I would imagine that some of the success of these techniques can be attributed to the medium itself. That is, writing something down (i.e., it becomes less abst

I would imagine that some of the success of these techniques can be attributed to the medium itself. That is, writing something down (i.e., it becomes less abstract abd more visual) gets everyone on the same page (literally). Also, by adding the visualization the brains involved are forced to process the information differently (than if it only spoken), and that can help surface possibilities as well. It would be interesting to be able to understand if using a screen-based tool has any different impact than using (say) an old fashioned whiteboard. For me, there's something to be said for a large whiteboard and "observing" your jotted down thoughts from the other side of the room.