Good design is clear thinking made visible, bad design is stupidity made visible
Edward TufteRead
If you’re told what to look for, you can’t see anything else.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Being told what to focus on limits your ability to perceive other important aspects of a situation.
This quote by Edward Tufte emphasizes the idea that preconceived notions or directed instructions can inhibit our ability to take in a full range of information. When we are conditioned to seek out specific details, we often overlook other valuable insights, demonstrating the importance of open-mindedness and independent observation in our understanding of the world.
Themes
PerceptionFocusObservationInsightOpen-Mindedness
In practice
Example use cases
In a presentation on data visualization, one could say this quote to emphasize the need for broader analysis.
More from Edward Tufte
All quotes →I 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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There is no such thing as information overload, just bad design. If something is cluttered and/or confusing, fix your design.
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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.
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Design cannot rescue failed content.
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