Powerpoint Bad/Good

PPT Bad:

• Edward Tufte: PPT forces own infomercial cognitive style (1)
• writer Doctorow prefers own speech (2)
• therefore = bad

PPT Good:

• PPT is adaptive - imperfect, undesigned, open (3)
• David Byrne likes (4), also did Talking Heads
• therefore = good

Conclusion:

• Some bad features, maybe some good

Notes:

1. Tufte: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/ppt2.html and http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/books_pp
2. Doctorow: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/ppt2.html
3. CityOfSOund: http://cityofsound.typepad.com/blog/2003/08/david_byrne_on_.html
4. Byrne: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/ppt1.html

Comments

[RKE]

Not the worlds biggest ppt fan - especially when it's used exclusively as a tool for project briefing, complete with (more often than not) misleading graphical mock-ups by project managers with no idea - but have to disagree when Byrne says "PowerPoint makes hilariously bad-looking visuals" after seeing some of the work on display at friendchip; more hilariously good-looking visuals, imho:

http://www.friendchip.com/viewer.php3?URL=powerpoint/index.html

riki

[Gio Wiederhold]

The argument that Powerpoint is bad is foolish. It is just a tool.

I agree that when powerpoint is used, as it often is, as surrogate for careful thinking, analysis, and writing a coherent description of ones intentions, it is.

Using Powerpoint or any visuals to present work that has been carefully planned, executed, and analyzed will help the audience understand the essence of that work.

The fact that lying is bad does not make speaking bad.