Edward Tufte statistician and professor at Yale University is noted for his writings on information design and is a pioneer in the field of data visualization. In this video he critiques the iPhone interface and provides suggestions for improvement.
The greatest accomplishment of the iPhone, says Tufte is that it reduces the computer administrative debris, the part of the interface that enables users to perform complex tasks in a tiny two-dimensional workspace including scroll bars, tabs, toolbars ect. While at times necessary for usability purposes, computer administrative debris steals content space away from the user. In order to balance usability with content depth, the iPhone tries to make the entire screen an area for content. By having users navigate through the use of sliding their fingers, the iPhone provides users with quick access to a wide range and depth of content by simply having them slide their fingers across the screen in various ways. Another way that the iPhone optimizes the space available on its screen for content is that it will actually have url or title bar’s slide away. The idea is that the computer administrative debris are features that are not important to the users browsing experience instead the content is the most important aspect of the interface.
Tufte explains that complex information can be displayed in a cohesive way. While many times people are concerned that detailed information adds chaos to design Tufte says that “clutter and overload are not attributes of information but failures of design.” He advises that designers should start with basics but then, clarify the information by adding details and depth. He advises that if the information looks chaotic then don’t get rid of information but instead change the design.