User:Visualoomph

Visual Oomph a.k.a Information Visualization

One of the most valuable visual tools that we can use to explain complex information is the diagram. Diagrams can be used to illustrate complicated concepts and they can become very complicated to understand as well. It is important to create creative and visually appealing ways to share information.

Diagrams should be easy to read, understand and follow.

Is a picture really worth a thousand words? Napoleon Bonaparte, once said “Un bon croquis vaut mieux qu’un long discours” this means – a good sketch is better than a long speech! A very complex idea can be conveyed with a diagram aptly said by the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words”. However, the more complex and unfamiliar the information, the concepts, and ideas which it involves, the less likely are people to understand it, irrespective of the particular type of diagram used.

Seeing & Remembering

Visual communication is more powerful than verbal communication. People can learn and retain information visually better than that was provided verbally.

There is a big connection between seeing and remembering. Visual interpretations of information in the form of simple yet powerful such as diagrams, tables, graphs, charts or any other free form that can convey the message of what “it means” without someone providing an explanation. Information visualization coupled with strong verbal interpretations can create a new dimension to the information that is being presented.

Good infographics can illustrate ideas that might take pages to explain in writing. They function as visual shorthand, clarifying relationships with a degree of immediacy and impact text just can’t offer. Effective graphics can be created for many types of information, but they are best suited for showing comparisons, structures, and processes (Rebecca Hume, BigDuckNyc.com).

Figuring out what type of infographic is right for a project typically requires three steps:


 * Know the story you want to tell.
 * Find the information that best tells the story
 * Determine the form that most clearly displays that information.

The type of information you settle on will help determine the form of your final infographic. If you’re showing how parts of a whole relate, a pie chart or tree map can do the job; when comparing quantities you may want to try a bar graph, bubble chart, or pictograph; for changes over time, a timeline or area graph can work well.