Learning Complex Tech Concepts When You’re a Visual Learner: A Personal Journey

Learning new technical skills can be daunting, especially when the material is complex and you’re someone who thrives by visualizing the final product. As a visual learner, I often find myself needing to see the big picture to truly understand the steps leading up to it. But what happens when we’re learning something like coding or software engineering, where grasping each individual concept is key? Let’s dive into the unique struggles of tackling advanced topics without fully understanding every step and explore some ways to overcome these challenges.

Understanding Different Learning Styles

Everyone has a unique way of processing information. Some people prefer to learn in a step-by-step manner, while others like me, need to visualize the final result. For me, understanding is rooted in seeing how each part contributes to the whole picture.
In coding for instance, I find it far easier to understand a program if I first see it running successfully, even in its simplest form. Seeing the end product gives context to each code line, making the process less abstract and much more tangible.

The Challenges of Tackling Advanced Topics

Without a clear image of the end goal, studying complex concepts can be overwhelming. Each unfamiliar term or abstract process can feel like another brick in a never-ending wall. When you don’t fully grasp the significance of each step, motivation can dip, and it’s easy to feel stuck. I often find myself asking, Why am I learning this if I don’t see where it’s going? Let’s take an example from Go programming. Suppose I’m trying to understand goroutines, Go’s way of handling concurrent tasks. Reading about goroutines and their syntax without seeing them in action can be tough. But if I see a fully functioning code snippet that uses goroutines to perform a task, the concept starts making more sense. Here’s a simple example:

package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "time"
)

func printNumbers() {
    for i := 1; i <= 5; i++ {
        fmt.Println(i)
        time.Sleep(time.Millisecond * 500)
    }
}

func main() {
    go printNumbers() // Runs concurrently
    fmt.Println("Goroutine started")
    time.Sleep(time.Second * 3) // Wait to let goroutine complete
}

In this code, the printNumbers function runs in a separate “goroutine.” Seeing it in action helps me understand that goroutines allow multiple tasks to run concurrently. Without the visual of this code running, understanding goroutines on a purely theoretical level would feel like trying to solve a puzzle with missing pieces.

Visualization as a Learning Tool

Vizualisation isn’t just helpful, it’s essential for certain learners. Being able to picture the outcome makes it easier to connect with the material. For instance in web development, seeing a sample website or an application gives me immediate insight into how HTML, CSS, and JavaScript work together. I find myself asking, How can I make this happen? instead of What am I doing wrong?
Here’s a small example. Let’s say I’m trying to understand how CSS works to style HTML. By creating a simple HTML file and applying a CSS style to change the background color, I immediately understand the impact of CSS:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <style>
        body {
            background-color: lightblue;
        }
    </style>
    <title>Simple Page</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Hello, World!</h1>
</body>
</html>

This quick visual result helps me grasp the function of CSS. By seeing how changing the background colour alters the page, I can instantly connect the concept with the code, which would have been harder if I’d only read about CSS syntax.

Practical Tips for Visual Learners Tackling Complex Topics

Learning to work with my need for visualization has been an ongoing process, but I’ve found a few methods that work well for me:

Mockups and Demos

Starting with a mockup or simplified version of what I’m trying to achieve helps set the stage. For example, before tackling a large project in Go, I’ll create a basic structure, like a small server that simply responds to requests. This allows me to see the big picture of server functionality without worrying about all the technical details upfront.
Reverse Engineering

Looking at completed projects and dissecting how they work has been a huge help. For instance, if I’m studying web frameworks like Django, I’ll study a simple Django project. Instead of starting from scratch, I work backward, analyzing each part to see how it fits together.
Mind Maps and Flowcharts

Visual aids like mind maps or flowcharts are incredibly useful for organizing thoughts. For example, if I’m learning about API data fetching, I can map out the flow from request to response. Here’s a rough flowchart of how an API request might work in a Go application:
Client Request -> API Server -> Process Request -> Fetch Data -> Return Response -> Client Receives Data

By visualizing this flow, I can understand each component's role before diving into code.

Finding a Learning Path That Works for You

Learning complex tech topics doesn’t always have to follow a set formula. Understanding my learning style has been essential in helping me adapt my methods. Watching tutorials that show a project from start to finish, reading documentation with sample code, or using online interactive tools has all made a big difference. Here’s one final example from JavaScript, where I struggled to understand array manipulation until I saw it in action. By seeing the code below and its output, the concept finally clicked:

let numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
let squaredNumbers = numbers.map(num => num * num);
console.log(squaredNumbers); // [1, 4, 9, 16, 25]

When I saw how each number in the array was transformed, the idea of map as an array function became much clearer than reading a definition alone.

Conclusion

Learning complex concepts is never easy, especially if you’re someone who learns best by visualizing the outcome. By knowing your learning style, embracing visual tools, and finding methods that work best for you, it becomes much easier to navigate the challenging parts. Remember, learning isn’t a one-size-fits-all journey. Finding your own path might take time, but the reward of truly understanding and applying new skills is well worth the effort.