Visual communication rests on the natural inclination of humans to use pictures, graphics, and other images to quickly and simply convey meaning and understand information.
For instance, look at the practices and applications that civil engineers have developed to handle complex human interaction on our roads and highways,[2] as well as the entire field of wayfinding in public spaces.
"[5] Specifically, Japan's JIT (just-in-time) manufacturing approach had an easy-to-understand visual interface: andon (stacked lights), kanban (pick-up tickets for control material quantity), color-coding (to make the match between items), scheduling boards for daily production, easy-to-read labels on shelving, and lines on the floor to trace out locations.
"[7] Suzaki also compared the responsiveness of a well-tuned production system with the way the human body responds to stimuli and problems: "... Corrective action is taken right away, just as our muscles pull our hand away when we touch a hot plate.
[citation needed] The visual workplace is a large body of knowledge and know-how, with a strong guiding philosophy of continuous improvement with an emphasis on the centrality of the individual in the prosperity of the enterprise.
[11] This is accomplished in parallel with generating new levels of employee engagement and contribution, which in turn lead to improved alignment within the enterprise and significant bottom line benefits.