Forget about the Wow Factor, Search for the Eureka Moment

Less Wow Factor, More Eureka Moment

By admin • June 4, 2008

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.

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Jon Peltier Jun 4th, 2008 at 16:35

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.
admin Jun 4th, 2008 at 17:26

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.