Visual facilitation tools

Meeting facilitators use different visual tools to help groups understand complex topics and make better decisions. These tools are especially powerful when working with government design teams that deal with multiple stakeholders and interconnected systems.

Visual tools help turn abstract discussions into clear pictures that everyone can understand and work with.

Common visual tools in government design include:

• Mind mapping: Exploring connections between policy elements
• Journey mapping: Showing how citizens experience a service
• System mapping: Visualizing complex stakeholder relationships
• Impact matrices: Comparing different policy options
• Service blueprints: Mapping visible and invisible service elements

The key is choosing the right tool for your task. Journey maps work well for improving services, while system maps help understand policy impacts across different departments.