Infographicsby Monica Anderson
Presented to Becker LibraryWashington University, St. Louis, MOOctober 9, 2013
Courtesy of staff at the Research Medical Library at MD Anderson Cancer Center
Courtesy of Meggan Frost, Paul Smith’s College
• Author: Florence Nightingale. Published in Notes on Matters Affecting the Health, Efficiency, and Hospital Administration of the British Army , 1858 Source:http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page3943.asp
-Visual -Content -Knowledge
Author: Charles Minard, published 1869.Source: www.edwardtufte.com /
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Minard.png
“best statistical graphic ever drawn” Edward Tufte
“… complex ideas communicated with clarity, precision, and efficiency …”
“ … gives to the viewer the greatest number of ideas in the shortest time with the least ink in the smallest space …”
Tufte, Edward. The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. 2nd ed. 2004
Principles of Graphical Excellence
“ … is nearly always multivariate …”
“ … requires telling the truth about the data.”
Tufte, Edward. The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. 2nd ed. 2004
Graphical excellence
Eyes of Arundhati Roy byTW Collins, taken January 11, 2007. http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/
Vision is our most dominant sense
The yellow.
ball is
Photo by Anthony Easton, 2010.
Photo by Sandy Schultz; 2010.
Graphics enhance our visual system’s ability to see patterns and trends
Appeal ∙ Comprehension ∙ Retention
Comprehension ∙ Retention ∙ Appeal
Appeal ∙ Retention ∙ Comprehension
Comprehension Retentio
nAppeal
Comprehension
Retention
Appeal
Source: http://videohive.net/item/animated-infographic-promo-template/954010
Comprehension Retentio
n
Appeal
Source: http://www.sailpoint.com/news/img/USA-Today20100913.jpg
Embellish or not to embellish
Nigel Holmes, http://nigelholmes.com/graphic/two-mindsets-stanford-magazine/
Nigel Holmes, http://nigelholmes.com/graphic/us-cross-sections-navigator-magazine/
Embellishment:
Power of picture for appeal and retention
University of Saskatchewan 2010 study
Standing Guideline: reduce visual embellishments not essential to understanding the data.
Is the use of elaborate imagery detrimental to understanding, as has been proposed?
Does it have other benefits?
Embellish or not to embellish
University of Saskatchewan 2010 study
compared embellished charts with plain ones
measured both interpretation accuracy and long-term recall
Created by Nigel Holmes
Nigel Holmes graph vs. plain graph
-Accuracy in describing embellished charts no worse than for plain
-Recall after a two-to-three-week gap was significantly better
Cautious to recommend embellishment, but results question some of the premises of the minimalist approach to chart designBateman, S., Mandryk, R.L., Gutwin, C., Genest, A.M., McDine, D., Brooks, C. 2010. Useful Junk? The Effects of Visual Embellishment on
Comprehension and Memorability of Charts. In ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2010), Atlanta, GA, USA. 2573-2582. Best paper award. DOI=10.1145/1753326.1753716.
Charles Minard, 1869
Embellish or not?
Verdict is still out
Courtesy of staff at the Research Medical Library at MD Anderson Cancer Center
Infographics can be a very compelling method for presenting complex data.
Thank you.
Bibliography
Publications:
Smiciklas, M. (2012). The power of infographics: Using pictures to communicate and connect with your audience. Indianapolis, Ind: Que Pub.
Tufte, E. R. (2001). The visual display of quantitative information. Cheshire, Conn: Graphics Press.
Tufte, E. R. (1997). Visual explanations: Images and quantities, evidence and narrative. Cheshire, Conn: Graphics Press.
Bateman, S., Mandryk, R.L., Gutwin, C., Genest, A.M., McDine, D., Brooks, C. 2010. Useful Junk? The Effects of Visual Embellishment on Comprehension and Memorability of Charts. In ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2010), Atlanta, GA, USA. 2573-2582. Best paper award. DOI=10.1145/1753326.1753716.
Websites:
http://spyrestudios.com/the-anatomy-of-an-infographic-5-steps-to-create-a-powerful-visual/
http://blog.visual.ly/source-code-the-5-rules-of-researching-and-sourcing-infographics/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infographic#Data_visualization
http://librariandesignshare.org/2012/12/12/infographic-how-our-library-helps-faculty-publish/
Further Reading
Publications:
Holmes, N. (1984). Designer's guide to creating charts & diagrams. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications.
Holmes, N., & DeNeve, R. (1985). Designing pictorial symbols. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications.
Holmes, N. (1991). Pictorial maps. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications.
Holmes, N. (1984). Designer's guide to creating charts & diagrams. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications.
Holmes, N. (2005). Wordless diagrams. New York: Bloomsbury.
Tufte, E. R. (2003). The cognitive style of PowerPoint. Cheshire, Conn: Graphics Press.
Tufte, E. R. (2006). Beautiful evidence. Cheshire, Conn: Graphics Press.
Further Reading
Websites:
http://blog.visual.ly/source-code-the-5-rules-of-researching-and-sourcing-infographics/
http://www.mastermindblogger.com/2012/17-resources-to-help-you-create-killer-infographics/
http://djdesignerlab.com/2012/05/02/25-awesome-infographic-designs/
http://www.behance.net/gallery/-Resume-Self-Promotion/3650343
http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/index
http://infographiclabs.com/infographic/what-is-an-infographic/
http://www.apma.org/files/images/kyso12_infographic_800.jpg
http://eagereyes.org/criticism/chart-junk-considered-useful-after-all
http://ibreakfast.blogspot.com/2012_10_01_archive.html
http://www.carlislerainey.com/2011/09/24/chart-junk-and-clear-comparisons-of-data/
http://idratherbewriting.com/2010/11/01/what-is-chartjunk-visual-imagination-2/
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