Good design is clear thinking made visible, bad design is stupidity made visible
Edward TufteRead
There is no such thing as information overload, just bad design. If something is cluttered and/or confusing, fix your design.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes that information overload stems from poor design rather than an actual surplus of information.
Edward Tufte's quote highlights the importance of effective design in the presentation of information. It suggests that when information appears overwhelming or confusing, it is often due to the way it has been organized and presented rather than the amount of information itself. Therefore, improving design can alleviate the sense of overload and lead to clearer understanding.
Themes
InformationDesignClarityOverloadPresentation
In practice
Example use cases
In a presentation about user experience, I highlighted that poor design leads to information overload.
More from Edward Tufte
All quotes βI have stared long enough at the glowing flat rectangles of computer screens. Let us give more time for doing things in the real world...plant a plant, walk the dogs, read a real book, go to the opera.
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The minimum we should hope for with any display technology is that it should do no harm.
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PowerPoint is like being trapped in the style of early Egyptian flatland cartoons rather than using the more effective tools of Renaissance visual representation.
Edward TufteRead
If youβre told what to look for, you canβt see anything else.
Edward TufteRead
Design cannot rescue failed content.
Edward TufteRead
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