From Information to Understanding - Solving the Small Data Problems

Stephen P. Anderson, a speaker and consultant on design and psychology and the creator of the Mental Notes card deck, gave this talk, listed under TED Talks, in 2012. Its premise is simple: information is easy, understanding is hard. From incomprehensible tax policies to confusing medical explanations, we are swamped with information we can’t make sense of.

The talk draws on the book Figure It Out, by Anderson and Fast, which shows how to transform information into better presentations, better meetings, better software and better decisions, so that we can make sense of things for ourselves and for others.

Techniques such as chunking and progressive disclosure, both covered in the UI-Patterns.com library, are practical ways of helping people understand information rather than just receive it.