Concept visualisations

Concept visualisations are visualisation techniques, such as sketches, renderings, drawings and models, storyboards, animations, videos and rough prototypes, to present design proposals to clients or other stakeholders. They are used to illustrate the user experience and to judge feasibility before going into iterative development stages.

Visualisation methods can help make ideas seem real in earlier stages of planning. Convincing physical prototypes can embody ideas for projects of many kinds: not only for products, but also for environments and systems.

Scenarios of use (through storyboards, videos or demonstrations) can model ideas into seemingly real situations so that audiences have much more to respond to, prodding them into a fuller reaction: one that draws more information from them than they would be inclined to give without the provocation.

One could say that design helps to create an imaginable future — one leading to a richer response from customers and citizens, which in turn can lead to more relevant information for decision-makers.

By intensifying the discourse — giving more information through designed models and materials, and eliciting more in return — planners can gather information earlier, gain insights earlier and affect the direction of projects earlier in the process.