3 years later, federal officials still not drinking their own Kool-Aid.

One last post about the 911 report. The commission claims that 9/11 was due largely to a lack of imagination, resulting in a collective failure to manage and use important intelligence. On page 344, they conclude: "Imagination is not a gift usually associated with bureaucracies." This statement may also apply to federal investigatory commissions.

In developing their report, the commission seems to have lacked imagination and failed to recognize the overwhelming evidence that people think and learn much more effectively when information is presented visually.

How could such a high-profile project as this fail to be influenced by widely adopted methodologies? In 500+ pages of fact-finding and policy recommendations, only a handful of maps and photos interrupt the text. Almost no charts, graphics, or even tables are used (an org chart on page 413 illustrates the recommended new structure, with a National Intelligence Director at the top).

This flies in the face of significant developments in state-of-the-art communications - precisely the type of behavior the agencies and Congress are accused of. Information architecture, information design, call it what you want: The commission missed the opportunity to present their arguments in a visual way.