CONCEPT
Macro and Micro Reading
Tufte's distinction between the overall pattern a display communicates and the individual data points available on closer inspection — and the argument that the best displays support both readings simultaneously.
Tufte distinguishes two complementary modes of reading a data display. A macro reading is the overall pattern — the trend, the shape, the gestalt that the viewer perceives on first scan. A micro reading is the individual datum — the specific value, the particular outlier, the local detail available when the viewer examines closely. The best displays support both simultaneously. The viewer should be able to see the forest and examine individual trees without switching between displays or losing context. A chart that presents a trend line without the individual data points has denied the viewer the micro reading; a chart that presents a scatter of points without any visible trend has denied her the macro reading. Good displays layer the two so that each is accessible at the resolution the viewer's analytical task requires.
In The You On AI Field Guide
The principle applies to any medium in which information must be consumed at multiple resolutions. A well-designed dashboard permits both the glance that
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