Wow is Beauty, Eureka is Knowledge.
Wow alone is a dumb blond, Eureka alone is a decrepit old wizard.
Great information visualization is 20% meaningful wow and 80% useful Eureka.
2 thoughts on “Less Wow Factor, More Eureka Moment”
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Then is great information visualization a smart blonde? … my taste runs toward brunette (in case my wife reads this).
Great visualization actually puts to lie the old adage “Beauty times brain is a constant”. The difficulty is in convincing designers that beauty does not consist of 3D perspectives with transparent fills and gradient shading. Beauty consists of clear displays with simple designs, at least in the eye of this beholder.
Jon, isn’t “smart blond” an oxymoron? (No, actually it isn’t…)
What I mean by “meaningful wow” is exactly that: aesthetics that actually helps/supports understanding. Tufte’s minimalism is one of the options.