[Sigia-l] Edward Tufte

[Hankinson, Jody]

<snip>
Karl is very apt as usual.  Interactive systems are just harder to 
get right than charts and books, because there are so many nasty ways 
things can go wrong (and they will go wrong...)
</snip>

Spoken like someone who hasn't worked in print publishing. Plenty of things
can go wrong and often do. The major difference is several hundred years of
industry experience. There is a collective knowledge build up around print
that just isn't there for interactive. And just like a good graphic designer
can learn from a painter or sculptor, I think we can learn from Tufte.

I've been to see his lecture twice. Both times I thought he was brilliant in
his core area. But getting him talking about interactive, where he doesn't
understand the materials or process and he's out of his league. Of course he
doesn't see the value of testing. He parades around antique books and sample
that represent lifetimes of experience and testing. And I don't remember him
talking about designing to an audience (say teenage girls) where good design
doesn't always cut it. Book publishing may not go through so many tests, but
magazine publishing *loves* focus groups and market testing. Again, out of
his core element.

At the same time, I find him invaluable. I tend to use his books when I need
more help communicating through the interface. When I'm working on process,
I turn to urban planning and consumer studies. When I need inspiration on
categorization, I read in the library sciences. I guess I'm a little
confused as to why we need to dismiss good work that is tangential to our
field.