Working on large software projects, I often have a need to provide people with large amounts of information. This may be done in the form of papers, or in live meetings. Sharing large amounts of data in a meaningful way is often quite challenging, so I’m always looking for ideas on better ways to do that.
Jason and I spent yesterday at a one-day class given by Edward Tufte on better ways to present data and information.
Wow!!
This was really worth our time. The cost is very reasonable for a one day professional course, and you get a set of all four of his books included in the price.
ET’s books are really great, but being there in person made such a difference. Listening to him talk about why he suggests various designs for information, and what is wrong with so many presentations of information, made a huge difference in my understanding of the topic. Plus I got to watch a master presenter at work; I could watch how he presented his own information and learn from that as well.
For more information about his class, how to order his books, and access to his blog (Ask ET), go to his website www.edwardtufte.com
Best -
Geri
I took this same class about 5 years ago and am still surprised how often I review his books when I am working to define reports. Did he include the Gotti trail material in your class? I have told that story many times to illustrate how effective the right information can be to an audience.
Like your topics, but “information” is vague. “Presenting” is also vague. Does presenting information mean that all the information present, can be reproduced, does the presentation give any deeper insight, etc? What is the scope of the design?
Hi Jack -
You are correct – the topic is quite broad.
Presenting in this sense means to share the information with other people. This can include any kind of presentation medium – visual, aural, or tactile. Most of the time BA’s are working with visual presentations – language, pictures, and diagrams. How do you share the information? Projector (beamer), documents, diagrams posted on the wall, whiteboard sketches, photographs on a web page?
Information can be any kind of information that you need to share with others. For BA’s this is usually information such as project plans, requirements, risk lists, user interfaces, test results – anything to do with the business or a project within the company.
You also have to consider the purpose of sharing the information. Is it purely informational or are you presenting fresh insights? Are there conclusions you want your audience to reach? Do you want to challenge your audience or make the information simple to consume?
Finally, you have to consider who you are sharing the information with. Are you sharing with people who know the topic well or who have very little background knowledge? Are they sophisticated or simple in their taste? Why do they need the information you are presenting? What will they do with that information?
So the design will be very different based on what information you need to present, the medium you choose, the purpose for sharing, and the people you give the presentation to.
Geri