The Superpower of Seeing the Invisible: How Cognitive Science Transforms Data Into Stories





Introduction: The Art of Visual Superpowers

Imagine holding a pencil and sketching a bird in flight. With a few lines, you convey not just its shape, but the physics of how it soars. This act - transforming abstract ideas into visual narratives - is a uniquely human "superpower." At MIT's Quest for Intelligence Colloquium, Stanford psychologist Prof. Judy Fan revealed how cognitive tools like drawing and data visualization amplify our ability to see the invisible. Her insights aren't just academic - they're a roadmap for anyone who turns data into decisions.


---


Part 1: What Are Cognitive Tools?

Cognitive tools are technologies that expand how we think. Think of the number line: a simple invention that reshaped mathematics. Or Galileo's telescope, which turned celestial mysteries into observable facts. As Prof. Fan explains:

"These tools let us reengineer the physical world by reformulating our understanding into actionable abstractions."

Why it matters for YOU:

Data visualization is a modern cognitive tool. It turns spreadsheets into stories, helping us see trends too vast, slow, or noisy for the naked eye.

Example: William Playfair's 1786 trade balance chart exposed economic patterns that tables of numbers couldn't. Today, a well-designed dashboard does the same for business metrics.


---


Part 2: The Science of Visual Abstraction

How do humans turn messy reality into clear sketches or charts? Prof. Fan's lab studies this through two lenses:

1. Drawing as Communication

In a groundbreaking study, participants drew machines under two goals:

Depictions: Show what it looks like (e.g., a bird's feathers).

Explanations: Show how it works (e.g., wing mechanics for flight).


Key finding: People omitted visual details (like colors) in explanations but added arrows and symbols to highlight cause-and-effect.

"Sacrificing realism for clarity isn't a bug - it's a feature of human communication."

Practical takeaway: When designing charts, ask: What's the audience's question? Strip away noise. Add cues (like annotations) to guide focus.

2. The Picasso Test: Why AI Still Struggles

Picasso's bull sketches - from detailed to minimalist - are all recognizable as bulls. Humans excel here; AI does not. In Prof. Fan's SEVA benchmark, even advanced AI (like GPT-4V) misread sparse sketches and failed adversarial plots (e.g., graphs with distorted axes).

Why this gap matters: AI tools can't yet mimic human contextual reasoning. A chart's "obvious" insight might be lost on algorithms trained on clean data.


---


Part 3: Designing Cognitive Tools for the Real World

Lessons for Data Storytellers

Prioritize "Mechanistic" Over "Pretty"

Example: To explain supply chain delays, use a flowchart with bottleneck symbols - not a glossy 3D map.


Test with Humans, Not Just Models

AI might miss how users misread a y-axis. Pilot your viz with real people.


Embrace Strategic Ambiguity

A sketch of "bird flight" needn't show every feather - just enough to trigger the right mental model.


The Future of Cognitive Tech

Prof. Fan's vision? Tools that blend AI's pattern-finding with human abstraction skills. Imagine an AI that suggests how to simplify a graph based on your audience's goals - not just raw data.


---


The Power to Reimagine Reality

From cave paintings to dashboards, humans have always used cognitive tools to make the invisible visible. As Prof. Fan reminds us:

"Every chart, diagram, or sketch is more than data - it's a lens to reengineer how we think."

Your Challenge: The next time you create a visualization, ask: What superpower does this give my audience? Cut the clutter. Highlight the story. And remember: even in the age of AI, the human mind remains the ultimate cognitive tool.


---


Watch Prof. Fan's Talk: Cognitive Tools for Making the Invisible Visible

Further Reading: Dive into her SEVA benchmark study for AI's limits in visual abstraction.

How will YOU redesign your next graph? Share your thought

#DataScience #CognitiveScience #DataViz #AI #Storytelling #Innovation

About the Author

Emmanuel Olimi Kasigazi is a data scientist and storyteller in Manhattan New York. He specializes in translating complex data into actionable narratives, blending technical expertise with a passion for democratizing AI and analytics.

A seasoned problem-solver, Emmanuel has engineered data-driven solutions for challenges ranging from nationwide advocacy campaigns to enterprise systems. As Co-Creator and Host of MIT's Chalk Radio Presents: Open Learners podcast, he amplifies voices at the intersection of open education, technology, and human-centered innovation.

His mission? To make data science mean something - bridging the gap between numbers and real-world impact. 

Explore his projects, articles, and podcast episodes at linktr.ee/olimiemma.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Google Search can't be trusted anymore

I Can No Longer Trust Google's Search Results, and It's Honestly Scaring Me Because of Google's advertising-driven model, I no longer trust its search results. We all know the first page of results isn't necessarily what’s most relevant—it’s often what someone paid Google to show us. I find myself increasingly wary of using Google, preferring Bing—not because it's the best, but because it gives me more straightforward, relevant results. I remember searching for the Astoria Hotel in Dubai a while back. I typed the hotel's name and address into Google, expecting to find its official website. But the entire first and second pages were cluttered with third-party booking sites like Booking.com, Hotels.com, and similar services. It took persistent digging to find the actual hotel website, even though I had been specific with my search query. Out of frustration, I tried Bing with the exact same search. The hotel's official website appeared as the second result—simp...
Read more

In The Shadow of a Giant: How GOP Candidates Strategically Positioned Themselves Around Trump in the 2024 Primary.

Image
When it comes to presidential primaries, much of the focus tends to be on what candidates say — but what about where they go, and when? Political campaigns have always been a choreographed dance, with candidates carefully plotting where and when to make appearances. But what happens when one contestant dominates the dance floor? The 2024 Republican primary featured former President Donald Trump as the overwhelming frontrunner, creating a unique dynamic where other candidates had to make strategic decisions: should they follow in Trump’s footsteps, or deliberately chart their own path? This article presents a data-driven analysis of how Republican presidential hopefuls positioned themselves relative to Trump throughout the primary campaign. Using a novel “shadow zone” approach, we examined 1,741 campaign events to reveal previously unseen patterns in campaign strategy and t answer a subtle but important question: Did GOP candidates follow Trump’s campaign trail to tap into his media buz...
Read more

TD Bank’s Data Awakening: What Every Business Can Learn About Enterprise Transformation

Image
By Emmanuel Olimi Kasigazi   April 25th, 2025 Transforming chaos into clarity: TD Bank’s journey from scattered data to structured strategy offers lessons for every modern organization Every business today is a data business — but not every business knows how to use its data wisely.” In a world where data is the new oil, what happens when a major institution discovers it’s swimming in it — but can’t refine it? That was the challenge TD Bank Group faced in 2015 when it launched one of the most ambitious enterprise data transformations in Canadian banking history. The story of how TD approached the chaos — with executive vision, regulatory urgency, and even design thinking — isn’t just a case study. It’s a playbook for modern organizations navigating the stormy seas of data governance, compliance, and innovation. This article breaks down what TD did right, where they stumbled, and what every organization (yes, even yours) can learn from their experience. The Backdrop: A Data Giant Wi...
Read more