Before I read any material by an individual or watch a video, film or documentary by someone, I spend a little time researching that person. This is for obvious reasons, but mainly so I can see what view point they are coming from. So I did the same for Edward Tufte, and I must say, I was taken aback and impressed with his background. I even read a couple of articles from him and about him, and liked that he was (is) so sought out when it comes to informational design.
So I was a little surprised when I watched the video. At first, I thought he was saying what a great design the interface for the iPhone was. But then halfway through it seemed to me that he didn’t like it and was pointing out some obvious flaws. But then he started to go the other way and I was confused as to the point of the video. It was at this point that I realized I probably shouldn’t have done that research as I was watching it with a filter on.
And then I noticed something interesting! He pointed out that he didn’t like some portion of the information design and offered a better way to show the data. Let it be known that this guy hated PowerPoint. But, the way he offered was a squiggly line called a Sparkline. And lo and behold, he himself designed it! So, was this a not so subtle way for him to plug his design? I realize now that a good designer with a brain should do exactly that…Kudos. And I also happened to love the way the iPhone design was made.