TufteThoughts

Some notes from a one-day lecture/course (21 March 1997) by Professor Edward Tufte on information visualization and understanding:

• There are "two deep, long-run, essential problems in the display of information":
  • nearly everything is multivariate and high-dimensional, but needs to be communicated on two-dimensional surfaces; and
  • we never have high enough resolution (bits per time and bits per area).
• "Bureaus, agencies, and divisions don't do things --- people do things." --- so always give credit to authors.
• Eliminate letter codes, legends, etc. as much as possible, and put labels right on the lines: direct access to information
• The "Great Principles of Information Design" are:
  • enforce visual comparisons
  • show cause and effect
  • display multiple variables
  • integrate text and figure and graphic
  • focus on content --- quality, relevance, and integrity
  • place information adjacent in space --- not stacked in time
• "Good design is good thinking made visible."
• "Credibility often arises from your mastery and demonstration of detail."
• "The entire day today is devoted to the design of Web sites; or the entire day today is devoted to the scratching of a map into a stone 6,000 years ago ..." --- that is, the goal is to be independent of language and culture, and to focus on "... universal principles indifferent to this month's fad, or the technology of the display."
• "Whenever you show money versus time and you fail to adjust for inflation, you lie."
• "Don't trust a display if it doesn't have any footnotes" --- provide documentation and a source for every image and all data.
• "Use the smallest effective difference to differentiate, especially for secondary information.
• "Let people know about the errors in the data."
• "Don't get it original --- get it right." --- borrow strengths from other people's designs. As T. S. Eliot said, "Talent imitates, but genius steals."
• "The metaphor in Web design and in interface design should be let the information be the interface."
• "No matter how good your interface is, less of it is better." Computer interfaces tend to have only a few percent of the typographical density of newspapers. Don't waste precious screen real estate.
• "The lowest information density medium is the overhead projector."
• Goal: "Make our presentations worthy of ourselves, worthy of the human eye and the human mind."
• Rules for giving a good presentation:
  • "Show up early. Something good is bound to happen!"
  • "Early in your talk, tell people:
    • what the problem is
    • who cares
    • what the solution is"
  • Never apologize in your introduction.
• When explaining something complicated, think "PGP: Particular- General- Particular". Go from specific examples to high-level overview and then back to specifics.
• "No matter what, give everybody in the audience a piece of paper. ... That's the highest resolution means of communication you have at your disposal."
• "People haven't suddenly gotten stupid just because they came to hear you talk." Don't be condescending or patronizing to your audience.
• Rethink the overhead projector --- limit vugraphs to art, tables, complex graphics, etc.
• Be careful with humor; make sure it is on point. We live in an age of sensitivities. Don't alienate anybody gratuitously.
• Avoid using masculine pronouns as universals; try plurals.
• Be careful when answering questions. Many people will use your response as the sole basis for judging you. Don't embarrass audience members. Prepare responses for interrupters; let them know the ground rules. For a shy audience, count to 10. Be patient. If necessary, plant a question before the meeting to break the ice.
• "If you believe the stuff, let your audience know. If you're enthusiastic about the material, show it." For many presentations, your honest enthusiasm is the most important thing the audience will get.
• "Finish early --- people will be thrilled. Something good is bound to happen!"
• "Practice, practice, practice. Work harder at it. You'll get better." Use a friend, or practice in front of a mirror. Recognize and eliminate distracting mannerisms. After mastering the content, you'll be able to open up a "metachannel" to the audience, sense people's reactions, etc.
• Protect your voice and body by drinking a great deal of water; avoid alcohol.
• The ideal meeting: people trickle in, look at your handouts, understand, and evaporate....

Monday, December 18, 2000 at 05:49:05 (EST) = 2000-12-18

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