Different Thought process - Engineers vs Doctors

Recently during a visualisation discussion with a DW/BI engineer I realised the vastly different thought process between engineers and doctors. He was displaying the hospital data as trend lines whereas I wanted colored and vivid representation. It was so difficult for him to understand my perspective. We didn't end up in an argument because we have very high respect and regard for each other.

I think the difference in thought process stems from the fact that Engineering education is by numbers, graphs and grids. Whereas Medical education is all by colors, pictures, shapes and impressions.

I am reminded of my early days in medical school when my professor showed me pink, reddish pink, red, maroon, purple red, and purple colors during surgery. Whereas all I could see was RED-PINK. It took years of training to understand and appreciate the difference between pink, reddish pink, red, maroon, purple red and purple. I can narrate many such examples about shapes and impressions.

Engineers built the software technology, so they designed it to work with numbers, graphs and grids. The technology is yet to develop to a point where it can mimic the human brain that thinks in terms of colors, pictures, shapes and impressions.

This is such a simple fact but the realisation hit me today!