Designers think differently. I'm finding that out firsthand watching people take notes at a designer conference.
Most people in the audience are using blank sketch pads with no grid lines to draw, chart and sometimes write notes. Some have their laptops open to Paint-like programs that let them digest visually.
My favorite is a brilliant sketch artist next to me drawing the face of each lecturer so well that it looks like a photo. And these are 10-minute short lectures. Underneath she includes a small snippet summarizing the core message. I'll remember the last three lectures better because of her rendering.
Having mainly been to business and healthcare operations conferences before, this is really eye-opening and also comforting.