I can only read books in the morning, when distractions are few and the workday chaos is still asleep. The reading content varies but the medium stays constant, books, and as a result my mode of interaction (how I read) and patience (sustained) remain constant.
Everything goes digital at 9am. I try to squeeze in online reading between calls and meetings but it’s a hectic dance. Attention is never 100%. People need things and have questions, I need things and have questions.
Worrying about efficiency: Is this the best way to spend my time? Should I ditch this article and move on?
Digital content must prove itself early on. Deciding to abandon or proceed after 20, not 2,000 words.
My eyes read before my mind. They like nice colors, shapes, space. They filter for the mind.
Blogposts as information design: the structuring of data and fragments into cohesive ideas, arguments.
“Simple design, intense content,” as said by Edward Tufte, is on point. The organization of data to facilitate engagement. Empathy for us beheaded chickens–worries of time spurting from our necks.
I admire information designers that pull you in with aesthetic but retain you with knowledge.
Each state resized based on the influence of its individual voters. (New York Times, 2008.)
Power sources of past and current Chinese political leaders. (Reuters, 2013.)
The entire Geocities archive depicted as an actual city with page data size visualized via segment area. (Richard Vijgen, 2011.)
Such heights of design are unrealistic in blogposts, but they’re still potent ideals. This is what information can look like. This is what smart design does to the eyes.