An ImageQuilt of the search query, “sorting algorithms.”
Statistician and data visualization expert Edward Tufte teamed up with software engineer Aaron Schwartz to create ImageQuilts, a Chrome plugin that turns Google Search results into visual collages. It’s not simply another way to make pretty pictures, but rather a method of exploring a topic from a strictly visual perspective. In The Ravenous Brain, neuroscientist Daniel Bor writes,
"Perhaps what most distinguishes us humans from the rest of the animal kingdom is our ravenous desire to find structure in the information we pick up in the world. We cannot help actively searching for patterns — any hook in the data that will aid our performance and understanding."
Since humans are wired to detect patterns, looking at images instead of links feeds nicely into our desire to constantly make connections. According to Tufte, users may be able to learn more about something they’re searching for by only looking at visual results.
Take the ImageQuilts extension for a spin in your Google Chrome browser. Share your favorite creations by tweeting us at @expectlabs!
(Source: ImageQuilts / Quote via The Ravenous Brain: How the New Science of Consciousness Explains Our Insatiable Search for Meaning, h/t Brain Pickings)
