VizAbility (with CD-ROM) [Paperback]

Kristina Hooper Woolsey (Author), Scott Kim (Author), Gayle Curtis (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0534494560 | ISBN-13: 978-0534494568 | Publication Date: March 18, 2004 | Edition: 1

VizAbility? is an extensive course in visual thinking--V using seeing, drawing and imagining skills from everyday life to help students invent and communicate ideas. Both practical and mind-expanding, this integrated handbook and CD-ROM includes many drawing exercises, games, interviews with visual thinkers, and reflections on the nature of thinking. VizAbility encourages cycles of reflection and action, abstract ideas and concrete examples, by alternating between experiences of reading, hands-on computer activities, and off-screen sketching on paper. The book provides a broad conceptual overview of visual thinking while guiding the reader through the interactive experiences of the CD-ROM. By actively learning from this innovative book and CD-ROM, the reader will discover his or her natural visual abilities and learn to think, imagine, and communicate in exciting new ways.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kristina Hooper Woolsey is a cognitive psychologist turned designer. A recognized technology pioneer, she has contributed to many innovations in media-rich technologies. She has taught at UC Santa Cruz and MIT, and was the Director of both the Atari Research Lab and the Apple Multimedia Lab.

Scott Kim is a puzzle designer who designs puzzles for computer games, magazines and education. He has written books in visual design, puzzles and mathematics education. He studied computers and graphic design at Stanford University.

Gayle Curtis is a product designer focused on the interaction design of software products and online ventures. He teaches courses in Visual Thinking and Human-Computer Interaction Design at Stanford University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Course Technology; 1 edition (March 18, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0534494560
• ISBN-13: 978-0534494568
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #494,247 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Harness the power of visual thinking from this toolkit!, February 8, 2003

By 

Lee Say Keng "KNOWLEDGE ADVENTURER/TECHNOLOGY... (Ho Chi Minh City/Singapore) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Student Edition of VizAbility for Windows : (Paperback)

Wow! This is a superbly researched/designed visual thinking toolkit in a beautifully packed boxed collection. It consists of:
- A 200-page Handbook (to provide you with a broad conceptual overview of visual thinking & to guide you through the interactive experiences of the CD-ROM);
- A Sketchbook (to offer a forum for recording your ideas and experiences, including all the exercises in the book & CD-ROM);
- An Interactive CD ROM (offer you an interactive environment in which to challenge & improve your visual skills; it has some video-clipped interviews with visual thinkers; a gallery of interesting examples);
and comes with these goals in mind:
- to familarise you with visual thinking;
- to make you aware of your own innate visual abilities;
- to exercise & your improve your skills in visualisation;
- to incorporate these skills into your daily routines;
You need to work conscientiously with these three components (each actually can stand on its own) in order to experience the vast array of visualisation activities. It has already taken me some ten weeks to digest and complete almost all the suggested exercises, alternating between reading, hands-on computer activities, and off-screen sketching on paper, plus various cycles of deep reflection and intellectual pursuit on the net. As of today, I am still working on some of the suggested activities. In fact, many of the completed activities led me to a lot of other new explorations, beyond the originally intended curriculum. My only complaint is that the interactive CD-ROM was not as exciting as I would have expected. This was probably due to the fact that the product was released in the mid-90s. Among the many visual thinking toolkits in my personal library, this one demanded the most of my brain and physical power. As the saying goes, once your mind is expanded by new ideas, it is never the same again! In a nutshell, if you are looking for a toolkit to help you expand your seeing, drawing, diagramming and imagining capabilities, this is it!