Start with a question.
What actually happens when you pay online? A familiar action is a good place to uncover an unfamiliar system.
A NEW WAY TO UNDERSTAND↓ FOLLOW YOUR CURIOSITY
MAKE
COMPLEX
THINGS
UNDERSTANDABLE.
Explore visual explanations of complex subjects, products, and systems. See the parts, follow the connections, and build the picture.
FIG. 01 / THE CONNECTED SYSTEM↗ 3 AXES
01 / PARTS
02 / STRUCTURE
03 / CONNECTIONS
Parts → relationships → a whole
NOT JUST MORE INFORMATION.
A WAY TO MAKE IT CLICK.SUBJECTS. PRODUCTS. SYSTEMS.
AND THE THINGS IN BETWEEN.
A WAY TO MAKE IT CLICK.SUBJECTS. PRODUCTS. SYSTEMS.
AND THE THINGS IN BETWEEN.
01 / THE PUBLIC LIBRARYCOMPLEX QUESTIONS.
COMPLEX QUESTIONS.
CLEARER PICTURES.
Pick something you’re curious about.
Leave with a little more understanding.
What happens when you pay online?
Follow a payment from checkout to confirmation—and see why “processing” is not the same as “paid”.
Explore in 6 steps
How does a name find a website?
From a familiar address to a server: meet the lookup that gets you to the right place.
Explore in 6 steps
Where does the rain go next?
Follow water through the atmosphere, across the land, and below the surface.
Explore in 6 steps
Why does a smaller gear make a big difference?
Connect your pedals, chain, and wheels—and see how a gear change changes the effort.
Explore in 6 steps
Where is your package, really?
Read the journey behind a tracking status, from a printed label to the final handoff.
Explore in 5 stepsNo explanations match yet. Try another topic or reset your search.
Public, source-linked samples. No account needed.Explore the whole library ↗
02 / FROM “WHAT?” TO “OH.”ONE QUESTION.
ONE QUESTION.
A CONNECTED PICTURE.
No need to understand everything at once.
Start with one thing. See where it leads.
Find the important parts.
A customer. A payment method. A payment system. An order. Give each part a role before connecting the pieces.
Follow what connects.
Confirmation starts the attempt. Some payments need authentication; others take time to process. Follow the handoffs, not just the happy path.
Build the whole picture.
A processing payment is not a successful one. See how the verified result informs the next step for the order.
THE PARTS WERE THERE.
NOW THE
CONNECTIONS ARE.
FIG. 01 / THE CONNECTED SYSTEM↗ 3 AXES
01 / PARTS
02 / STRUCTURE
03 / CONNECTIONS
Parts → relationships → a whole
A part tells you what something is.
A connection helps you see how it works.
AN ILLUSTRATION OF CONNECTED PARTS.
EXPLORE A REAL SUBJECT BELOW.
CHANGE THE VIEW.
FIND THE “AHA.”
SYSTEMS / A DIFFERENT LENS
See the parts working together.
How a name finds a website
Explore this explanation ↗PROCESSES / A DIFFERENT LENS
Follow what happens, and why.
Inside an online payment
Explore this explanation ↗RELATIONSHIPS / A DIFFERENT LENS
Discover what influences what.
Water, land, and atmosphere
Explore this explanation ↗DECISIONS / A DIFFERENT LENS
Understand the turning points.
Processing is not paid
Explore this explanation ↗COMPONENTS / A DIFFERENT LENS
Get to know the moving parts.
A bicycle’s drivetrain
Explore this explanation ↗JOURNEYS / A DIFFERENT LENS
Connect each handoff to the whole.
From a label to your doorstep
Explore this explanation ↗