Visual modeling is a way for experts and novices to have a common understanding of otherwise complicated ideas.
Models help effectively communicate ideas among designers, allowing for quicker discussion and an eventual consensus.
Visual modelling in computer science had no standard before the 90's, and was incomparable until the introduction of the UML.
[3] They include industry open standards (e.g., UML, SysML, Modelica), as well as proprietary standards, such as the visual languages associated with VisSim, MATLAB and Simulink, OPNET, NetSim, NI Multisim, and Reactive Blocks.
Both VisSim and Reactive Blocks provide a royalty-free, downloadable viewer that lets anyone open and interactively simulate their models.