[Sigia-l] Smackdown: Edward Tufte vs. Don Norman

[Listera]

Karl Fast:
 
> So, writing my dissertation should be easy, relatively speaking.

You seem to be confused by the purpose of various formats. Dissertation,
introduction, abstract, presentation, etc all serve different purposes.

The proverbial CEO has to make a bet on the viability of your work,
unfortunately he has no time to read through a 100-page report. However, he
knows that it's *impossible* to create a competent PPT presentation
*without* thinking through the whole body of work. The presentation is *not*
a substitute for the latter, it's an illuminator of it.

> And these bullets should be taken as the best evidence that I have clearly
> thought the problem through.

Absolutely. That's why venture capitalists put so much emphasis on the
applicants' ability to distill their work into a 5-min/5-slide presentation.
They literally bet millions of dollars on that format/process. That doesn't
mean that they are not interested in the details of what's behind the PPT
presentation, but that's another format/process for due diligence later.
 
> Sorry, but I have never found this to be true (if it is, perhaps I
> should submit the bullet points instad of the dissertation itself;
> good bullets should be ample evidence).

Again, your professors are obligated to read your dissertation, so they have
no choice. A CEO in a large corporation is not obligated and cannot possibly
afford to go through an endless parade of 100-page proposals. He has to
perform a triage based on whatever criteria he sets for corporate goals. In
other words, (and I know this is a stretch for those behind ivory towers :-)
you have to *sell* him on the merits of your proposal before he can dedicate
more time for you. 

Therein comes PPT. It's a seducer, not an explainer. But without seduction,
you don't...

Ziya
Nullius in Verba