From Charts to Infographics: Making Data Actionable for Everyone
Bar, pie and line charts have been the standard data visualisations ever since they were invented over 200 years ago. When used well, they add clarity and understanding to the data, but all too often they are dull and lacking in impact, so rarely encourage the reader to take action. This is where modern infographics can come to the fore.
Infographics are not simply a collection of icons, colours and prettily-designed scraps of information. Neither are they about trying to show the complete picture or give every detail. Instead, a good infographic will highlight correlations and spatial relationships, visualise comparisons and explain principles, all of which would be difficult to elucidate from just words or numbers alone.
At Dapresy we have been experimenting with moving beyond charts into the territory of the Infographic. We see this as the next logical step for (some) dashboards as these make it easier for the widest possible audience to absorb information, and as a result, take action. In this article, I present the three different guiding principles of an infographics-based approach.
Principle 1. A good infographic stands on its own to give a highly informative picture
A good infographic will stand on its own to provide a highly informative picture. It shows connections, and transforms information into something tangible that you experience. It must work independently, without the viewer needing to know about the context or research into it. It is an introduction to a topic and must make sense without further explanation or instructions. At its heart are questions like “what is it?”, “what issues do I need to consider?” and “what does this mean for me?” Thus, a professionally designed infographic has a clear goal that has been determined at the start, and is focused on a single core message with no, or very few, subsidiary ideas.
For this reason, you should always begin the design process with the core message. Find a picture that sums up the subject: the viewer should understand at a glance what it is about and which factors play a role. It is at this point that you gradually add the elements that contribute to the main message. To help the users of your infographic, you need to make the most relevant issues visibly stand out and the less important ones fade into the background. Take care not to overload the infographic.
What matters is quick and easy detection of the facts, not providing exhaustive information.
In comparison, the objective of most classic, first-generation dashboards is simply to present a number of different data points graphically, placing them side-by-side, as this tends to allow comparisons to be made (see figure 1). But, they put the burden on the individual to do the hard work of grasping what the data is telling them, and to extract insights from the data. While this is easier than looking at a table of figures, this is still something that requires skill and practice.
By contrast, a good infographic tells a story that leads to action by considering how humans perceive information in the real world, and thus making the information come alive. The world is complex and multidimensional, therefore this new generation of infographic dashboards needs to be easy to understand, memorable, and eye-catching (see figure 2). They have to appeal to multiple target groups with different information processing styles.
The infographic dashboard in figure 2 has been modeled on an actual customer journey. In the example shown, very low satisfaction with passport control wait times follow two previous negative experiences of long lines at check-in and security. While the airport operator may not be able to influence the operation of passport control in the short term, customer experience overall could be improved if wait times were minimal prior to that.
Principle 2. A good infographic guides the viewer, showing cause and effect
A writer produces text from a sequence of thoughts, and we read his or her words one after the other; but when looking at a picture, we usually perceive it as a whole. A professional infographic purposefully guides us through information. It illustrates how issues are interwoven and the impact they have on the overall result. It shows how one thing leads to another and where causal relationships exist. Although the viewer initially sees it as one image, he or she then separates it into its components. Consequences become obvious and isolated facts turn into a story.
These stories are purposefully designed to make the viewer think, and to support them in their search for solutions. Understanding the principles and the causal effects that are at work, are the driving force behind positive action.
Figure 3: Traditional dashboards visualise facts in an isolated manner. The relative importance of individual issues and the cause and effect relationships are often hard to identify, and require the viewer to have an in-depth understanding of the subject.
Figure 4: This infographic dashboard shows the same information as figure 3, but presents causal relationships and individual issues according to their importance. The viewer is actively guided through the information, giving him or her clues to the possible causes and solutions. In this case you immediately see what prevents your customers from moving to one stage of the brand funnel to the next.
Principle 3. A good infographic makes it possible to experience information
With the information overload we experience today, and with our lives full of YouTube videos, Facebook memes and other social media buzz, information has to be entertaining and provocative to be noticed. Conventional data visualisation forces the viewer to work hard by carefully examining all the detail in order to get the bigger picture. It is the only way the viewer can take in all the information being presented.
This is where augmented reality (AR) can help. AR is the increasingly common technique where computer graphics extend real life pictures or videos by overlaying computer generated information or virtual objects on them.
Professional infographics employ this method to convert the information they need to report into the ‘reality’ that the viewer will experience. So, data and reality merge into one image. They should connect data and meaning to real objects and situations and help users feel what they see. The better this is achieved, the more likely it is that the user will feel involved and take action.
The two examples below each show the same information. The first uses conventional data visualisation (figure 5) and the second applies AR techniques (figure 6). While the conventional visualisation seen in figure 5 is already an improvement on the classical chart style of data presentation (of which figure 1 is a typical example), you need to make an effort to absorb the information. The AR approach applied in figure 6 takes this much further by making you ‘experience’ the information. It is not only easier to take in what you need to know, but is also easier to remember what you have learnt, and in turn, this makes it more likely that you, or your colleagues, will take the right action.
Figure 5: Despite the attractive and easy-to-understand design of the dashboard, the viewer needs time to understand the information and to decide on actions.
Figure 6: Using Augmented Reality, all information that is relevant to optimising housekeeping is blended into the reality of the viewer (in this case, a hotel room). Abstract facts become tangible, making it possible to act intuitively rather than having to logically decide what steps to take.
To make it possible for even non-data experts, such as field managers and operational staff, to take actions from data, virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) dashboards add a whole new dimension to how they conduct their business. Gartner, the technology research and advisory firm, revealed that VR and AR will become important in the workplace, as the technology has matured as an internal tool to enhance enterprise processes and workflows. The firm considers VR and AR among the Top 10 technology trends 2017.
Conclusion
Professionally produced infographics that follow the three principles outlined here, enable us to acquire data and facts intuitively. An infographic brings information to life by creating a stand-alone picture that is full of meaning, making relationships and principles understandable in the eye of the viewer. At its core is the aim to move relevant information from the peripheries of the individual’s logical brain into their intuition. Once there, information need not be processed but can be experienced – an unbeatable advantage in these times of the rising flood of information.
The reason is simple: infographic dashboards that adapt to reality bring life and purpose to information, and will involve users much more than traditional data visualisation. This, combined with the ability to include customized views, add interactivity, dynamic filtering, drill downs, and real time updates, means that these dashboards are more likely to drive actions because they are appealing, memorable and they engage users.
Remember: a good visualisation considers human perception in the real world, makes information come alive, and tells a story that leads to action.
