3 ms·
While I love interactive docs as much as the next person, I wondered if all these demos were really necessary to get the point across in this particular case.
by mwexler 8y ago
While I love interactive docs as much as the next person, I wondered if all these demos were really necessary to get the point across in this particular case. The text did a pretty admirable job, along with a few charts. Did the more graphical pieces help, or were they more of an "ooh, pretty" feature?
- volkk 8y agopersonally, it allowed me to read much faster and understand the points without concentrating on every word
- natch 8y agoThey are trying to get their points across to entrenched public officials and bureaucrats so maybe it’s needed.
- ams6110 8y agoClose reading of text for information is a dying skill. If it can't be stated in 120 characters or presented as an animation, you've lost a big part of your audience.
- romwell 8y agoThe value that the graphical pieces provide is that they are interactive. The graphical pieces build up to the one where you control both parameters simultaneously, and see how you can halve the throughput of the system by seemingly innocuous changes. The whole point is that the cause of the slowdowns is not obvious because the effect of the changes is non-linear. Sure, you can take the author's word for it - but with the neat simulation, you don't have to. You can see the model in front of your eyes.