Health Care On the Back of a Napkin

The rise of the digital era has helped people think differently about the way that graphical interfaces can better communicate essential information. New York Times infographics, GOOD Magazines "Transparency" section, Geni's family tree software - these are all examples of companies distributing information through graphics that make it easier to comprehend. Social entrepreneurs as well can use information to take their often big, complex ideas, and put them in a format that makes it easier for the general public to understand - and perhaps more importantly - get excited about.

One of the best examples is this recent Slideshare presentation about the national health care debate. The presentation, which was part of Slideshare's recent "Best Presentation in the World" competition, used simple images - drawn without a lot of artistic talent - to break down the crazy national health care conversation into a few specific chunks.

As someone who has been pretty actively following the debate, this was still immensely valuable. Basically, the presentation helps you understand who the players are, what the situation is now, and how the options on the table would shit things. It's argument is that the bills being debated are largely about insurance reform, and the major questions are about what new actors are added to private companies to pay for treatment.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the presentation was produced by Dan Roam, the guy who wrote "The Back of The Napkin" - a book all about how to convey big ideas through visual imagery.

I think this mode of thinking could be valuable for social entrepreneurs with distruptive models. This health care presentation is fundamentally about showing, simply, what exists now, and explaining, simply, what might change. This is a powerful way to illustrate change.

Are there examples of social entrepreneurs who have done this particularly well? If so, include them in the comments and we'll keep a running list of inspirations.