Graphic Redesigns

Figure 12.1

Figure 12.1 displays how frontal crashes distribute across three different crash modes. I formatted it

with a simple clustered bar chart so viewers can easily compare the three values. I added the title “Distribution

of Frontal Crashes” and eliminated the original graphic’s table, legend, and extra percentages (or “chartjunk”)

to reduce clutter and confusion. My goal with this redesign is for viewers to take one look at the chart and

immediately understand its purpose.

Figure 12.2

With Figure 12.2, Dana wants to show arm injuries may occur with air bags, but more devastating lower

body injuries tend to happen without them. I used a clustered column chart so viewers could quickly come to

this conclusion without a verbal or written explanation. I removed the unnecessary line graph and table from

the original graphic, but kept the main title, axis titles, and legend for easy comprehension.

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%

Right Offset

Full Frontal

Left Offset

Distribution

Cra

sh M

od

es

Distribution of Frontal Crashes

0.00%

0.20%

0.40%

0.60%

0.80%

1.00%

1.20%

1.40%

Arms Thorax Head Legs

Pe

rce

nta

ge

Body Region

Serious-to-Fatal Injury Risk

Airbag No Airbag

Figure 12.3

In Figure 12.3, Dana wants to highlight how many lower body injuries occur annually in vehicles

equipped with airbags. Since this graphic does not involve comparing values across categories, I felt a table

would be more appropriate than a chart. I eliminated the distracting 3D pie chart, but kept the table in my

redesign. I also changed the title of the second column to better clarify the point of this graphic. The terms

“tib.plat” and “tib.shaft” were unclear, so I combined them into one “Tibia” category and added their values

together in one row. Finally, I placed an emphasis on the “Total” row at the bottom of the table by using a

slightly darker shade of blue and boldface font. I also placed a blank row between “Total” and the preceding

rows to stress its importance.

Injury Type Annual Number of Lower-Extremity Injuries in Airbag-Equipped Vehicles

Hip 2,153

Femur 1,657 Knee 5,928

Tibia 2,051

Foot/Ankle 5,880

Total 17,669

Infographic

Rationale

As I worked on my “How to Create Effective Graphics” infographic, I carefully

considered the case study and the course materials; these guided the content I included in my

infographic and the stylistic choices I made while designing it. Last week I learned from

Pawlowski and Johnson (2015) that the rhetorical situation shapes the way technical writers craft

instruction sets, or what Farkas (1999) referred to as “procedural discourse” (p. 42). This week’s

topic sheet included a case study that contained helpful information about the purpose, context,

and audience relevant to my infographic. From the case study, I learned that Elsa was troubled

by the types of charts the researchers selected and the amount of chartjunk they included in their

designs. Alternatively, Dana wanted the figures to show meaningful data patterns.

My first two points, “Minimize Clutter” and “Tell a Story,” are intended to address Elsa

and Dana’s concerns. Nearly every reading from this week stressed the importance of simplicity

in data visualizations and infographics. “Simplistic presentations of data and information are

often best,” stated Liz Lane (2016). The Kissmetrics Blog (n.d.) agreed, claiming “needlessly

complex” graphics such as 3D can create “a mind-numbing cognitive overload.” To demonstrate

simplicity in my infographic, I wrote short, concise headlines and descriptions for every point. I

also chose one basic, easily recognizable image to illustrate each individual topic (for example, a

minus symbol next to “Minimize Clutter”).

“Graphs and charts are useful when the patterns within the data tell a story,” wrote

Katherine McGee (n.d.) My second point, “Tell a Story,” encourages the researchers to use data

visualizations to create a narrative. The original designs are not organized to show patterns

within the data; the chartjunk is so distracting it prevents the viewer from drawing any

meaningful connections between the values.

In designing graphics, “consider how visuals might explain your organization’s

purpose” (Rum, 2016). This concept ties in with my third point, “Know Your Audience.”

I want the researchers to ask themselves why they are presenting this data to their audience, how

the data is significant to their viewers, and what knowledge can be gained from it. As

Pawlowski and Johnson (2015) stated, “Creating a profile of your audience…is integral for

making thoughtful choices about scope, content, and design.”

I thought of my audience as I chose the color scheme and template for my infographic. I

did not want the researchers to feel as if they were being chastised for making poor design

choices, so I avoided brash colors like red and opted for a cool tricolor palette of blue, green, and

yellow. According to Iris Leung (n.d.), it is important to choose colors that “are not fighting for

attention so readers can focus on what really matters – your content.” As for the template, I

chose one titled “Process Infographic” because it allowed me to clearly and efficiently display all

five design lessons to my audience.

My final points, “Straighten Up” and “Space It Out,” refer to alignment and white space,

respectively. I chose to address alignment because its importance is emphasized repeatedly in

the course materials. In last week’s video lecture “Design Principles,” Daniel Richards (2018)

pointed out accurate alignment helps viewers “see relationships” between data. I also noticed the

researchers used many tables in their original designs, and “proper use of alignment can save you

the ink of having a lot of dividing lines” (McGee, n.d.).

Finally, I highlighted white space due to the amount of clutter in the original designs. If

the researchers had made effective use of negative space, it would have improved the readability,

consumption, and comprehension of their data visualizations (Leung, n.d.).

References

12 infographic tips that you wish you knew years ago. (n.d.). Kissmetrics Blog. Retrieved

from https://blog.kissmetrics.com/12-infographic-tips/

Farkas, D. K. (1999). The logical and rhetorical construction of procedural discourse. Technical

Communication, 42-54.

Lane, L. (2016). Data visualization best practices. Purdue OWL. Retrieved from

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/1014/1/

Leung, I. (n.d.) 3 basic design principles for effective infographic making. Piktochart. Retrieved

from https://piktochart.com/blog/basic-design-principles-infographic/

McGee, K. (n.d.) Data visualizations. Writing Commons. Retrieved from

https://writingcommons.org/data-visualizations

Pawlowski, M. T., & Johnson, A. (2015, September 23). Creating rhetorically effective

instruction manuals. Writing Commons. Retrieved from

https://writingcommons.org/open-text/genres/stem-technical-writing/1277-creating-

rhetorically-effective-instruction-manuals

Richards, D. (2018, January 7). Design principles. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zly-fiq5REY

Rum, J. (2016). How to make beautiful and effective infographics. Ignite Digital. Retrieved from

https://ignitedigital.squarespace.com/blog/2016/6/21/how-to-make-beautiful-and-

effective-infographics