Finding Your Way

If the term data model does not excite you or your business users, try the term wayfinding instead. Wayfinding encompasses all of the techniques and tools used by people and animals to find their way from one site to another. If travelers navigate by the stars, for example, the stars are their wayfinding tools. Maps and compasses are also wayfinding tools.

All models are wayfinding tools. A model is a set of symbols and text used to make a complex concept easier to grasp. The world around us is full of obstacles that can overwhelm our senses and make it very challenging to focus only on the relevant information needed to make intelligent decisions. A map helps a visitor navigate a city. An organization chart helps an employee understand reporting relationships. A blueprint helps an architect communicate building plans. The map, organization chart, and blueprint are all types of models that represent a filtered, simplified view of something complex, with the goal of improving a wayfinding experience by helping people understand part of the real world.

It would probably have taken me hours of trial and error to reach my destination in France, whereas that simple map the gas station attendant drew provided me with an almost instantaneous broad understanding of how to reach my destination. A model makes use of standard symbols that allow one to grasp the content quickly. In the map he drew for me, the attendant used lines to symbolize streets, and circles to symbolize roundabouts. His skillful use of those symbols helped me visualize the streets and roundabouts.