Visuals Matter! Designing and Using Effective Visual Representations to Support Project and Portfolio Decisions

Visuals Matter! Designing and Using Effective Visual Representations to Support Project and Portfolio Decisions

by Joana Geraldi, Mario Arlt
Released October 2015
Publisher(s): Project Management Institute
ISBN: 9781628251050

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Book description

In Visuals Matter!, the result of a two-year research project funded by the Project Management Institute and University College London, authors Joana Geraldi and Mario Arlt explore the impact of visuals on cognition and communication in project portfolio decisions. Their goal is to increase project practitioners’ and scholars’ awareness about how important visuals can be and to provide guidance on how visuals can be used and designed to enhance business.

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Table of Contents
  5. Acknowledgments
  6. Executive Summary
  7. Chapter 1 - Introduction
    1. 1.1 - Research Problem and Purpose
    2. 1.2 - Research Area and Approach
    3. 1.3 - Research Phases
    4. 1.4 - Target Audience, Structure, and Layout of the Book
  8. Chapter 2 - The Challenge: Project Portfolio Decisions
    1. 2.1 - PPM Context and its Challenges
    2. 2.2 - Structural Complexity
    3. 2.3 - Emergent Complexity
    4. 2.4 - Socio-Political Complexity
  9. Chapter 3 - The Opportunity: Visuals
    1. 3.1 - Portfolio Decision as a Sensemaking Process
    2. 3.2 - The Power of Visuals
    3. 3.3 - Visuals: Friends or Foes?
    4. 3.4 - Research Focus
  10. Chapter 4 - Tapping into the Potential: Visual Literacy
    1. 4.1 - Visual Literacy
    2. 4.2 - Design
    3. 4.3 - Use
    4. 4.4 - User
    5. 4.5 - Relationship between Visual Literacy Areas
    6. 4.6 - Guiding Principles for Visual Design
    7. 4.7 - Concluding Notes
  11. Chapter 5 - Research Design
    1. 5.1 - Methodological Challenges
    2. 5.2 - Experimental Rational
    3. 5.3 - The Decision Task
    4. 5.4 - Key Variables and Introduction to the Dashboards
    5. 5.5 - Subjects
    6. 5.6 - Location and Workflow of the Experiment
    7. 5.7 - Validity and Reliability
  12. Chapter 6 - Data Analysis
    1. 6.1 - Research Questions and Propositions
    2. 6.2 - Demographics
    3. 6.3 - Proposition 1: Impact of Visual Design on Cognition and Confidence
    4. 6.4 - Proposition 2: Impact of Visual use on Cognition and Confidence
    5. 6.5 - Proposition 3: Impact of Familiarity on Cognition of Data and Confidence
    6. 6.6 - Proposition 4: Relationship between Visual Design, use, and User
    7. 6.7 - How do Different Users React to Different Visuals? Exploring Visual Preferences and Adoption
    8. 6.8 - How do People use Visuals? Useful Visual Skills
    9. 6.9 - Summary, Discussion, and Implications of Key Findings
  13. Chapter 7 - Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations
    1. 7.1 - Implications for Practitioners
    2. 7.2 - Implications for Teaching and Learning
    3. 7.3 - Implications for Research
    4. 7.4 - Toward a Mindful use of Visuals
  14. Chapter 8 - Appendices
    1. Appendix A: Historical Overview and Current Trends in the Literature
    2. Appendix B: Validation of Relevant Perspectives for Portfolios
    3. Appendix C: Survey
  15. References
  16. Authors

Product information

  • Title: Visuals Matter! Designing and Using Effective Visual Representations to Support Project and Portfolio Decisions
  • Author(s): Joana Geraldi, Mario Arlt
  • Release date: October 2015
  • Publisher(s): Project Management Institute
  • ISBN: 9781628251050