Board / Canvas
Good design is clear thinking made visible
Edward Tufte
A board translates complexity into clarity. By organizing information into a visual structure, it reveals patterns, connections, and states at a glance. Players can quickly grasp how the system works and make decisions based on what they see.
The Civilization series takes place on a map of the whole in-game world where the player can clearly see the state of their faction and any other faction their units can see.
The Canvas mechanic uses visual boards to organize reality and visualize complex relationships within a process or subject. By breaking down complicated issues into specific, drawable areas – much like the Business Canvas – it helps learners categorize information and see the “big picture” of a situation. This visual approach is highly effective for making informed decisions and understanding the structure of the world participants are immersed in.
Furthermore, boards and canvases often involve high levels of interaction, such as moving elements or adding “post-it” notes, which makes the learning process more active and hands-on. It is an excellent tool for collaborative tasks where multiple learners must work together to organize information or design a solution.
While boards/canvases can, and sometimes should, contain some visual flair to make looking at it interesting the main duty is to show information in ways impossible with just words and to show this information in a clear and concise way.