It is an interesting chapter in terms of envisioning space and time information. With vast amounts of drawings in different fields and at various times, the author gives us a vivid description and explanation about how designers have tried to visualize the space and time information in one flat paper, from satellites, schedules, and route maps, to dance movements.

I am super impressed by the development and improvement in terms of visualization and the thoughts behind those drawings. Among them, I am super interested in the transportation schedule drawings, which I have never seen before. If we recall what we see currently in train stations, bus stops, or airports, the schedules are just tables listing information on flight/bus/train number, departing time, and platform/gate. And if we check the digital interfaces on our phones or computers, they display similar information, including departing and arriving stops and times. Why don’t we visualize the information in such circumstances? From my perspective, visualization of information is more of a tool for explanation rather than representation. If people can convey the information clearly in texts without diagrams, they won’t use drawings. We don’t necessarily need visualization tools unless we need them. If we continue taking the schedules as an example, I will use the diagrams in other cases, for instance, comparing the transit time for different buses. As a result, I would argue that when visualizing information, it is crucial to leave the info only needed and never rely too much on diagrams.