Charts, Figures, and Presentations
This past April, I attended the Presenting Data and Information seminar by Edward Tufte. Over the course of the nine-hour session, I learned a great deal about how to develop great infographics, handouts, and presentations.
In the few years that I’ve followed Tufte’s work, I’ve been humbled. I’ve learned much, but what’s more striking is what I’ve had to unlearn. As the notes explain, we’ve inherited our habits. While these habits don’t necessarily impede the creation of a good presentation, the adjustment of a few things increases the information throughput substantially.
Consider these notes as a grab-bag of methods to improve what you do. The adoption of just a few of these notes can help you communicate better.
Notes are available as two PDF’s. Both these PDF’s contain the same data, though they are formatted differently depending upon your preference.
11×17 Fold-Over Notes
For those of you with access to a large-format printer. This PDF is a double-sided notesheet that you fold in half. I’ve attempted to replicate the data density of a newspaper with this format.
8.5×11 Large Print Notes
For those of you without access to a large-format printer. In addition to being formatted for the typical paper size, this PDF is easier on the eyes of those who have reading difficulty.
Outtakes
Any publication that’s been sufficiently edited has stuff that didn’t make the official cut, but is still interesting and/or useful. Due to these considerations, I’ve relegated that content to this page. What you see below are notes for those who are interested in the PDF’s but want to learn more.
The World of Edward Tufte
Edward Tufte’s website is an invaluable resource. Within that website are some excellent forums that contain excellent discussions about design issues that we all face. Be sure to take a look the next time you are curious about questions you might have. Of particular interest are the following threads:
- Image manipulation in science
- Thinking and paper
- Sparklines: Theory and practice
- Scientific visualization: evidence and/or fireworks
- Project Management Graphics (or Gantt charts)
- Corrupt Techniques in Evidence Presentations
Scientific Images of Note
Below, sparklines report tens of thousands of measurements, a data matrix of routine magnitude for scientific evidence. The marks indicate the visual activities of mice cycling through 19 days for 2 types of mice. Note the subtle duplication of data for each 24-hour period placed in a 48-hour grid in order to show the cyclical activity patterns:
(From Beautiful Evidence, page 55)
Next is a portion of a very large medical graphic explained in this descriptive quote:
Separate macro-annotation explains the micro-detail of hospital costs in this 26-day narrative of one person passing through an intensive care unit. The design is transparent to the disturbing information, as a layered polyphony of voices – time sequence, accounting data, commentary – weave together to trace out days, hours, minutes, dollars. (From Envisioning Information, page 56)
Edward Tufte considers this to be the best medical supergraphic he’s seen. It is packed with data at the same time that a narrative – written in a human voice – is explaining the dire implications in simple language.
(From Envisioning Information, page 57)
Thoughts about the Internet
Our work doesn’t involve much work with website-creation, which is why that data was excluded from the final product. However, there were very useful observations that I had to include somewhere.
Avoid Complex Heirarchies
If you create a complex navigation hierarchy, visitors will vote with their back button. As with other media, keep the interface as flat as possible so that visitors aren’t overwhelmed by options.
The Skip Intro Problem
Whenever you see skip intro, then you know immediately that whatever comes next is a waste of time. If you were going to insert Skip Intro into a site – then skip it entirely by not making it.
Outside-In Design
Design from the outside and work your way in. The interface needs to be the center. Simple (flat) interfaces don’t require a manual because you naturally understand how the thing works.
No Digital Irrelevancies
Nobody searches for sites with cute home buttons and frame buttons. When they visit google, they want to learn about a thing, not a style.
Memorable Quotes
Edward Tufte said some things that are very obviously catch-phrases:
- If you have a visual problem, create a visual solution.
- A paper handout has ten-to-twelve times the resolution of a computer screen.
- In a choice between conspiracy and incompetence, bet on the latter.
- Only two industries refer to their customers as users: The illicit drug trade and the computer industry.
- High resolution displays are genuinely interactive.
- Have an open mind, not an empty head.
- We do our best analytical thinking at 24 to 30 inches away.
The World of Seth Godin
Seth Godin is a presentation-pro. He has much to say when it comes to improving the quality of presentations. Comparing his thoughts to Tufte’s is a very interesting exercise. Regarding words on slides, he and Tufte are in agreement. With regard to chart-design, they often differ. However, both approaches are exceedingly useful. It just depending upon your angle.
Seth Godin made a very entertaining appearance at the Gel 2006 conference. During that talk, he discussed why so many modern tools appear broken. Toward the end (at 17:28) he criticizes Tufte’s seminal supergraphic-example. His criticism boils down to being able to see the specifics of the data really quickly (which you cannot do with that graphic). As my notes state, the supergraphic is intended to present a very complex, data-packed picture – not a quickie overview.
This talk at Google by Seth back in February 2006, All Marketers are Liars, is geared toward providing relevant solutions. Its focus may be on the world of information technology, but there are excellent lessons about meeting the needs of consumers. All you need to do is personally focus on information consuming to make this personally relevant to our work at BRI.
Science is a field where people still read; in fact, they have to. Publish or perish is a trite statement, but it’s actually true in science. This is the reason that supergraphics can have such an impact. When it comes to information presentation, it’s harder to intimidate a scientist than it is a businessman. But for both of these people, the importance of using PowerPoint properly is great. Seth’s blog post from January 2007, Really Bad PowerPoint is a breezy read with points that support these notes.
Other Thoughts
- Sparkline Examples
This is a lengthy collection of links to pages that deal with using Sparklines. It’s very useful to explore after you’ve covered the basics discussed in Tufte’s most recent book, Beautiful Evidence. - The Moiré Effect
This link is of a grid pattern that perfectly illustrates what you want to avoid when working with boxes and lines or tables. The flickering you see is due to the high contrast of the black and white interacting with one another. - What Plagiarism Looks Like
This is a great example of what a person can do to illustrate an author’s plagiarism. Aside from being a cautionary tale not to plagiarize, note how clear the creator has made his point. - Screens
This is a blog post by Nancy Friedman that looks at Seth Godin’s approach to presentations. Also included are a host of links with other examples and best practices. - Beyond Bullet Points Blog
This is the blog of Cliff Atkinson, author of Beyond Bullet Points. Visit frequently for more presentation tips and tricks. - Officially Useless
This is a very amusing PDF of a scientific article that came out of the University of Washington. It is a classic example of why your content matters. If you look at the format – and not the content – it appears quite credible. - Internet Age Writing Syllabus and Course Overview
This is a bit of humor that’s perfect to end with. If you are concerned that informational literacy is falling, then you’ll get a chuckle out of this.
Online Resources
At the end of the printed material, you can see some links listed. Due to the fact that you can’t click on a piece of paper, I have provided those links below: