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User:Beltzner/Notes From Tufte Course: Difference between revisions
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Edward Tufte - Presenting Data | = Edward Tufte - Presenting Data = | ||
Fundamental Truths of Visualizing Information | == Fundamental Truths of Visualizing Information == | ||
=== Most interesting data is multivariate === | |||
* yet our communication techniques are 2d flatland | * yet our communication techniques are 2d flatland | ||
* escaping flatland is key | * escaping flatland is key | ||
=== Progress for communication devices is expressed in an increase of information resolution === | |||
* "what's my rate of information transfer" in a presentation | * "what's my rate of information transfer" in a presentation | ||
* corresponds to progress in intellectual history | * corresponds to progress in intellectual history | ||
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* our time is hundreds of times more than that | * our time is hundreds of times more than that | ||
ex: Euclid's Geometry (Envisioning, p16) | == ex: Euclid's Geometry (Envisioning, p16) == | ||
* first excellent example of escaping flatland | * first excellent example of escaping flatland | ||
* "people should put names on their work" to signal responsibility / pride | * "people should put names on their work" to signal responsibility / pride | ||
* paper is good beause euclidean geometry works in 2d | * paper is good beause euclidean geometry works in 2d | ||
* triangle "ABC" : | * triangle "ABC" : | ||
** don't force users to decode using a legend when a label will suffice | ** don't force users to decode using a legend when a label will suffice | ||
** people come to learn, not to decode your design/encoding for information | ** people come to learn, not to decode your design/encoding for information | ||
PRINCIPLE: minimize decode time and increase cognitive appreciation | ''PRINCIPLE:'' minimize decode time and increase cognitive appreciation time | ||
* proof of pythygorean theorem requires 44 round trips between text and diagram, each requiring a decode step | * proof of pythygorean theorem requires 44 round trips between text and diagram, each requiring a decode step | ||
* visual proof is 1-step; "behold" | * visual proof is 1-step; "behold" | ||
* Euclid used physical models in his book to escape flatland | * Euclid used physical models in his book to escape flatland | ||
QUOTE: "Notice these are sidenotes? This is where God wants footnotes." | ''QUOTE:'' "Notice these are sidenotes? This is where God wants footnotes." | ||
ex: Napoleon's March to Moscow (poster) | == ex: Napoleon's March to Moscow (poster) == | ||
QUOTE: "This is war and peace as told by a visual Tolstoy." | ''QUOTE:'' "This is war and peace as told by a visual Tolstoy." | ||
* any policy decision is based on evidence of causality | * any policy decision is based on evidence of causality | ||
* the map is merely descriptive, showing the location of the bad news | * the map is merely descriptive, showing the location of the bad news | ||
* temperature scale illustrates causality; it was the winter retreat that hurt a lot | * temperature scale illustrates causality; it was the winter retreat that hurt a lot | ||
* dimensions shown in this map: | * dimensions shown in this map: | ||
** size of army | |||
** location | |||
*** longitude | |||
*** latitude | |||
** direction | |||
** temperature | |||
* multimodal display can yield richer communications and reduce round tripping | * multimodal display can yield richer communications and reduce round tripping | ||
"GRAND PRINCIPLES" OF ANALYTICAL DESIGN | == "GRAND PRINCIPLES" OF ANALYTICAL DESIGN == | ||
# "Show comparisons" | |||
# "Show causality" | |||
# "Show multivariate data" | |||
# "Integrate word, number and image" | |||
# "Document everything and cite sources, scales, error" | |||
# "Presentations stand or fall based on quality, relevance and integrity of content" | |||
# "Adjescent in space is superior to stacked in time" | |||
# "Use small multiples" (or other mechanisms that illustrate whole-evidence summaries) | |||
# "Put everything on a universal grid" | |||
* note that these principles can be inverted to be principles of shrewd consumption | * note that these principles can be inverted to be principles of shrewd consumption | ||
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* principles of design = f(principles of analytical thinking) | * principles of design = f(principles of analytical thinking) | ||
QUOTE: "Interest and boredom is not a function of decoration, it's a property of content." | ''QUOTE:'' "Interest and boredom is not a function of decoration, it's a property of content." | ||
PRINCIPLE: Transform your critical thinking tasks into principles of information design | ''PRINCIPLE:'' Transform your critical thinking tasks into principles of information design | ||
* first question should be "what is the thinking task that my presentation is supposed to help with" | * first question should be "what is the thinking task that my presentation is supposed to help with" | ||
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** thus: principles are universal due to neccesity of our natural environment | ** thus: principles are universal due to neccesity of our natural environment | ||
QUESTION: what about emotional impact of design? how can one design for that? should one? | ''QUESTION:'' what about emotional impact of design? how can one design for that? should one? | ||
ex: Gallileo's Discovery of Saturn & Sunspots (Envisioning, p18) | == ex: Gallileo's Discovery of Saturn & Sunspots (Envisioning, p18) == | ||
* embedded image right alongside word | * embedded image right alongside word | ||
* "Saturn looks like this" ... "when it's blurry, it looks like this" ... | * "Saturn looks like this" ... "when it's blurry, it looks like this" ... | ||
* elegant, focus on data, design is transparent | * elegant, focus on data, design is transparent | ||
* sunspot data that proved that the sun rotates | * sunspot data that proved that the sun rotates | ||
GEM: Adjescent Information >> Information Stacked in Time | ''GEM:'' Adjescent Information >> Information Stacked in Time | ||
* information stacked in time ("one damned thing after another" / "computer interface") | * information stacked in time ("one damned thing after another" / "computer interface") | ||
* information resolution is powerful for putting more information in a single eyespan | * information resolution is powerful for putting more information in a single eyespan | ||
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** computer screens are trivial by comparison, and thus cannot present overload | ** computer screens are trivial by comparison, and thus cannot present overload | ||
** bad _design_ creates overload, not amount of information | ** bad _design_ creates overload, not amount of information | ||
QUOTE: "The single best thing you can do to get better information on a computer (other than getting a Mac) is to get a great, big, high resolution display." | ''QUOTE:'' "The single best thing you can do to get better information on a computer (other than getting a Mac) is to get a great, big, high resolution display." | ||
** people doing serious analytics on computer usually use multiple monitors | ** people doing serious analytics on computer usually use multiple monitors | ||
** this is why voicemail systems are so annoying | ** this is why voicemail systems are so annoying | ||
QUESTION: so why is animation better? because the time-delay is short enough that we can keep the previous image in mind? | ''QUESTION:'' so why is animation better? because the time-delay is short enough that we can keep the previous image in mind? | ||
* sunspot data includes throwaway line "the annual movement of the earth" | * sunspot data includes throwaway line "the annual movement of the earth" | ||
QUOTE: "How religious faith got mixed up with astrological data is an idea that, I think, escapes anyone outside of Kansas." | ''QUOTE:'' "How religious faith got mixed up with astrological data is an idea that, I think, escapes anyone outside of Kansas." | ||
* represents the incredible change in the way our society analysed thought and principles | * represents the incredible change in the way our society analysed thought and principles | ||
** previously all thinking was done by philosophers | ** previously all thinking was done by philosophers | ||
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** this represents a shift to data/evidence based reasoning | ** this represents a shift to data/evidence based reasoning | ||
ex: Shiner's Refuting of Sunspots (Envisioning, p19) | == ex: Shiner's Refuting of Sunspots (Envisioning, p19) == | ||
* uses small multiples | * uses small multiples | ||
* once the viewer figures out the format, small multiples can be quickly scanned and compared | * once the viewer figures out the format, small multiples can be quickly scanned and compared | ||
* takes advantage of user's investment in decoding the format | * takes advantage of user's investment in decoding the format | ||
* implicit credibility through repetition and exploration/mastery of detail, showing all data | * implicit credibility through repetition and exploration/mastery of detail, showing all data | ||
QUOTE: "The single biggest threat to learning the truth from a presentation is evidence selection by the presenter" | ''QUOTE:'' "The single biggest threat to learning the truth from a presentation is evidence selection by the presenter" | ||
* no such thing as objectivity, everyone's an advocate for something, usually their POV | * no such thing as objectivity, everyone's an advocate for something, usually their POV | ||
QUOTE: "When a company beats the quarterly expectations by a penny, that's nice. When 20% of all companies do, that's perjury." | ''QUOTE:'' "When a company beats the quarterly expectations by a penny, that's nice. When 20% of all companies do, that's perjury." | ||
* repeated studies are an excellent way to protect against cherry-picking/evidence selection | * repeated studies are an excellent way to protect against cherry-picking/evidence selection | ||
* initial biotech studies are always the most positive explorations | * initial biotech studies are always the most positive explorations | ||
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** more comparative data is avaiable which prevents cherry-picking | ** more comparative data is avaiable which prevents cherry-picking | ||
ex: John Gotti's "spreadsheet of crime" acquittal chart (Envisioning, p31) | == ex: John Gotti's "spreadsheet of crime" acquittal chart (Envisioning, p31) == | ||
* this is a large multiple | * this is a large multiple | ||
* yet these are "dummy variables"; they don't show multiplicity! | * yet these are "dummy variables"; they don't show multiplicity! | ||
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** some will follow, some will peek ahead, some will draw their own comparisons | ** some will follow, some will peek ahead, some will draw their own comparisons | ||
* better than flipcharts/powerpoint since it lets the viewer explore it at their own speed/style | * better than flipcharts/powerpoint since it lets the viewer explore it at their own speed/style | ||
== Scaling, Explaining Magnitude (Explanations, p16-24) == | |||
* looks better in the "after" image because the perspective is adjusted, resulting in a more intimate view | |||
* good example of how size, magnitude and quantity | |||
* Lichtenstein painting is shown to be large by having an item of known size in view | |||
* severe grids to exploit perspective and motion distract from the actual information | |||
* NASA flyover of Venus featured a vertical exaggeration of 22.5 times normal | |||
* everything should be on a "universal grid" of some fashion | |||
** your data resides somewhere | |||
** provide context of where that is in relation to some universal grid | |||
* compare sunspot graphs (Explanations, p25) for the different scales | |||
** scale exploits that it's easiest to compare slopes that center around 45 degrees | |||
** selected aspect ratio of display that average absolute value of slopes is 1 | |||
** eye wants "lumpy" graphics for best chance in learning about slope differences | |||
** sometimes called "banking" or "bringing level to 45" | |||
** the scale is driven by the cognitive task of wanting to compare the slopes | |||
== Showing Causality (Explanations, p30) == | |||
* John Snow's map of London during the cholera epidemic illustrated causality by adding pumps to locations of deaths | |||
* ended up bringing an end to cholera epidemics in England | |||
* compare, tragically, to the 13 exhibit presentation by NASA engineers that predicted the Challenger explosion in 1988 | |||
* their presentation failed to show causal comparison (ironically, so did Feynman's icewater experiment) | |||
* see page 53, Visual Explanations which was the nexus of the "grand principles" | |||
== Explaining Magic (Explanations, p55) == | |||
* requires 5 dimensions: 3 for space, 1 for time, 1 for reveal/concealed | |||
* based in the design of disinformation | |||
** ex: they say "never tell your audience what you're about to do" | |||
** invert that, and you get a presentation design principle: tell people what the problem is, and how you're trying to solve it | |||
** ex2: "never repeat a trick" | |||
** inverted, this yeilds the conclusion that repetition is a valuable learning aid | |||
* advice learned from magic for presentations is on Explanations p68 | |||
== Parallelism (Explanations, p82) == | |||
* went over many examples of parallel graphics | |||
* fantastic example on page 90-91 of the history of music | |||
* dense information graphics allow the viewer to delve in and explore | |||
''QUOTE:'' "And I'm talking about why this graphic is good and nobody's listening to a damned word that I'm saying because you're all looking at it." | |||
* overdesigned displays have a fantastic amount of decoration and a poverty of information | |||
* cluttered designs are simply designs that failed at achieving parallelism | |||
''QUOTE:'' "Clutter and confusion are not attributes of information they are failures of design." | |||
* to clarify, add detail, don't remove content! | |||
== Sparklines (Beautiful Evidence 4pg Advance) == | |||
* boy he likes these | |||