communicating science with infographics 1.3.pdf · why infographics? “the same forces that have...
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Communicating Science with InfographicsDEBRA L. HYDORN
UNIVERSITY OF MARY WASHINGTON
AAC&U TRANSFORMING STEM HIGHER EDUCATION
NOVEMBER 8, 2019
OutlineInfographics FSEM
Communicating Science with Infographics
Examples
First-Year Seminar at UMWLearning outcomes - within the context chosen by the instructor, develop students’ skills in ◦ Research,
◦ Writing, and
◦ Speaking
FSEMs are mostly taught in the fall, with a limit of 15 students; instructors serve as student’s advisor for their first year
Infographics First-Year SeminarExplore Visual Communication through the use of graphs – Focus on effective infographics through:
Design ◦ Cognitive, Communication, and Aesthetic Aspects
Content◦ Data, Information, and Purpose
Implementation◦ Tools
Components of Infographics
Infographics vs. Data VisualizationGraphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge intended to present complex information quickly and clearly
The process of creating infographics can be referred to as data visualization, information design or information architecture
Course Content
Cognitive Principles◦ Visual Communication; Graphical Literacy
Communication Principles◦ LATCH and AIDA; How to make your message
“stick”
Aesthetic Principles◦ Organization; Use of Color; Typography
Tools for making Infographics
Components of effective infographics
Graphical Excellence – Edward Tufte
Well-designed presentation of interesting data – a matter of substance, of statistics and of design.
Consists of 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.
Nearly always multivariate.
Requires telling the truth about the data.
Infographics AssignmentsIn-class Activities
Homework
Blog Posts
Papers
Projects◦ Some examples
Communicating ScienceAcademics to Academics
Students to Instructors
Scientists to General Audience◦ Understanding needs and graphical literacy of the
audience is crucial◦ Jen Christiansen, senior graphics designer for Scientific
American – increased expectation that scientists can communicate their research with the general public
Why Infographics?“The same forces that have made it possible for infographics to proliferate have also made us hungry for them. We are deluged with information, and infographics promise to make sense of it… the best of them bring clarity, answering urgent questions and making us think.”–Gareth Cook (from The Best American Infographics 2013)
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/at-scientific-american/the-best-american-infographics/
Hydroperiod Tool Poster
Infographic – First Attempt
Revised Infographic
Objectives of VisualizationInfographics: The Power of Visual Storytelling◦ Attract - Inform - Inspire -> Audience
Three objectives◦ Appeal
◦ Comprehension
◦ Retention
Priority determines approach for design and construction
◦ For Academic/Scientific: Comprehension, followed by Retention, and then Appeal
◦ For Editorial (narrative): Appeal, Comprehension, Retention.
◦ For Marketing: Appeal, Retention, Comprehension.
Compare Two Coffee Graphs
Information OverloadTerm coined by Alvin Toffler in his 1970 book Future Shock
Refers to an individual’s inability to process, assimilate, and understand information due to the overwhelming amount of data available
Infographic opportunitiesReview typical science graphs – two story assignment (“pattern perception”, “table lookup”)
Review typical science graphs – identify components of graphical literacy
Graph decomposition and duplication
Two versions of a graph – one for scientific community, another for general public
Infographics service project – create an infographic for elementary school students
Create an infographic from a research poster
Resources – websites and blogsInformation is Beautiful http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/
Cool Infographics http://www.coolinfographics.com/
Chart Porn http://chartporn.org/
Visual Complexity http://www.visualcomplexity.com/vc/
Scientific American blogs
How to make an infographic in 10 easy steps on the Infogramwebsite
http://blogs.nature.com/ofschemesandmemes/2014/01/20/the-power-of-using-infographics-to-communicate-science
Resources - books
Visual Literacy: How to Read and Use Information in Graphic Form, by Marcia Weaver
Now you see it: Simple Visualization Techniques for Quantitative Analysis, by Stephen Few
The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, by Edward R. Tufte
The Information Design Handbook by Jenn and Ken Visocky O’Grady
Essential Communication Strategies for Scientists, Engineers, and Technology Professionals by Herbert Hirsch
Infographics: The Power of Visual Storytelling, Jason Lankow, Josh Ritchie, and Ross Crooks
Cool Infographics: Effective Communication with Data Visualization and Design, Randy Krum
More books
Good Charts, Scott Berinato
Storytelling with Data: A Data Visualization Guide for Business Professionals, Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic
Visualize This: The FlowingData Guide to Design, Visualization and Statistics, Nathan Yau
Data Points: Visualization that Means Something, Nathan Yau
The Functional Art: An Introduction to Information Graphics and Visualization, Alberto Cairo
Creating More Effective Graphs: A succinct and highly readable guide to creating effective graphs, Naomi B. Robbins
Resources – free tools
Infogram
VISME
Piktochart
Gap Minder http://www.gapminder.org/
Rawgraphs (densitydesign.org)
Tableau (educational version)