Summary

The article introduces the Thematic Matrix Canvas and Meaning Discovery Canvas, two tools for developing tacit knowledge and visualizing a holistic view of meaningful wholes.

Abstract

The Thematic Matrix Canvas is a meta-canvas for developing tacit knowledge, which is a multiple-dimension model for visualizing a holistic view to sense-make a dynamic meaningful whole. It has a unique spatial structure that adopts the perspective of Activity Theory and considers the whole process of using the canvas as an activity. The article also introduces the Meaning Discovery Canvas, which was created based on the Thematic Matrix Canvas and is used to discover meaning in a given context. The author provides examples of how to use both canvases and highlights their benefits for knowledge discovery and curation.

Opinions

The Thematic Matrix Canvas is a powerful tool for developing tacit knowledge and visualizing a holistic view of meaningful wholes.
The author emphasizes the importance of considering the whole process of using the canvas as an activity, which aligns with the principles of Activity Theory.
The Meaning Discovery Canvas is a useful tool for discovering meaning in a given context and can be used in conjunction with the Thematic Matrix Canvas.
The author provides clear examples of how to use both canvases and highlights their benefits for knowledge discovery and curation.

Situational Note-taking: The Thematic Matrix Canvas and Meaning Discovery Canvas

Making a new canvas for developing tacit knowledge about “Meaning”

The above canvas was originally called Thematic Space Canvas.

Since Thematic Spaces became a primary theoretical concept, I renamed the canvas Thematic Matrix Canvas.

It is a meta-canvas for Developing Tacit Knowledge.

It led to the following canvases:

The Knowledge Discovery Canvas
The Spark Space Canvas
The Statue Space Canvas
The Life Discovery Canvas
The Optimal Context Canvas
The Lifesystem Development Canvas

You can find more details in A Meta-canvas for Developing Tacit Knowledge.

The Spatial Structure of Thematic Matrix Canvas

A meta-canvas is an abstract canvas that doesn’t tie to any domain. The goal of designing a meta-canvas is to highlight a unique spatial structure for designing domain-specific canvases.

I use abstract terms such as “area”, “dimension”, “block”, and “theme” for the meta-canvas. See the diagram below.

The Thematic Matrix Canvas is not a simple 2x2 matrix for building a typology, but a multiple-dimension model for visualizing a holistic view to sense-make a dynamic meaningful whole. You can find more details here: The Notion of Thematic Spaces.

The Thematic Matrix Canvas’ spatial structure is designed with the following aspects:

Four Significant Areas
Four Dimensions
Two Subspaces: Inner Space and Outer Space
Eight Pairs of Blocks
A Primary Theme

The uniqueness of the Thematic Matrix Canvas is that it adopts the perspective of Activity Theory and considers the whole process of using the canvas as an activity. Moreover, it uses Inner Space and Outer Space to represent the “Internalization — externalization” principle of Activity Theory.

For the Developing Tacit Knowledge, I call it “Objective — Subjective” Knowledge Curation. While Objective Knowing refers to Outer Space, Subjective Knowing refers to Inner Space.

For other canvases, I defined other aspects of Inner Space and Outer Space.

The Thematic Matrix Canvas has 16 blocks that offer spaces for pasting notes. For example, the picture below is an example of Mapping a Thematic Space called “Center”. If you use a large-size canvas, you can directly put notes inside blocks.