I had the opportunity to go to Edward Tufte’s seminar last December. Tufte is considered a pioneer in the field of data visualization. I found his ideas on presenting data visually extremely minimalistic, but interesting and inspiring. Coming from more of a fine art background, I believe designers are responsible for ensuring UI stays beautiful, but Tufte has some very valid points on keeping design elements minimal so focus stays on the data. In addition he showed compelling examples of how good design can facilitate clear thinking and effective decision-making.