Minimalism in graphics

Two experiments examined Tufte's rule that graphs should use minimal "ink" (or filled pixels) to display data [2]. Experiment 1 showed that the time to answer questions using a graph constructed according to Tufte's rule (no axes and minimal indicators) was 13% faster than for a more traditional graph with axes and full indicators. Experiment 2 demonstrated that (a) the advantage of the minimal graph was due to eliminating the Y-axis, (b) the ink in the indicators had no effect and, (c) the presence of an X-axis improved performance.