Shoutout to the coffee shop in Portland where I overheard a graphic designer explaining a revision to a customer using only hand gestures and sound effects.

It was a masterclass in non-verbal communication, but I'm wondering if anyone else has a go-to method for explaining complex changes to someone who just doesn't get the technical terms.

4 comments

4 Comments

cora8133mo ago

Oh that's brilliant. My friend who's a mechanic does something similar with car troubles. He'll just grab a pen and napkin to draw little pistons and squiggly lines for "weird noise," and point at parts on his own car while making faces. It cuts through all the jargon and the customer instantly gets the picture. Sometimes your hands explain what your words just can't.

blake_owens3mo ago

Reminds me of my uncle trying to explain plumbing with a fork and a salt shaker, @cora813.

parker_hall53mo ago

But sometimes all that hand-waving just makes things more confusing.

matthewking26d ago

Does your uncle actually fix the plumbing after he's done with the fork and salt shaker, or is it just a way to make you nod along without having to get out the tools? I've had people explain stuff to me that way and then get annoyed when I still don't understand the actual step-by-step process to fix it. It's like, yeah the picture is cool but now I need the manual. Does the sketch ever actually lead to someone fixing the problem themselves, or is it just for show?