The XPLANE Collection

Why I wrote my books

I didn’t set out to be an author. I write books when I need to learn something. Each book represents a step in my learning…

Eleven exercises for more efficient, productive, and creative meetings.

Updated Empathy Map Canvas

We designed the Empathy Map at XPLANE many years ago, as part of a human-centered design toolkit we call Gamestorming.

This particular tool helps teams develop deep, shared understanding and empathy for other people. People use it to help them improve…

How to survive the disruption.

To thrive in a software-driven world, large organizations must change the way they think about work.

Organizing things

The world is full of things. How you organize them depends on what you want to do.

How big is the manual for an aircraft carrier?

Why You Should Communicate with Your Employees Using Visuals

We’ve seen it: the CEO of a Global 2000 company at the whiteboard drawing stick figures and lines. Or the well-renowned leaders of a national logistics company doodling themselves as superheroes. For most organizations, these…

In defense of the visual alphabet

My good friend and colleague Christina Wodtke has recently suggested:

“ There is no visual alphabet.”

Like any parent, I feel I must defend my child, or at the very least, assure that it gets a fair trial.

Maps, models and canvases

A few brief thoughts on maps, models, canvases (for Christina Wodtke who asked about this on Twitter).