Ady asks #6 Updated Mindsets visual heuristic
16 Oct 2026
In my third ask the MoTaverse, both Demi and Simon suggested the different categories might be connected. I’ve given this quite a bit of thought and I agree. It was a missing piece I hadn’t seen so it’s a big thank you to both.
I’ve added four outer connections that I feel give an added layer to the model. For example, having philosophical and connected with visionary and open as both expansive feels ‘about’ right. I consider unbiased, but that is really hard to do. Flexible feels wrong too. Open would be repetitive.
Neil gave feedback on wording related to this in the draft chapter I posted. So hopefully this clarifies where that was from.
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Thanks.
I’ve added four outer connections that I feel give an added layer to the model. For example, having philosophical and connected with visionary and open as both expansive feels ‘about’ right. I consider unbiased, but that is really hard to do. Flexible feels wrong too. Open would be repetitive.
Neil gave feedback on wording related to this in the draft chapter I posted. So hopefully this clarifies where that was from.
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Thanks.
Ady Stokes
Freelance Consultant
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MoT Ambassador. Currently semi-retired and freelancing. I am, amongst other things, a writer, speaker, and accessibility advocate. Leeds Chapter Lead. MoT Certs curator and article editor for WonderProxy. Testing wisdom, friendly, testing songs and poems. Great minds think differently. STEC and SQEC Certified. Struggling to write a book about testing mindsets and thinking's application in software development.
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Demi Van Malcot
Love the connection between neighbouring mindsets!
It does make me wonder if that means you consider diagonal mindsets as opposites (so analytical and grounded is the opposite of visionary and open)? Is there a way they still overlap? Is the purple circle in the middle jsut the title or whete things meet in a venn diagram?
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