Signal-to-Noise Ratio
The ratio of relevant to irrelevant information in a display. The highest
possible Signal-to-Noise ratio is desirable in design
"All communication involves the creation, transmission, and reception of
information. During each stage of this process, the form of the information--the
signal--is degraded, and extraneous information--noise--is added. Degradation
reduces the amount of useful information by altering its form. Noise reduces
clarity by diluting useful information with useless information. The clarity
of information can be understood as the ratio of remaining signal to added
noise."
Universal
Principles of Design by William Lidwell, Kritina Holden and Jill
Butler
See Chartjunk
"Maximize the data-ink ratio, within reason"
"Every bit of ink on a graphic requires a reason. And nearly always that
reason should be that the ink presents new information."
The
Visual Display of Quantitative Information by Edward Tufte,
P. 96
