Tufte and the Super Graphic

On monday I was lucky enough to attend Edward Tufte’s seminar “Presenting Data and Information.” Known as the ‘da Vinci of data’, he has a wealth of advice on preparing information to ensure maximum readability as well as how to communicate efficiently in a presentation.

The idea that I really loved was what he called the ‘Super Graphic.’ It’s a large, easy to read visual display that includes many factors in order to drive home your point. One such example can be found in his book ‘Beautiful Evidence.’ In it there is a map created by Charles Joseph Minard which displays the French army’s losses in the Russian Campaign. Minard conveys several factors in a very concise, visual manner: the amount of men over time, the dates in which the campaign took place, the army’s path to moscow, the falling temperatures, and where the greatest losses were incurred.

Tufte said that when you start a presentation by handing someone a super graphic, it allows them to process the information from their own point of view and peak their interest. In order to support your presentation well with a super graphic it should show comparisons, contrasts, and causality. Not only that, but because you’re showing something with many dimensions, you should convey more than two or three variables because a real world problem is multivariant.

Tufte’s books are full of historical documents that convey information in a variety of ways, and I love what it implies: that we need to get back to basics. That we need to set aside the powerpoint, stop worrying about fancy technological ways to convey information, and just sit down with a pencil and draw out what we want to say. Focus needs to be on analyzing the problem, solidifying the explanation, and proposing a solution rather than worrying over how our graphs created in Illustrator look. As always, it’s not about the medium-  it’s about the subject matter.

After discussing this with a friend, she told me that she had once taken the time to print out a report for the big cheese at her company and placed it on his desk. Later, he came back to her and said that he was so impressed that she had taken the extra effort to deliver it in person rather than through email. He had been able to take the repor ton a business trip, analyze it for himself, and come back to her with questions.

I’m all for saving paper, but I really do believe that creating a tactile presentation that someone can hold and take home for later makes a major difference in its ability to impact them, even if it’s only a simple report. Let’s get back to basics, intrigue our audience with our findings, and give them something to hold on to and remember.

Applying UX to the coffee pot

It was a wise designer who once said, “It’s ultimately the little things that drive you crazy.” I can’t remember where I read that, but it definitely made a lightbulb appear above my head. One would think the trip to crazy town would be caused by the fact that you were involved in a traffic accident or that your washing machine burst into flames and burnt your house down. No, my friends. Those events seldom happen, unless you’re especially accident prone and unfortunate. What really gets you are those frustrations that are encountered daily. Those are the things that are going to drive you to the loony bin.

When I read this quote I immediately associated with it. Everyday I crawl out of bed at 5:45 AM and with barely open eyes approach my coffee pot as if it’s the last hope for salvation. With a great amount of effort, I remove a mug from the cupboard and begin to pour my already made coffee because it’s a wonderful machine that has an automatic timer for which I am grateful. However, I am not greatful for the carafe.  Its lack of a proper spout leaves me inevitably spilling coffee on the counter as I pour, and in worse situations, on my hand. Not a good way to wake up at all. Yet I start every day with this frustrating ritual.

In an attempt to break the cycle and perhaps avoid the straight jacket, I’m going to invest in a new coffee machine and, before purchasing,  scrutinize the carafe as if it were out to get me. Let that be a lesson to makers of consumer goods; don’t burn the hand that funds you. Research and take pains to prevent those ‘little things.’