The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures |  | Author: Dan Roam
Publisher: Portfolio Hardcover
List Price: $26.95
Buy New: $15.51
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New (33) Used (17) from $13.96
Seller: OB1S
Rating:  111 reviews
Sales Rank: 1928
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 278
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 7.1 x 1
ISBN: 1591841992
Dewey Decimal Number: 658.403
EAN: 9781591841999
ASIN: 1591841992
Publication Date: March 13, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
A bold new way to tackle tough business problemseven if you draw like a second grader
When Herb Kelleher was brainstorming about how to beat the traditional hub-and- spoke airlines, he grabbed a bar napkin and a pen. Three dots to represent Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. Three arrows to show direct flights. Problem solved, and the picture made it easy to sell Southwest Airlines to investors and customers.
Used properly, a simple drawing on a humble napkin is more powerful than Excel or PowerPoint. It can help crystallize ideas, think outside the box, and communicate in a way that people simply get. In this book Dan Roam argues that everyone is born with a talent for visual thinking, even those who swear they cant draw.
Drawing on twenty years of visual problem solving combined with the recent discoveries of vision science, this book shows anyone how to clarify a problem or sell an idea by visually breaking it down using a simple set of visual thinking tools tools that take advantage of everyones innate ability to look, see, imagine, and show.
THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN proves that thinking with pictures can help anyone discover and develop new ideas, solve problems in unexpected ways, and dramatically improve their ability to share their insights. This book will help readers literally see the world in a new way.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 111
 In My Top 10 Books October 24, 2009
John G. Jazwiec (Chicago IL)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Where to start? This is not just a book about thinking visually, it also contains a powerful nomenclature for problem solving in life. There are the six types of problems (the 6 W's). There is a look-see, imagine and show model evolving a simple image of look (crossing a railroad track), see (a train coming), imagine (how long will it take for me to cross the train track vs. how long will it will take the train to reach where I am standing) and show (the act of walking ahead). SQVID which is a "show tool", uses an amplifier analogy of trading off simple vs elaborate, quality vs. quantity, visual vs execution, individual vs comparison and delta vs status quo. Finally the author puts it all together by using a Swiss Army knife tying everything together as a simple took kit. Simple, brilliant and a must have tool for problem solving in life.
Great gift for someone at work October 15, 2009
Junebug (Tucson, AZ)
I have a feeling this book should be rated 5 stars, however, I didn't read it. I gave as a gift. The recipient has told me that he LOVES it! He's promised to share with me afterwards.
A book you will keep going back to - excellent value October 14, 2009
Bookworm (Australia)
Many business related books over-promise and under-deliver.
This book does exactly what it claims to do - helps you solve problems and sell ideas with pictures.
The method is clear, concise and powerful. The writing is compelling.
The broad concepts are on the website (digital roam) - so check them out to see if this is what you are after.
A must have if you need to prepare and deliver presentations.
 it is too boring and empty October 13, 2009
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Is good incentivate people to develop their visual skills, but this marketing-seller-Self-Help book language is very annoying. Also are the cases showed: it is ridiculous attributing success only to drawings. It is impossible measuring this kind of thing. Just to finish it, all scientific studies mentioned should have been their source noted. How can you trust on that incredible scientific fact if you do not know the source? I would indicate this book to microsoft-markenting-seller-powerpoint people only. If you are a designer ou an information architecture, do not lose your time.
 Good if you have never considered the subject matter before October 11, 2009
E.J. (Colorado)
Good if you are new to the subject, but old hat for the rest of us.
I really wanted to like this but, but I feel like it's only good for people who have never considered visual thinking. I felt like I already knew everything in the book. Parts were very boring. He categorizes the process, but many of us have already done that for ourselves throughout the years.
Not horrible; a fun book to have sitting around for others to read.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 111
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