public.
This approach highlights a crucial point: if your audience can't understand your idea, it loses its value.
To truly connect with people and inspire action, you need to meet them where they are. This means distilling complex concepts into their simplest form, just as Einstein did.
Consider this: To grasp the concept that time is relative, one might need to think a bit outside the box – even a touch of ADHD might help! It's a reminder that true innovation often stems from a different way of thinking.
However, as experts, we tend to overcomplicate things, getting lost in the details and nuances that fascinate us. Einstein teaches us to start from a place of understanding.
By simplifying our ideas, we make them more appealing and less intimidating. This sparks curiosity and encourages our audience to go deeper. For those of us who love diving deep into a subject, it's a valuable practice to resist over-explaining.
Remember, too much detail can overwhelm those who are just starting out. By simplifying, we create a gateway for others to explore the wonders of our knowledge and expertise.
Visual Aid Example — Illustrative Case Study
A prime example of simplifying complex ideas to connect with an audience is my work with Shelly, a client and conscious parenting educator.
When Shelly approached me, she had a passionate following on Instagram but a neglected website. She needed help translating her message into tangible products and an engaging online presence.
Through a Vision Mapping session, we unearthed the essence of her brand: a warm, supportive space for parents seeking guidance and understanding. We identified key analogies: a three-legged stool representing her mission and a garden symbolizing her reparenting framework – to simplify and communicate her message effectively.
This visual approach guided our branding and product development process. We revitalized her online presence with a cohesive design, created a suite of practical tools (like the "Rebirth Journal"), and developed an animated video showcasing her garden analogy.
By simplifying complex concepts and focusing on the core message, we empowered Shelly to connect with her audience on a deeper level, expand her reach, and ultimately make a lasting impact on parents' lives. See the full vision mapping case study here.
Visual Aids for Solving Global Issues
Visual aids allow us to do business more compassionately, making information more accessible for people with different learning styles.
I believe the world is a better place when everyone feels seen and heart. It’s one of the reasons I’m earning my master’s degree in Design for Sustainability.
My classmates and I are working on an exciting research project, exploring how low-income renters can break free from the poverty cycle. We've been using a variety of visual aids tools to untangle this complex issue and uncover potential solutions. Here’s a look at our process.
How To Use Visual Aids For Problem-Solving on a Global Scale
Stakeholder Mapping: We started by identifying the key players in the lives of low-income renters, from landlords and government agencies to community organizations and employers. This helped us understand the complex web of relationships and influences that shape their experiences.
Empathy Mapping: We put ourselves in the shoes of low-income renters, exploring their emotions, thoughts, challenges, and aspirations. This exercise fostered empathy and helped us see the world through their eyes.
Journey Mapping: By comparing the rent payment processes of low-income and middle-class renters, we uncovered significant disparities. This highlighted the systemic barriers and financial instability that low-income renters face.
Era Mapping: We traced the historical roots of poverty in America, uncovering the lasting impact of racial biases, discriminatory policies, and economic shifts. This historical context provided crucial insights into the systemic nature of the problem.
Resource x Benefactor Matrix: We adapted a traditional competitor analysis tool to identify the key beneficiaries of poverty. This revealed a surprising network of organizations and industries that profit from the status quo, hindering progress towards poverty reduction.
Research & Interviews: We highlighted books, interviewed experts, and conducted surveys with low-income renters themselves. These insights painted a vivid picture of their daily struggles, aspirations, and the barriers they face.
Research Guide Matrix: This structured tool helped us organize our interview questions and ensure we covered all relevant aspects of the low-income renter experience.
Insight Clustering & Sketching: We're using whiteboards and sticky notes to synthesize our findings, identifying patterns and extracting key insights that will guide our recommendations.
By engaging with art and creative expression, we hope to gain a deeper understanding of their needs and aspirations, and spark new ideas for how to empower them.
Visual Advocacy: Hopeful Future Of Visual Persuasion
Visual Aids For Neurodivergent Entrepreneurs
Remember, Einstein's brilliance wasn't just about his groundbreaking theories – it was about his ability to share those ideas with the world.
Visual aids will help you express your brilliance and create a lasting impact on your business and the world around you.
How do you want to use visual aids? Let me know in the comments below or DM me on Instagram @illustrative.us
Learn How to Create Visual Aids
If you want to learn more ways to nurture your clients through concepts that are difficult to understand you can find more fantastic examples and baby steps to take in the Offbeat Illustrative Community. OIC is where service providers & designers learn how to use visual aids to create an accessible experience where every client feels included, understood, and ready to take action toward their goals.
Inside the membership you’ll get all the resources to create visual aids for your business:
Explore Visual Aids: Learn to map out and use visual tools to support your clients in a fun, easy way.
Learn with Others: Connect with an accountability buddy, share your expertise, and avoid the hassle of chat board logins.
For Visual Thinkers: Learn through real-world examples and demonstrations, applying the content to your unique service style.
Practice & Play: Use whiteboards, printable activities, and games for planning and client care. Receive fun mini-challenges by mail and earn stickers!