Edward Tufte's Critique of Powerpoint As an Case Study

Open, View, and/or
Download this Document

Total Length: 672 words ( 2 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 1+

Page 1 of 2

Edward Tufte's Critique of PowerPoint

As an author, a statistician, and a professor at Yale University, Edward Tufte is well-known for his expertise in information design. He is also known for numerous books that enlighten readers about data presentation. In agreement with his point-of-view, PowerPoint has become ineffective and it does not meet the objectives its creators might have intended it to. According to Tufte (2003), PowerPoint tends to commercialize any message it attempts to pass across and it is a pushy approach, which asserts the speakers dominance over the audience. For instance, the use of ChartJunk only distracts the user from the real information. Tufte uses an example of a PowerPoint presentation that shows the prevalence of cancer. Instead of the presentation accurately conveying the numbers in a way that will enhance the reader's analytical skill, the data is displayed in multiple slides, making it lose its meaning with graphs that are not easily understood and inconclusive evidence that does not relate to the data used at all (Tufte, 2003).

In his essay, 'The Cognitive Style of Powerpoint: Pitching out Corrupts Within,' Tufte claims that PowerPoint does not handle topography well and the slides tend to use low resolutions that limit the audience view (Barnes and Patterson, 2011).

Stuck Writing Your "Edward Tufte's Critique of Powerpoint As An" Case Study?

View All Our Example Edward Tufte's Critique of Powerpoint As an Case Study

Have A Custom Example Essay Written

It is true that designs that come with the presentations overwhelm the contents within, and they also draw the attention of the audience to the wrong information. However, Barnes and Patterson point out that it does not seem fair to refer to setbacks on the part of the projectors and monitors as weaknesses of the program. Tufte claims that even in the latest versions of PowerPoint, the level of intellect has not been raised mainly because the monopoly product, having an 86% gross profit margin, does not have any incentive to change its approach (Barnes and Patterson, 2011). In support of his attack on bullet lists in 'The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint', I am often limited to only consider the items on a bulleted list when reading from a PowerPoint presentation, rather than thinking outside the box and seeking a broader perspective on the issue I am studying.

To be more successful in passing messages across, PowerPoint presentations should use headlines that are clear and easily understandable (Atkinson and Mayer, 2004). The authors claim that stories should be broken into smaller sections and irrelevant ideas and graphics should be….....

Show More ⇣

     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"Edward Tufte's Critique Of Powerpoint As An" (2015, March 14) Retrieved June 4, 2026, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/edward-tufte-critique-powerpoint-2149623

Latest MLA Format (8th edition)

Copy Reference
"Edward Tufte's Critique Of Powerpoint As An" 14 March 2015. Web.4 June. 2026. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/edward-tufte-critique-powerpoint-2149623>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

Copy Reference
"Edward Tufte's Critique Of Powerpoint As An", 14 March 2015, Accessed.4 June. 2026,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/edward-tufte-critique-powerpoint-2149623
   

Open, View, and/or
Download this Document
order custom essay example