Good design is clear thinking made visible, bad design is stupidity made visible
Edward TufteRead
The minimum we should hope for with any display technology is that it should do no harm.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Display technology should be safe and not cause any negative impact on users.
Edward Tufte emphasizes the fundamental expectation of display technologies: they must be designed in a way that does not cause any harm to users. This sentiment encourages developers and designers to focus on user well-being and the ethical implications of technology, especially in an age where screens dominate our visual experiences.
Themes
DisplayTechnologyHarmDesignEthics
In practice
Example use cases
In a presentation about user interface design, I would use this quote to highlight the importance of ethical considerations.
More from Edward Tufte
All quotes βI have stared long enough at the glowing flat rectangles of computer screens. Let us give more time for doing things in the real world...plant a plant, walk the dogs, read a real book, go to the opera.
Edward TufteRead
There is no such thing as information overload, just bad design. If something is cluttered and/or confusing, fix your design.
Edward TufteRead
PowerPoint is like being trapped in the style of early Egyptian flatland cartoons rather than using the more effective tools of Renaissance visual representation.
Edward TufteRead
If youβre told what to look for, you canβt see anything else.
Edward TufteRead
Design cannot rescue failed content.
Edward TufteRead
Similar quotes
People have long feared that mechanization might cause mass unemployment. This never happened because, as old professions became obsolete, new professions evolved, and there was always something humans could do better than machines. Yet this is not a law of nature, and nothing guarantees it will continue to be like that in the future.
Yuval Noah HarariRead
With our technology, with objects, literally three people in a garage can blow away what 200 people at Microsoft can do. Literally can blow it away. Corporate America has a need that is so huge and can save them so much money, or make them so much money, or cost them so much money if they miss it, that they are going to fuel the object revolution.
Steve JobsRead
Holding back technology to reserve business models is like allowing blacksmiths to veto the internal combustion engine in order to protect their horseshoes.
Don TapscottRead
Improving the Internet is just one means, albeit an important one, by which to improve the human condition. It must be done with an appreciation for the civil and human rights that deserve protection - without pretending that access itself is such a right.
Vint CerfRead
If I had time and a hammer, I'd track down every bootleg copy and smash it.
George LucasRead
If the Internet teaches us anything, it is that great value comes from leaving core resources in a commons, where they're free for people to build upon as they see fit.
Lawrence LessigRead