What Is An Infographic?
At their core, infographics are designed to be visual representations of information, data, or knowledge; with the caveat that they must be concisely and clearly presented.
While infographics can come in a variety of formats, they are all designed to convey as much information as possible whilst being simple to understand and easy to recall later.
So what makes a successful infographic?
Move Past Pretty
Infographic design isn’t simply about making data look pretty. How people comprehend what’s being displayed is paramount, especially when the information is complex or could save lives. It’s safe to say that not all design agencies come with healthcare smarts preinstalled; so don’t assume that just because the data looks good, means it can be understood easily.
Avoid Information Overloaded
A study undertaken by the University of California – San Diego, suggested that the human brain is daily loaded with an average of 34GB of information. Luckily our brains can take it, but this would easily overwhelm even the most powerful computers within a week.
Not only does this mean that your infographic is in an endless battle for screen-time, but also runs the risk of being lost to information deemed more important.
The Blink of An Eye
Research from MIT suggests that the brain can identify images seen for as little as 13 milliseconds. This means it’s vital in using imagery that your audience will immediately recognise.
As part of a campaign to support MS patients, we created the infographic seen here. Immediately, from the chosen imagery, the audience can tell this information relates to the workplace.
Know Your Audience
It may sound a little obvious, but any content in unfamiliar terms, no matter how well it’s presenting or how important it is, will be ignored.
Engaging with a Healthcare Professional about ‘mode of action’ (MoA) will yield far better comprehension compared to the same infographic directed at the general public.
Adding Interactivity
Since the start of their mainstream use, infographics have increasingly been designed with user interactivity in mind. Here are a few ways that, should you infographic be destined for the web, you break away from static content.
Scrolling Effects
Although your infographic will only ever be two-dimensional, adding effects such as Parallax Scrolling can help bring depth and action to your web pages.
Highlight Key Content
By highlighting specific sections of your content, you’re able to let your audience know where their infographic journey should begin.
Hide Content Until Required
As important as highlighting key content, is hiding data or information that isn’t vital to your audience. Rollovers or clickable windows will allow content only to be viewed when required.
Paginate Content
Breaking your content down into pages, not only makes it more digestible but also gives your audience a sense of how much information has and will be viewed.
Could This Help You?
If a static or animated infographic could support your campaign or healthcare message, we’d love to hear from you.
