The power of effective design is often discussed in the context of “product design” but my friend Dan Roam (and Dr. Tony Jones MD) showed this week how it can be used to potentially save lives. Okay maybe that’s a stretch, but his latest sketches on visualizing the health care debate will definitely help avoid confusion—which regardless of where you stand on health care, I’d still like believe will lead out nation to a better outcome than if we all just relied on scare tactics.
Napkin Set #1 – How we are stuck in the middle between doctors and insurance companies. I love how Dan bends the scale in the drawing.
Napkin Set #2 – Explains how this is really all about insurance reform (not health care) and that it’s us that will pay for it. It also drives home the point that insurance companies (and I’d add oil companies) are two industries that have done well thru the recession. Hmm…
Napkin #3 – An overview of the actual proposals (with names) being discussed in Congress. I love how slide 7 shows with size, visuals, and color the types of plans being discussed.
Napkin #4 – Explains how each of us will be affected by the proposals. I guess in the end, it’s gonna cost more and it’s just a matter of how we want to pay for it and what forces should be at work to improve quality/economics.
I got far more out of these handful of sketches than I did out of the White House Reality Check, HealthReform.gov, Time Mag Cover Story, or even the many stories on NPR combined. All of them seem to cover more the nature of the debate than the actual proposals themselves. While I can’t fault the radio coverage for being more visual… the mainstream media, the Whitehouse, and Congress would be wise to enlist visual thinking on this health care debate. Otherwise the status quo (skyrocketing health care costs AND < 100% coverage) is likely all we’ll end up with as Congress won’t be able to act.
UPDATE: Dan compiled all four sets into on presentation of napkins.
