id
stringlengths 40
265
| text
stringlengths 209
2.18M
| source
stringclasses 1
value | added
stringdate 2025-03-22 05:08:50
2025-03-22 06:09:39
| created
stringclasses 651
values | metadata
dict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/introduction-to-data-analytics/
|
Primary Navigation
Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.
Book Contents Navigation
Introduction
Acknowledgements
Accessibility Statement
Adopting or Adapting the Book
1.1 Introduction to Data Analytics and Decision Making
1.3 Careers in Data Analytics
1.4 Data Types, Formats and Repositories
1.5 Data Technologies: Big Data and Cloud Computing
1.6 Stages of Data Analytics
1.7 Predictive Analytics: Statistical Learning & Machine Learning
1.8 Prescriptive Analytics
2.1 Descriptive Analytics
2.2 Data Visualization
Assignment 1
2.3 Data Summarization
3.1 Predictive Analytics
3.2 Regression
3.3 Multiple Linear Regression
3.4 Non-Linear Relationships/Polynomial Regression
3.5 Logistic Regression
Assignment 2
3.6 K-Nearest Neighbours
3.7 Cross Validation
3.8 Resampling
3.9 Feature Selection
4.1 Prescriptive Analytics
4.2 Minimum Cost Network Flow Problem (MCNFP)
4.3 Routing
4.4 Simulation
4.5 Investment Management
4.6 Stochastic Decision Tree Analysis
Assignment 3
4.7 Revenue Management
Assignment 4
Previous/next navigation
Data Analytics and Decision Making Copyright © 2022 by Ali AbdulHussein is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:55.779059
|
09-3-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/introduction-to-data-analytics/",
"book_url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Data Analytics and Decision Making",
"author": "Ali AbdulHussein",
"institution": "University of Windsor",
"subject": "Data science and analysis: general, Business and Management, Engineering: general, Probability and statistics"
}
|
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/1-2-careers-in-data-analytics/
|
Primary Navigation
Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.
Book Contents Navigation
Introduction
Acknowledgements
Accessibility Statement
Adopting or Adapting the Book
1.1 Introduction to Data Analytics and Decision Making
1.3 Careers in Data Analytics
1.4 Data Types, Formats and Repositories
1.5 Data Technologies: Big Data and Cloud Computing
1.6 Stages of Data Analytics
1.7 Predictive Analytics: Statistical Learning & Machine Learning
1.8 Prescriptive Analytics
2.1 Descriptive Analytics
2.2 Data Visualization
Assignment 1
2.3 Data Summarization
3.1 Predictive Analytics
3.2 Regression
3.3 Multiple Linear Regression
3.4 Non-Linear Relationships/Polynomial Regression
3.5 Logistic Regression
Assignment 2
3.6 K-Nearest Neighbours
3.7 Cross Validation
3.8 Resampling
3.9 Feature Selection
4.1 Prescriptive Analytics
4.2 Minimum Cost Network Flow Problem (MCNFP)
4.3 Routing
4.4 Simulation
4.5 Investment Management
4.6 Stochastic Decision Tree Analysis
Assignment 3
4.7 Revenue Management
Assignment 4
Previous/next navigation
Data Analytics and Decision Making Copyright © 2022 by Ali AbdulHussein is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:55.795689
|
09-3-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/1-2-careers-in-data-analytics/",
"book_url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Data Analytics and Decision Making",
"author": "Ali AbdulHussein",
"institution": "University of Windsor",
"subject": "Data science and analysis: general, Business and Management, Engineering: general, Probability and statistics"
}
|
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/1-3-data-types/
|
Primary Navigation
Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.
Book Contents Navigation
Introduction
Acknowledgements
Accessibility Statement
Adopting or Adapting the Book
1.1 Introduction to Data Analytics and Decision Making
1.3 Careers in Data Analytics
1.4 Data Types, Formats and Repositories
1.5 Data Technologies: Big Data and Cloud Computing
1.6 Stages of Data Analytics
1.7 Predictive Analytics: Statistical Learning & Machine Learning
1.8 Prescriptive Analytics
2.1 Descriptive Analytics
2.2 Data Visualization
Assignment 1
2.3 Data Summarization
3.1 Predictive Analytics
3.2 Regression
3.3 Multiple Linear Regression
3.4 Non-Linear Relationships/Polynomial Regression
3.5 Logistic Regression
Assignment 2
3.6 K-Nearest Neighbours
3.7 Cross Validation
3.8 Resampling
3.9 Feature Selection
4.1 Prescriptive Analytics
4.2 Minimum Cost Network Flow Problem (MCNFP)
4.3 Routing
4.4 Simulation
4.5 Investment Management
4.6 Stochastic Decision Tree Analysis
Assignment 3
4.7 Revenue Management
Assignment 4
Previous/next navigation
Data Analytics and Decision Making Copyright © 2022 by Ali AbdulHussein is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:55.812300
|
09-3-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/1-3-data-types/",
"book_url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Data Analytics and Decision Making",
"author": "Ali AbdulHussein",
"institution": "University of Windsor",
"subject": "Data science and analysis: general, Business and Management, Engineering: general, Probability and statistics"
}
|
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/1-5-data-technologies-big-data-and-cloud-computing/
|
Primary Navigation
Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.
Book Contents Navigation
Introduction
Acknowledgements
Accessibility Statement
Adopting or Adapting the Book
1.1 Introduction to Data Analytics and Decision Making
1.3 Careers in Data Analytics
1.4 Data Types, Formats and Repositories
1.5 Data Technologies: Big Data and Cloud Computing
1.6 Stages of Data Analytics
1.7 Predictive Analytics: Statistical Learning & Machine Learning
1.8 Prescriptive Analytics
2.1 Descriptive Analytics
2.2 Data Visualization
Assignment 1
2.3 Data Summarization
3.1 Predictive Analytics
3.2 Regression
3.3 Multiple Linear Regression
3.4 Non-Linear Relationships/Polynomial Regression
3.5 Logistic Regression
Assignment 2
3.6 K-Nearest Neighbours
3.7 Cross Validation
3.8 Resampling
3.9 Feature Selection
4.1 Prescriptive Analytics
4.2 Minimum Cost Network Flow Problem (MCNFP)
4.3 Routing
4.4 Simulation
4.5 Investment Management
4.6 Stochastic Decision Tree Analysis
Assignment 3
4.7 Revenue Management
Assignment 4
Previous/next navigation
Data Analytics and Decision Making Copyright © 2022 by Ali AbdulHussein is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:55.828774
|
09-3-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/1-5-data-technologies-big-data-and-cloud-computing/",
"book_url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Data Analytics and Decision Making",
"author": "Ali AbdulHussein",
"institution": "University of Windsor",
"subject": "Data science and analysis: general, Business and Management, Engineering: general, Probability and statistics"
}
|
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/1-6-stages-of-data-analytics/
|
Primary Navigation
Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.
Book Contents Navigation
Introduction
Acknowledgements
Accessibility Statement
Adopting or Adapting the Book
1.1 Introduction to Data Analytics and Decision Making
1.3 Careers in Data Analytics
1.4 Data Types, Formats and Repositories
1.5 Data Technologies: Big Data and Cloud Computing
1.6 Stages of Data Analytics
1.7 Predictive Analytics: Statistical Learning & Machine Learning
1.8 Prescriptive Analytics
2.1 Descriptive Analytics
2.2 Data Visualization
Assignment 1
2.3 Data Summarization
3.1 Predictive Analytics
3.2 Regression
3.3 Multiple Linear Regression
3.4 Non-Linear Relationships/Polynomial Regression
3.5 Logistic Regression
Assignment 2
3.6 K-Nearest Neighbours
3.7 Cross Validation
3.8 Resampling
3.9 Feature Selection
4.1 Prescriptive Analytics
4.2 Minimum Cost Network Flow Problem (MCNFP)
4.3 Routing
4.4 Simulation
4.5 Investment Management
4.6 Stochastic Decision Tree Analysis
Assignment 3
4.7 Revenue Management
Assignment 4
Previous/next navigation
Data Analytics and Decision Making Copyright © 2022 by Ali AbdulHussein is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:55.845308
|
09-3-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/1-6-stages-of-data-analytics/",
"book_url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Data Analytics and Decision Making",
"author": "Ali AbdulHussein",
"institution": "University of Windsor",
"subject": "Data science and analysis: general, Business and Management, Engineering: general, Probability and statistics"
}
|
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/1-7-predictive-analytics-statistical-learning-machine-learning/
|
Primary Navigation
Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.
Book Contents Navigation
Introduction
Acknowledgements
Accessibility Statement
Adopting or Adapting the Book
1.1 Introduction to Data Analytics and Decision Making
1.3 Careers in Data Analytics
1.4 Data Types, Formats and Repositories
1.5 Data Technologies: Big Data and Cloud Computing
1.6 Stages of Data Analytics
1.7 Predictive Analytics: Statistical Learning & Machine Learning
1.8 Prescriptive Analytics
2.1 Descriptive Analytics
2.2 Data Visualization
Assignment 1
2.3 Data Summarization
3.1 Predictive Analytics
3.2 Regression
3.3 Multiple Linear Regression
3.4 Non-Linear Relationships/Polynomial Regression
3.5 Logistic Regression
Assignment 2
3.6 K-Nearest Neighbours
3.7 Cross Validation
3.8 Resampling
3.9 Feature Selection
4.1 Prescriptive Analytics
4.2 Minimum Cost Network Flow Problem (MCNFP)
4.3 Routing
4.4 Simulation
4.5 Investment Management
4.6 Stochastic Decision Tree Analysis
Assignment 3
4.7 Revenue Management
Assignment 4
Previous/next navigation
Data Analytics and Decision Making Copyright © 2022 by Ali AbdulHussein is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:55.861997
|
09-3-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/1-7-predictive-analytics-statistical-learning-machine-learning/",
"book_url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Data Analytics and Decision Making",
"author": "Ali AbdulHussein",
"institution": "University of Windsor",
"subject": "Data science and analysis: general, Business and Management, Engineering: general, Probability and statistics"
}
|
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/1-8-prescriptive-analytics/
|
1.8 Prescriptive Analytics
Exercises
What decision was being made?
What data (descriptive and predictive) might one need to make the best decision?
What other costs or constraints might you have to consider in routing?
Which other situations might be appropriate for applications of such models?
What data (descriptive and predictive) might one need to make the best decision?
What other costs or constraints might you have to consider in routing?
Which other situations might be appropriate for applications of such models?
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:55.871580
|
09-3-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/1-8-prescriptive-analytics/",
"book_url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Data Analytics and Decision Making",
"author": "Ali AbdulHussein",
"institution": "University of Windsor",
"subject": "Data science and analysis: general, Business and Management, Engineering: general, Probability and statistics"
}
|
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/2-1-descriptive-analytics/
|
2.1 Descriptive Analytics
Recommended Readings for the Descriptive Analytics Chapters
Chapter 1. Descriptive Statistics and Frequency Distributions
Chapter 2. The Normal and t-Distributions (only the normal distribution)
This is a chapter from a free, open textbook that has been adapted to the Canadian context. When read online, it allows readers to learn the basic and most commonly-applied statistical techniques in business in an interactive way using Excel spreadsheets.
Introductory Business Statistics with Interactive Spreadsheets – 1st Canadian Edition by Mohammad Mahbobi & Thomas Tiemann is licensed under a Creative-Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:55.881210
|
09-3-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/2-1-descriptive-analytics/",
"book_url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Data Analytics and Decision Making",
"author": "Ali AbdulHussein",
"institution": "University of Windsor",
"subject": "Data science and analysis: general, Business and Management, Engineering: general, Probability and statistics"
}
|
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/2-2-data-visualization/
|
2.2 Data Visualization
Exercises
Lab 1
The instructor will go over the following file in class. Load the following file to practice creating data visualizations such as a boxplot and pivot table.
DataVisualization_Template.xls
Lab 2
Load the following file to practice creating data visualizations.
Data Source:
Amazon Top 50 Bestselling books 2009-2019,
https://www.kaggle.com/sootersaalu/amazon-top-50-bestselling-books-2009-2019
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:55.891670
|
09-3-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/2-2-data-visualization/",
"book_url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Data Analytics and Decision Making",
"author": "Ali AbdulHussein",
"institution": "University of Windsor",
"subject": "Data science and analysis: general, Business and Management, Engineering: general, Probability and statistics"
}
|
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/assignment-1/
|
Assignment 1
Analyze an Insurance Charge Dataset
Use the dataset, Case_Insurance.csv to answer the following questions:
- Does sex impact the insurance charges?
- Identify the most impactful factor on insurance charges
Note:
Consider the fact that not everyone identifies within a binary of male/female or man/woman. For the purposes of this assignment, we are using the word “sex” to refer to the physiology of the person. A better word to use may be “gender.” This is because preconceived notions and biases associated with gender, rather than solely the physiology of the person, has been proven to affect health insurance rates and access to health services more generally.
To learn more about these issues, read
Katherine Hay, M. A., et. al. (2019). “Disrupting Gender Norms in Health Systems: Making the Case for Change,” Lancet, 393 (10190), pp. 2535-2549. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(19)30648-8
"socially constructed roles, behaviours, expressions and identities of girls, women, boys, men and gender diverse people" from CIHR, https://cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/48642.html
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:55.902543
|
09-3-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/assignment-1/",
"book_url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Data Analytics and Decision Making",
"author": "Ali AbdulHussein",
"institution": "University of Windsor",
"subject": "Data science and analysis: general, Business and Management, Engineering: general, Probability and statistics"
}
|
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/2-3-data-summarization/
|
2.3 Data Summarization
In-Class Optional Exercises
The instructor will go over these examples in class. Load the following files to practice analyzing data summarization.
In-Class Optional Exercises
The instructor will go over these examples in class. Load the following files to practice analyzing data summarization.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:55.915030
|
09-3-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/2-3-data-summarization/",
"book_url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Data Analytics and Decision Making",
"author": "Ali AbdulHussein",
"institution": "University of Windsor",
"subject": "Data science and analysis: general, Business and Management, Engineering: general, Probability and statistics"
}
|
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/3-1-predictive-analytics/
|
3.1 Predictive Analytics
Recommended Reading for Predictive Analytics
This is a chapter from a free, open textbook that has been adapted to the Canadian context. When read online, it allows readers to learn the basic and most commonly-applied statistical techniques in business in an interactive way using Excel spreadsheets.
Introductory Business Statistics with Interactive Spreadsheets – 1st Canadian Edition by Mohammad Mahbobi & Thomas Tiemann is licensed under a Creative-Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:55.924769
|
09-3-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/3-1-predictive-analytics/",
"book_url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Data Analytics and Decision Making",
"author": "Ali AbdulHussein",
"institution": "University of Windsor",
"subject": "Data science and analysis: general, Business and Management, Engineering: general, Probability and statistics"
}
|
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/3-2-regression/
|
3.2 Regression
Exercises
Recommended Reading
This is a chapter from a free, open textbook that has been adapted to the Canadian context. When read online, it allows readers to learn the basic and most commonly-applied statistical techniques in business in an interactive way using Excel spreadsheets.
Introductory Business Statistics with Interactive Spreadsheets – 1st Canadian Edition by Mohammad Mahbobi & Thomas Tiemann is licensed under a Creative-Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:55.934826
|
09-3-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/3-2-regression/",
"book_url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Data Analytics and Decision Making",
"author": "Ali AbdulHussein",
"institution": "University of Windsor",
"subject": "Data science and analysis: general, Business and Management, Engineering: general, Probability and statistics"
}
|
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/3-3-multiple-linear-regression/
|
Primary Navigation
Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.
Book Contents Navigation
Introduction
Acknowledgements
Accessibility Statement
Adopting or Adapting the Book
1.1 Introduction to Data Analytics and Decision Making
1.3 Careers in Data Analytics
1.4 Data Types, Formats and Repositories
1.5 Data Technologies: Big Data and Cloud Computing
1.6 Stages of Data Analytics
1.7 Predictive Analytics: Statistical Learning & Machine Learning
1.8 Prescriptive Analytics
2.1 Descriptive Analytics
2.2 Data Visualization
Assignment 1
2.3 Data Summarization
3.1 Predictive Analytics
3.2 Regression
3.3 Multiple Linear Regression
3.4 Non-Linear Relationships/Polynomial Regression
3.5 Logistic Regression
Assignment 2
3.6 K-Nearest Neighbours
3.7 Cross Validation
3.8 Resampling
3.9 Feature Selection
4.1 Prescriptive Analytics
4.2 Minimum Cost Network Flow Problem (MCNFP)
4.3 Routing
4.4 Simulation
4.5 Investment Management
4.6 Stochastic Decision Tree Analysis
Assignment 3
4.7 Revenue Management
Assignment 4
Lab 4
Load the following file to practice multiple linear regression.
Case_Credit_Template.xlsx
Previous/next navigation
Data Analytics and Decision Making Copyright © 2022 by Ali AbdulHussein is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:55.951794
|
09-3-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/3-3-multiple-linear-regression/",
"book_url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Data Analytics and Decision Making",
"author": "Ali AbdulHussein",
"institution": "University of Windsor",
"subject": "Data science and analysis: general, Business and Management, Engineering: general, Probability and statistics"
}
|
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/3-4-non-linear-relationships-polynomial-regression/
|
Primary Navigation
Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.
Book Contents Navigation
Introduction
Acknowledgements
Accessibility Statement
Adopting or Adapting the Book
1.1 Introduction to Data Analytics and Decision Making
1.3 Careers in Data Analytics
1.4 Data Types, Formats and Repositories
1.5 Data Technologies: Big Data and Cloud Computing
1.6 Stages of Data Analytics
1.7 Predictive Analytics: Statistical Learning & Machine Learning
1.8 Prescriptive Analytics
2.1 Descriptive Analytics
2.2 Data Visualization
Assignment 1
2.3 Data Summarization
3.1 Predictive Analytics
3.2 Regression
3.3 Multiple Linear Regression
3.4 Non-Linear Relationships/Polynomial Regression
3.5 Logistic Regression
Assignment 2
3.6 K-Nearest Neighbours
3.7 Cross Validation
3.8 Resampling
3.9 Feature Selection
4.1 Prescriptive Analytics
4.2 Minimum Cost Network Flow Problem (MCNFP)
4.3 Routing
4.4 Simulation
4.5 Investment Management
4.6 Stochastic Decision Tree Analysis
Assignment 3
4.7 Revenue Management
Assignment 4
Previous/next navigation
Data Analytics and Decision Making Copyright © 2022 by Ali AbdulHussein is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:55.968347
|
09-3-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/3-4-non-linear-relationships-polynomial-regression/",
"book_url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Data Analytics and Decision Making",
"author": "Ali AbdulHussein",
"institution": "University of Windsor",
"subject": "Data science and analysis: general, Business and Management, Engineering: general, Probability and statistics"
}
|
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/3-5-logistic-regression/
|
Primary Navigation
Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.
Book Contents Navigation
Introduction
Acknowledgements
Accessibility Statement
Adopting or Adapting the Book
1.1 Introduction to Data Analytics and Decision Making
1.3 Careers in Data Analytics
1.4 Data Types, Formats and Repositories
1.5 Data Technologies: Big Data and Cloud Computing
1.6 Stages of Data Analytics
1.7 Predictive Analytics: Statistical Learning & Machine Learning
1.8 Prescriptive Analytics
2.1 Descriptive Analytics
2.2 Data Visualization
Assignment 1
2.3 Data Summarization
3.1 Predictive Analytics
3.2 Regression
3.3 Multiple Linear Regression
3.4 Non-Linear Relationships/Polynomial Regression
3.5 Logistic Regression
Assignment 2
3.6 K-Nearest Neighbours
3.7 Cross Validation
3.8 Resampling
3.9 Feature Selection
4.1 Prescriptive Analytics
4.2 Minimum Cost Network Flow Problem (MCNFP)
4.3 Routing
4.4 Simulation
4.5 Investment Management
4.6 Stochastic Decision Tree Analysis
Assignment 3
4.7 Revenue Management
Assignment 4
Lab 5
Load the following file to practice multiple linear regression.
Logistic_Regression_Template.xlsx
Previous/next navigation
Data Analytics and Decision Making Copyright © 2022 by Ali AbdulHussein is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:55.986360
|
09-3-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/3-5-logistic-regression/",
"book_url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Data Analytics and Decision Making",
"author": "Ali AbdulHussein",
"institution": "University of Windsor",
"subject": "Data science and analysis: general, Business and Management, Engineering: general, Probability and statistics"
}
|
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/assignment-2/
|
Assignment 2
Using Predictive Analytics for Defaulting on Credit Card Payments
Use the dataset, Logistic_Regression_Case_Template, to analyze whether an individual will default on their credit card payment based on their annual income monthly credit card balance, and student status for a subset of 10,000 individuals.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:55.995294
|
09-3-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/assignment-2/",
"book_url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Data Analytics and Decision Making",
"author": "Ali AbdulHussein",
"institution": "University of Windsor",
"subject": "Data science and analysis: general, Business and Management, Engineering: general, Probability and statistics"
}
|
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/3-6-k-nearest-neighbours/
|
Primary Navigation
Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.
Book Contents Navigation
Introduction
Acknowledgements
Accessibility Statement
Adopting or Adapting the Book
1.1 Introduction to Data Analytics and Decision Making
1.3 Careers in Data Analytics
1.4 Data Types, Formats and Repositories
1.5 Data Technologies: Big Data and Cloud Computing
1.6 Stages of Data Analytics
1.7 Predictive Analytics: Statistical Learning & Machine Learning
1.8 Prescriptive Analytics
2.1 Descriptive Analytics
2.2 Data Visualization
Assignment 1
2.3 Data Summarization
3.1 Predictive Analytics
3.2 Regression
3.3 Multiple Linear Regression
3.4 Non-Linear Relationships/Polynomial Regression
3.5 Logistic Regression
Assignment 2
3.6 K-Nearest Neighbours
3.7 Cross Validation
3.8 Resampling
3.9 Feature Selection
4.1 Prescriptive Analytics
4.2 Minimum Cost Network Flow Problem (MCNFP)
4.3 Routing
4.4 Simulation
4.5 Investment Management
4.6 Stochastic Decision Tree Analysis
Assignment 3
4.7 Revenue Management
Assignment 4
Exercises
Lab 6
Load the following file to practice KNN
KNN_template.xlsx
Previous/next navigation
Data Analytics and Decision Making Copyright © 2022 by Ali AbdulHussein is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.012175
|
09-3-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/3-6-k-nearest-neighbours/",
"book_url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Data Analytics and Decision Making",
"author": "Ali AbdulHussein",
"institution": "University of Windsor",
"subject": "Data science and analysis: general, Business and Management, Engineering: general, Probability and statistics"
}
|
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/3-7-cross-validation/
|
Primary Navigation
Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.
Book Contents Navigation
Introduction
Acknowledgements
Accessibility Statement
Adopting or Adapting the Book
1.1 Introduction to Data Analytics and Decision Making
1.3 Careers in Data Analytics
1.4 Data Types, Formats and Repositories
1.5 Data Technologies: Big Data and Cloud Computing
1.6 Stages of Data Analytics
1.7 Predictive Analytics: Statistical Learning & Machine Learning
1.8 Prescriptive Analytics
2.1 Descriptive Analytics
2.2 Data Visualization
Assignment 1
2.3 Data Summarization
3.1 Predictive Analytics
3.2 Regression
3.3 Multiple Linear Regression
3.4 Non-Linear Relationships/Polynomial Regression
3.5 Logistic Regression
Assignment 2
3.6 K-Nearest Neighbours
3.7 Cross Validation
3.8 Resampling
3.9 Feature Selection
4.1 Prescriptive Analytics
4.2 Minimum Cost Network Flow Problem (MCNFP)
4.3 Routing
4.4 Simulation
4.5 Investment Management
4.6 Stochastic Decision Tree Analysis
Assignment 3
4.7 Revenue Management
Assignment 4
Cross Validation Tutorial
Load the following file for a cross validation tutorial
CrossValidation_Tutorial.xlsx
Previous/next navigation
Data Analytics and Decision Making Copyright © 2022 by Ali AbdulHussein is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.029353
|
09-3-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/3-7-cross-validation/",
"book_url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Data Analytics and Decision Making",
"author": "Ali AbdulHussein",
"institution": "University of Windsor",
"subject": "Data science and analysis: general, Business and Management, Engineering: general, Probability and statistics"
}
|
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/3-8-resampling/
|
Primary Navigation
Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.
Book Contents Navigation
Introduction
Acknowledgements
Accessibility Statement
Adopting or Adapting the Book
1.1 Introduction to Data Analytics and Decision Making
1.3 Careers in Data Analytics
1.4 Data Types, Formats and Repositories
1.5 Data Technologies: Big Data and Cloud Computing
1.6 Stages of Data Analytics
1.7 Predictive Analytics: Statistical Learning & Machine Learning
1.8 Prescriptive Analytics
2.1 Descriptive Analytics
2.2 Data Visualization
Assignment 1
2.3 Data Summarization
3.1 Predictive Analytics
3.2 Regression
3.3 Multiple Linear Regression
3.4 Non-Linear Relationships/Polynomial Regression
3.5 Logistic Regression
Assignment 2
3.6 K-Nearest Neighbours
3.7 Cross Validation
3.8 Resampling
3.9 Feature Selection
4.1 Prescriptive Analytics
4.2 Minimum Cost Network Flow Problem (MCNFP)
4.3 Routing
4.4 Simulation
4.5 Investment Management
4.6 Stochastic Decision Tree Analysis
Assignment 3
4.7 Revenue Management
Assignment 4
Previous/next navigation
Data Analytics and Decision Making Copyright © 2022 by Ali AbdulHussein is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.045707
|
09-3-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/3-8-resampling/",
"book_url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Data Analytics and Decision Making",
"author": "Ali AbdulHussein",
"institution": "University of Windsor",
"subject": "Data science and analysis: general, Business and Management, Engineering: general, Probability and statistics"
}
|
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/3-9-feature-selection/
|
Primary Navigation
Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.
Book Contents Navigation
Introduction
Acknowledgements
Accessibility Statement
Adopting or Adapting the Book
1.1 Introduction to Data Analytics and Decision Making
1.3 Careers in Data Analytics
1.4 Data Types, Formats and Repositories
1.5 Data Technologies: Big Data and Cloud Computing
1.6 Stages of Data Analytics
1.7 Predictive Analytics: Statistical Learning & Machine Learning
1.8 Prescriptive Analytics
2.1 Descriptive Analytics
2.2 Data Visualization
Assignment 1
2.3 Data Summarization
3.1 Predictive Analytics
3.2 Regression
3.3 Multiple Linear Regression
3.4 Non-Linear Relationships/Polynomial Regression
3.5 Logistic Regression
Assignment 2
3.6 K-Nearest Neighbours
3.7 Cross Validation
3.8 Resampling
3.9 Feature Selection
4.1 Prescriptive Analytics
4.2 Minimum Cost Network Flow Problem (MCNFP)
4.3 Routing
4.4 Simulation
4.5 Investment Management
4.6 Stochastic Decision Tree Analysis
Assignment 3
4.7 Revenue Management
Assignment 4
Previous/next navigation
Data Analytics and Decision Making Copyright © 2022 by Ali AbdulHussein is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.062250
|
09-3-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/3-9-feature-selection/",
"book_url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Data Analytics and Decision Making",
"author": "Ali AbdulHussein",
"institution": "University of Windsor",
"subject": "Data science and analysis: general, Business and Management, Engineering: general, Probability and statistics"
}
|
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/4-1-prescriptive-analytics/
|
Primary Navigation
Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.
Book Contents Navigation
Introduction
Acknowledgements
Accessibility Statement
Adopting or Adapting the Book
1.1 Introduction to Data Analytics and Decision Making
1.3 Careers in Data Analytics
1.4 Data Types, Formats and Repositories
1.5 Data Technologies: Big Data and Cloud Computing
1.6 Stages of Data Analytics
1.7 Predictive Analytics: Statistical Learning & Machine Learning
1.8 Prescriptive Analytics
2.1 Descriptive Analytics
2.2 Data Visualization
Assignment 1
2.3 Data Summarization
3.1 Predictive Analytics
3.2 Regression
3.3 Multiple Linear Regression
3.4 Non-Linear Relationships/Polynomial Regression
3.5 Logistic Regression
Assignment 2
3.6 K-Nearest Neighbours
3.7 Cross Validation
3.8 Resampling
3.9 Feature Selection
4.1 Prescriptive Analytics
4.2 Minimum Cost Network Flow Problem (MCNFP)
4.3 Routing
4.4 Simulation
4.5 Investment Management
4.6 Stochastic Decision Tree Analysis
Assignment 3
4.7 Revenue Management
Assignment 4
Previous/next navigation
Data Analytics and Decision Making Copyright © 2022 by Ali AbdulHussein is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.078439
|
09-3-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/4-1-prescriptive-analytics/",
"book_url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Data Analytics and Decision Making",
"author": "Ali AbdulHussein",
"institution": "University of Windsor",
"subject": "Data science and analysis: general, Business and Management, Engineering: general, Probability and statistics"
}
|
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/4-2-minimum-cost-network-flow-problem-mcnfp/
|
Primary Navigation
Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.
Book Contents Navigation
Introduction
Acknowledgements
Accessibility Statement
Adopting or Adapting the Book
1.1 Introduction to Data Analytics and Decision Making
1.3 Careers in Data Analytics
1.4 Data Types, Formats and Repositories
1.5 Data Technologies: Big Data and Cloud Computing
1.6 Stages of Data Analytics
1.7 Predictive Analytics: Statistical Learning & Machine Learning
1.8 Prescriptive Analytics
2.1 Descriptive Analytics
2.2 Data Visualization
Assignment 1
2.3 Data Summarization
3.1 Predictive Analytics
3.2 Regression
3.3 Multiple Linear Regression
3.4 Non-Linear Relationships/Polynomial Regression
3.5 Logistic Regression
Assignment 2
3.6 K-Nearest Neighbours
3.7 Cross Validation
3.8 Resampling
3.9 Feature Selection
4.1 Prescriptive Analytics
4.2 Minimum Cost Network Flow Problem (MCNFP)
4.3 Routing
4.4 Simulation
4.5 Investment Management
4.6 Stochastic Decision Tree Analysis
Assignment 3
4.7 Revenue Management
Assignment 4
Lab 8
Load the following files to practice MCNFP
Minimum CostFlow Problem.docx
Minimum CostFlow_Template.xlsx
Previous/next navigation
Data Analytics and Decision Making Copyright © 2022 by Ali AbdulHussein is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.096130
|
09-3-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/4-2-minimum-cost-network-flow-problem-mcnfp/",
"book_url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Data Analytics and Decision Making",
"author": "Ali AbdulHussein",
"institution": "University of Windsor",
"subject": "Data science and analysis: general, Business and Management, Engineering: general, Probability and statistics"
}
|
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/4-3-routing/
|
Primary Navigation
Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.
Book Contents Navigation
Introduction
Acknowledgements
Accessibility Statement
Adopting or Adapting the Book
1.1 Introduction to Data Analytics and Decision Making
1.3 Careers in Data Analytics
1.4 Data Types, Formats and Repositories
1.5 Data Technologies: Big Data and Cloud Computing
1.6 Stages of Data Analytics
1.7 Predictive Analytics: Statistical Learning & Machine Learning
1.8 Prescriptive Analytics
2.1 Descriptive Analytics
2.2 Data Visualization
Assignment 1
2.3 Data Summarization
3.1 Predictive Analytics
3.2 Regression
3.3 Multiple Linear Regression
3.4 Non-Linear Relationships/Polynomial Regression
3.5 Logistic Regression
Assignment 2
3.6 K-Nearest Neighbours
3.7 Cross Validation
3.8 Resampling
3.9 Feature Selection
4.1 Prescriptive Analytics
4.2 Minimum Cost Network Flow Problem (MCNFP)
4.3 Routing
4.4 Simulation
4.5 Investment Management
4.6 Stochastic Decision Tree Analysis
Assignment 3
4.7 Revenue Management
Assignment 4
Exercises
Lab 9
Load the following file to practice routing
TSP_Template.xlsx
Previous/next navigation
Data Analytics and Decision Making Copyright © 2022 by Ali AbdulHussein is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.114018
|
09-3-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/4-3-routing/",
"book_url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Data Analytics and Decision Making",
"author": "Ali AbdulHussein",
"institution": "University of Windsor",
"subject": "Data science and analysis: general, Business and Management, Engineering: general, Probability and statistics"
}
|
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/4-4-simulation/
|
Primary Navigation
Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.
Book Contents Navigation
Introduction
Acknowledgements
Accessibility Statement
Adopting or Adapting the Book
1.1 Introduction to Data Analytics and Decision Making
1.3 Careers in Data Analytics
1.4 Data Types, Formats and Repositories
1.5 Data Technologies: Big Data and Cloud Computing
1.6 Stages of Data Analytics
1.7 Predictive Analytics: Statistical Learning & Machine Learning
1.8 Prescriptive Analytics
2.1 Descriptive Analytics
2.2 Data Visualization
Assignment 1
2.3 Data Summarization
3.1 Predictive Analytics
3.2 Regression
3.3 Multiple Linear Regression
3.4 Non-Linear Relationships/Polynomial Regression
3.5 Logistic Regression
Assignment 2
3.6 K-Nearest Neighbours
3.7 Cross Validation
3.8 Resampling
3.9 Feature Selection
4.1 Prescriptive Analytics
4.2 Minimum Cost Network Flow Problem (MCNFP)
4.3 Routing
4.4 Simulation
4.5 Investment Management
4.6 Stochastic Decision Tree Analysis
Assignment 3
4.7 Revenue Management
Assignment 4
Lab 10 – Part 1 of 4
Load the following file to practice simulation
Pierre’s Bakery.xlsx
Previous/next navigation
Data Analytics and Decision Making Copyright © 2022 by Ali AbdulHussein is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.131413
|
09-3-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/4-4-simulation/",
"book_url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Data Analytics and Decision Making",
"author": "Ali AbdulHussein",
"institution": "University of Windsor",
"subject": "Data science and analysis: general, Business and Management, Engineering: general, Probability and statistics"
}
|
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/4-5-investment-management/
|
Primary Navigation
Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.
Book Contents Navigation
Introduction
Acknowledgements
Accessibility Statement
Adopting or Adapting the Book
1.1 Introduction to Data Analytics and Decision Making
1.3 Careers in Data Analytics
1.4 Data Types, Formats and Repositories
1.5 Data Technologies: Big Data and Cloud Computing
1.6 Stages of Data Analytics
1.7 Predictive Analytics: Statistical Learning & Machine Learning
1.8 Prescriptive Analytics
2.1 Descriptive Analytics
2.2 Data Visualization
Assignment 1
2.3 Data Summarization
3.1 Predictive Analytics
3.2 Regression
3.3 Multiple Linear Regression
3.4 Non-Linear Relationships/Polynomial Regression
3.5 Logistic Regression
Assignment 2
3.6 K-Nearest Neighbours
3.7 Cross Validation
3.8 Resampling
3.9 Feature Selection
4.1 Prescriptive Analytics
4.2 Minimum Cost Network Flow Problem (MCNFP)
4.3 Routing
4.4 Simulation
4.5 Investment Management
4.6 Stochastic Decision Tree Analysis
Assignment 3
4.7 Revenue Management
Assignment 4
Lab 10 – part 2 of 4
Load the following files to practice investment management
Fisherperson.xlsx
NPV.xlsx
Previous/next navigation
Data Analytics and Decision Making Copyright © 2022 by Ali AbdulHussein is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.149043
|
09-3-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/4-5-investment-management/",
"book_url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Data Analytics and Decision Making",
"author": "Ali AbdulHussein",
"institution": "University of Windsor",
"subject": "Data science and analysis: general, Business and Management, Engineering: general, Probability and statistics"
}
|
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/4-6-stochastic-decision-tree-analysis/
|
Primary Navigation
Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.
Book Contents Navigation
Introduction
Acknowledgements
Accessibility Statement
Adopting or Adapting the Book
1.1 Introduction to Data Analytics and Decision Making
1.3 Careers in Data Analytics
1.4 Data Types, Formats and Repositories
1.5 Data Technologies: Big Data and Cloud Computing
1.6 Stages of Data Analytics
1.7 Predictive Analytics: Statistical Learning & Machine Learning
1.8 Prescriptive Analytics
2.1 Descriptive Analytics
2.2 Data Visualization
Assignment 1
2.3 Data Summarization
3.1 Predictive Analytics
3.2 Regression
3.3 Multiple Linear Regression
3.4 Non-Linear Relationships/Polynomial Regression
3.5 Logistic Regression
Assignment 2
3.6 K-Nearest Neighbours
3.7 Cross Validation
3.8 Resampling
3.9 Feature Selection
4.1 Prescriptive Analytics
4.2 Minimum Cost Network Flow Problem (MCNFP)
4.3 Routing
4.4 Simulation
4.5 Investment Management
4.6 Stochastic Decision Tree Analysis
Assignment 3
4.7 Revenue Management
Assignment 4
;
Exercises
Lab 10 – part 3 of 4
Load the following file to practice stochastic decision tree analysis
Stochastic Decision Tree.xlsx
Previous/next navigation
Data Analytics and Decision Making Copyright © 2022 by Ali AbdulHussein is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.166777
|
09-3-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/4-6-stochastic-decision-tree-analysis/",
"book_url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Data Analytics and Decision Making",
"author": "Ali AbdulHussein",
"institution": "University of Windsor",
"subject": "Data science and analysis: general, Business and Management, Engineering: general, Probability and statistics"
}
|
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/assignment-3/
|
Assignment 3
Case Study – Applying Stochastic Optimization
We recommend using an Ivey Case Study, Research and Development at ICI: Anthraquinone (1999, revised 2010) by Peter C. Bell. This case is available for purchase, per person for a low cost (CAD 9.00) and has an accompanying Microsoft Excel model available.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.175767
|
09-3-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/assignment-3/",
"book_url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Data Analytics and Decision Making",
"author": "Ali AbdulHussein",
"institution": "University of Windsor",
"subject": "Data science and analysis: general, Business and Management, Engineering: general, Probability and statistics"
}
|
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/4-7-revenue-management/
|
Primary Navigation
Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.
Book Contents Navigation
Introduction
Acknowledgements
Accessibility Statement
Adopting or Adapting the Book
1.1 Introduction to Data Analytics and Decision Making
1.3 Careers in Data Analytics
1.4 Data Types, Formats and Repositories
1.5 Data Technologies: Big Data and Cloud Computing
1.6 Stages of Data Analytics
1.7 Predictive Analytics: Statistical Learning & Machine Learning
1.8 Prescriptive Analytics
2.1 Descriptive Analytics
2.2 Data Visualization
Assignment 1
2.3 Data Summarization
3.1 Predictive Analytics
3.2 Regression
3.3 Multiple Linear Regression
3.4 Non-Linear Relationships/Polynomial Regression
3.5 Logistic Regression
Assignment 2
3.6 K-Nearest Neighbours
3.7 Cross Validation
3.8 Resampling
3.9 Feature Selection
4.1 Prescriptive Analytics
4.2 Minimum Cost Network Flow Problem (MCNFP)
4.3 Routing
4.4 Simulation
4.5 Investment Management
4.6 Stochastic Decision Tree Analysis
Assignment 3
4.7 Revenue Management
Assignment 4
Exercises
Lab 10 – Part 4 of 4
Load the following file to practice revenue management
Revenue (Airline).xlsx
Previous/next navigation
Data Analytics and Decision Making Copyright © 2022 by Ali AbdulHussein is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.193440
|
09-3-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/4-7-revenue-management/",
"book_url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Data Analytics and Decision Making",
"author": "Ali AbdulHussein",
"institution": "University of Windsor",
"subject": "Data science and analysis: general, Business and Management, Engineering: general, Probability and statistics"
}
|
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/assignment-4/
|
Assignment 4
Revenue Management at a Hotel
A hotel with 100 rooms considers entering into the booking market. There are two demands:
- Early demand: Before one week to the date U(80, 120)
- Late demand: During one week to the date U(10, 50)
Early customers first book and pay $10 which is non-refundable. They can cancel the booking anytime before one week to the date. In the case of finalizing, they pay another $50. Late customers pay $80 which is non-refundable.
The hotel currently plans for booking policy. Past data shows that at least 80% of early customers finalize the booking. If overbooking is realized, the hotel pays a penalty of $150 to each booked customer.
Use the dataset, Assignment Hotel.xlsx, to analyze how the hotel can maximize profit.
Maximize Profit (X) = Booking fee + Early demand profit + Late demand profit – Overbooked cost
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.207131
|
09-3-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/chapter/assignment-4/",
"book_url": "https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/dataanalyticsvls1/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Data Analytics and Decision Making",
"author": "Ali AbdulHussein",
"institution": "University of Windsor",
"subject": "Data science and analysis: general, Business and Management, Engineering: general, Probability and statistics"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/designingforall/chapter/universal-design/
|
1 Universal Design
Universal Design is the process of creating products (devices, environments, systems, and processes) that are usable by people with the widest possible range of abilities, operating within the widest possible range of situations (environments, conditions, and circumstances). Universal Design emerged from the slightly earlier concept of being barrier-free, the broader accessibility movement, and adaptive technology and assistive technology. It also seeks to blend aesthetics into these core considerations.
Let’s review two common definitions of Universal Design.
Definition 1
Universal Design or Universal Instructional Design (UID)
an approach to teaching that consists of the proactive design and use of inclusive instructional and evaluation strategies. This approach provides academic access to a broad range of learners, including students with disabilities, while:
- maintaining academic standards […]
- reducing the need to having to retrofit after a course is already underway[1]
Definition 2
Universal Instructional Design (UID)
an approach to designing course instruction, materials and content to benefit people of all learning styles without adaptation or retrofitting. UID provides equal access to learning, not simply equal access to information. UID allows the student to control the method of accessing information while the instructor monitors the learning process and initiates any beneficial methods… It should be noted that UID does not remove academic challenges; it removes barriers to access.[2]
Why Universal Design?
For our purposes, we frame the practice of using Universal Design in a holistic and manageable way and begin by addressing the barriers that are easy to anticipate and proactively remediate. This toolkit, therefore, will provide guidance if the answer to any of the following questions is “yes.”
- Do I have visual materials that present core concepts that not all students may be able to see or understand?
- Do I have multimedia materials (e.g., audio, video) that present core concepts that not all students may be able to be hear, see, or otherwise access?
- Do I have documents that present core concepts in a format that not all students may be able to access?
In the Designing for All: A toolkit for maximum learning impact, we focus on an adjunct to Universal Design: Universal Design for Learning (UDL). UDL is a set of principles for curriculum development that gives all individuals equal opportunities to learn and provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone. Rather than a single, one-size-fits-all solution, it offers a flexible approach that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs.[3]
- University of Victoria, "Universal Instructional Design (UID)," Centre for Accessible Learning, accessed March 27, 2018, https://www.uvic.ca/services/cal/staff/universal-instructional-design/index.php. ↵
- Ohio State University, "Universal Design for Learning," Partnership Grant: Fast Facts for Faculty, accessed March 27, 2018, https://ada.osu.edu/resources/fastfacts/Universal_Design.htm. ↵
- "The UDL Guidelines," CAST, accessed August 21, 2018, http://udlguidelines.cast.org/. ↵
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.218945
|
03-10-2023
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/designingforall/chapter/universal-design/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/designingforall/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Designing for All",
"author": "Anwen Burk, Kathleen Bortolin, Sylvie Lafrenière",
"institution": "",
"subject": "Publishing and book trade, Writing and editing guides,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/designingforall/chapter/organizing-content/
|
2 Organizing Content
Organizing content so it has a logical flow just makes sense. Using chapters, headings, and sub-headings to organize a resource allows students to clearly see how the main concepts are related. In addition, headings are one of the main ways that students using a screen reader navigate through a chapter.
Who are you doing this for?
Everyone benefits from having content that’s clearly organized. Well-organized content supports students who:
- Have certain learning disabilities
- Are blind or have low vision
Why is this important?
Headings help to identify the hierarchical structure of a document (e.g., sections, sub-sections). They provide a visual cue that helps sighted readers quickly navigate through sections of a document, skimming until they find the section they are looking for. Similarly, headings create logical divisions in the content and allow a non-sighted user to navigate a page or document easily using a screen reader.
When it comes to using visual references to indicate the hierarchy and structure of a document, you might be accustomed to changing the font style, enlarging the type size, or highlighting the text with bold, underline or italics to create the impression of a heading. This approach presents problems when creating material with accessibility in mind because screen readers won’t identify the text as a heading. Instead, the screen reader will just “read” through the text of a heading as if it were regular content, missing your intended cues about structure and organization.
What do you need to do?
VIULearn
In VIULearn, use the Format option the HTML editor as shown in the screenshot below.
Word Documents
In Word, use the heading styles feature located in the Home tab as shown in the screenshot below.
To read more about using Headings in Word check the Microsoft Office support website.
Google Docs
In Google Docs, use the styles feature as shown in the screenshot below.
To read more about using headings in Google docs check the Google Docs Help Center.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.229018
|
03-10-2023
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/designingforall/chapter/organizing-content/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/designingforall/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Designing for All",
"author": "Anwen Burk, Kathleen Bortolin, Sylvie Lafrenière",
"institution": "",
"subject": "Publishing and book trade, Writing and editing guides,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/designingforall/chapter/images/
|
3 Images
In this section, we provide recommendations to guide your inclusion of accessible, image-based content.
What are images?
Images are non-text elements that include photographs, illustrations, diagrams, pictures, charts, graphs, and maps.
File types used: GIF, JPG, PNG
Why are you including the images you have selected?
Before you can determine what to do to make an image accessible, you must identify its purpose or value to your textbook. Consider the following questions:
- Does your image serve a functional purpose? In other words, is it conveying non-text content to students? If so, you should:
- Does your image serve more of a decorative purpose? In other words, is it primarily a design element that does not convey content? If so, you should:
- avoid unnecessary text descriptions
Who are you doing this for?
This work supports students who:
- Have poor contrast vision
- Are colour blind and cannot differentiate between certain colours
- Use a device with monochrome display
- Use a print copy that is in black and white
- Have limited Internet access and cannot download images
- Have a form of cognitive disability
What do you need to do?
Determine the role of each image used in content as either functional or decorative. Once that has been decided, select how each image will meet accessibility needs by providing descriptive text in a variety of ways. Figures, such as charts and graphs that rely on colour to convey information, should also be evaluated for accessibility by students who are unable to distinguish between or see colour.
Functional images
Consider what your content page would look like if the images didn’t load. Now try writing alternative text for each image that would work as a replacement and provide the same information as the image.
There are three ways to provide alternative text descriptions for images:
- Describe the image in the surrounding text.
- Describe the image in the alt tag.
- Create and link to a long description of the image.
As you work on developing your alternative text descriptions, keep the following recommendations and guidelines in mind:
- Remember that alternative text must convey the content and functionality of an image, and is rarely a literal description of the image (e.g., “photo of cat”). Rather than providing what the image looks like, alternative text should convey the content of the image and what it does.[3]
- For relatively simple images (e.g., photographs, illustrations), try to keep your text descriptions short. You should aim to create a brief alternative (one or two short sentences) that is an accurate and concise equivalent to the information in the image.
- For more complex images (e.g., detailed charts, graphs, maps), you will need to provide more than a one- or two-sentence description to ensure all users will benefit from the content or context you intend to provide.
- Leave out unnecessary information. For example, you do not need to include information like “image of…” or “photo of…”; assistive technologies will automatically identify the material as an image, so including that detail in your alternative description is redundant.
- Avoid redundancy of content in your alternative description. Don’t repeat information that already appears in text adjacent to the image.
Descriptions in surrounding text
You can use the surrounding text to provide the same information as conveyed by the image. This is often the best option for complex images because it makes the information available for everyone, not just those using the alt tags.
If you are editing someone else’s work for accessibility, you are probably not at liberty to start adding to the main text. However, if you are the author, this is the best and easiest option.
If an image has been adequately described in the surrounding text, you can either provide a few-word description of the image in the alt tag or follow the procedures for decorative images.
Alt tags
An alt tag refers to the alt attribute (alt is short for alternative) within an IMG tag. Alt tags are used in two cases:
- When an image doesn’t download due to slow Internet, the alt tag content will display instead of the image.
- For people who are visually impaired and use screen readers, when a screen reader finds an image, it will read out the content of the alt tag.
Alt tags should be no longer than 125 characters, including spaces and punctuation.[4] This is because when a screen reader finds an image, it will say “Graphic” before reading out the alt tag. If the alt tag is longer than 125 characters, the screen reader will interrupt the flow of text and say “Graphic” again, before continuing to read out the alt tag. This can be confusing. For images that require descriptions longer than 125 characters, see the section on long descriptions.
Adding Alt Tags in VIU Tools
Alt Tags in VIULearn
When you upload a new image to VIULearn, you will be prompted to add Alternative Text.
To edit the alt tag of an existing image, click on the image and choose Image options from the menu.
Add the alt tag to the Image Description field.
Alt Tags in VIUBlogs
When you add an image to a blog post you will be given the option to add Alt Text as shown in the screen shot below.
Alt Tags in Word
Learn how to add Alt Tags in Microsoft Office products (e.g. Word and Powerpoint) by accessing the the Microsoft Office support website.
Alt Tags in Google Docs
Learn how to add Alt Tags in Google Suite (e.g. Docs and Slides) by accessing the Google Docs Help Center.
Decorative images
If an image does not add meaning, i.e., if it’s included for decorative or design purposes only, or if the image is adequately described in the caption and/or surrounding text, it doesn’t need an alt tag. Including alternative text descriptions for decorative images “simply slows the process down with no benefit because the screen-reading software vocalizes the content of the [alternative text description], whether that alternative text adds value or not.”[5] However, this doesn’t mean that you should leave an alt tag blank.
When a screen reader detects an image with a blank alt tag, it will read out the image file location. If the above picture about the The Wong-Baker Faces pain scale didn’t have an alt tag, a screen reader would say, “Graphic: https://opentextbc.ca/accessibilitytoolkit/wp-content/uploads/sites/184/2017/06/2049201506_0f9b17182a_o.jpg.”
When an image doesn’t require an alt tag, place two double-quotation marks (“”) in the Alternative Text field; this step will prompt the screen reader to say “Graphic” and move on to the caption.
Using colour
Consider what your images would look like if they only displayed in black and white. Would any necessary context or content be lost if the colour was “turned off?” Images should not rely on colour to convey information; if your point requires colour, you may need to edit or format the image so the concepts presented are not lost to those who are colour blind or require high contrast between colours.
Example 1: Inaccessible Bar Chart
In Chart 1, colour is the only means by which information is conveyed. For students who are colour blind, have poor contrast vision, or are using a black-and-white print copy (see Chart 2), relevant information is lost.
.
Example 2: Accessible Bar Chart
Students who are colour blind can distinguish between high-contrast shades. In Chart 3, contextual labels have been added to each bar at the bottom of the chart. Note that the chart will still require an alt tag.
- "Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0: Guideline 1.1," W3C, accessed March 27, 2018, http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/#text-equiv. ↵
- "Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0: Guideline 1.4.1," W3C, accessed March 27, 2018, http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/#visual-audio-contrast. ↵
- "Alt text blunders," WebAIM, accessed March 27, 2018, http://webaim.org/articles/gonewild/#alttext. ↵
- All screen readers are different, so a 125-character max is a recommendation. Other sources may provide a different number. ↵
- "Top 10 Tips for Making Your Website Accessible," UC Berkeley: Web Access, accessed March 27, 2018, https://webaccess.berkeley.edu/resources/tips/web-accessibility#accessible-alt. ↵
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.251170
|
03-10-2023
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/designingforall/chapter/images/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/designingforall/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Designing for All",
"author": "Anwen Burk, Kathleen Bortolin, Sylvie Lafrenière",
"institution": "",
"subject": "Publishing and book trade, Writing and editing guides,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/designingforall/chapter/links/
|
4 Links
In this section, we review how to add accessible links to content.
What are links?
A link (also called a hyperlink) is found in a file, document, or web page that redirects the reader to additional information found in another online location such as a new web page; links are typically activated by clicking on a highlighted word or image on the screen.
File types used: HTML, PDF, DOCX, XLS
Why are you including the links you have selected?
Generally, links are included within content to point the user to additional information that is available at another location. Links between different parts of a course or a website are also used to facilitate navigation.
Who are you doing this for?
This work supports students who:
- Have a physical disability
- Have a form of cognitive disability
- Are deaf or hard of hearing
- Are blind or have low vision
What do you need to do?
Links can be helpful. But, like other non-text elements, they must be assessed for how students with a range of challenges can and will access them. Understanding and attending to these needs through descriptive text, proper link opening, and—when needed—a web address will ensure that all students can benefit.
Create descriptive link text
You need to ensure that all links have text that describes the topic or purpose of the link. This is important because people using screen readers might have their screen reader set to read out the text for each link on a page. As such, the link text must describe the content of the link when taken out of context for the surrounding paragraph. While link texts such as “click here” or “read more” will make sense to sighted users, they mean nothing when read on their own.[1]
Example 1: Click here for information on using VIULearn.
Example 2: You can find more information on BCcampus Open Education at https://ciel.viu.ca/learning-technologies-innovation/viulearn
Example 3: Information about VIULearn is available online.
While the first two examples make sense in the context of the sentence, neither link text describes the purpose of its link. While the second example is better than the first, having the web address as the link text still does not make the purpose of the link clear. The third example is the most accessible.
Link to non-web content
If you want to link to something that isn’t a web page—such as a Word document, Excel file, or PDF—you should include this information in the link text.[2] This is important because it informs the user what will happen when they click on the link, thus preventing confusion. In addition, a user may decide not to click on a link if they know it’s a certain file type. This typically happens when a user doesn’t have the software needed to open the file or when they know the file type is inaccessible to them.
VIULearn
When you upload a file to VIULearn the system will do this for you by naming the file type below the name of the file.
Other Tools
For most other tools (e.g. Word, PDF, PPT, VIUBlogs) you will need to provide the file type yourself.
New tabs/windows
https://codersblock.com/blog/external-links-new-tabs-and-accessibility/#:~:text=Accessibility%20Implications,have%20difficulty%20perceiving%20visual%20content.%E2%80%9D
The default setting for links in Pressbooks is that they not open in a new window or tab. This is the preferred behaviour, since a new window, opening unexpectedly, can be disorienting for people. This is especially true for individuals who have difficulty perceiving visual content.[3]
However, if a link must open in a new window or tab, the best practice is to include a textual reference.[4]
Example: Information on VIU Blogs [New Tab] is available online.
In VIULearn you can set a link to open in a new tab by checking the Open As External Resource option as seen in the screenshot below.
Provide web addresses in print copies
In some cases you may be providing print versions of your materials. If that is the case, it is a good idea to provide the web address for external links so people using a print copy of the material can find the online content. You can do this by including the web address in-text (Example 1), providing the web address in a footnote (Example 2), or by providing a list of web addresses on a single page in the back matter of the print materials.
Example 1: Information about VIULearn (https://ciel.viu.ca/learning-technologies-innovation/viulearn) is available online.
Example 2: Information about VIULearn[5] is available online.
Example 3: See the List of Links by Chapter for Print Users on the resources page of this course.
- "Ensure link text is meaningful within context," Web Accessibility, accessed March 28, 2018, https://www.webaccessibility.com/best_practices.php?best_practice_id=1301. ↵
- "Links to non-HTML resources," WebAIM, accessed March 28, 2018, https://webaim.org/techniques/hypertext/hypertext_links#non_html. ↵
- "G200: Opening new windows and tabs from a link only when necessary," accessed March 28, 2018, W3C, http://www.w3.org/TR/2014/NOTE-WCAG20-TECHS-20140916/G200. ↵
- Penn State, "Links on a Web Page," Accessibility, accessed March 28, 2018, http://accessibility.psu.edu/linkshtml. ↵
- https://ciel.viu.ca/learning-technologies-innovation/viulearn ↵
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.267488
|
03-10-2023
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/designingforall/chapter/links/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/designingforall/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Designing for All",
"author": "Anwen Burk, Kathleen Bortolin, Sylvie Lafrenière",
"institution": "",
"subject": "Publishing and book trade, Writing and editing guides,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/designingforall/chapter/tables/
|
5 Tables
In this section, we provide guidelines and recommendations for formatting tables.
What are tables?
In this context, tables refer to data tables, which include row and/or column header information to categorize content. (Tables that do not have headers are called layout tables.)
File types include: DOCX, HTML, PDF
Are your tables simple or complex?
A simple table includes a maximum of one header column and/or one header row. A complex table includes more than one header column and/or header row, and may include merged or split cells.[1]
We recommend you make every effort to keep data tables as simple in structure as possible. The more complex the design of a data table, the less accessible it will be for some students using screen-reading technology to access their learning materials. Screen readers move left-to-right, top-to-bottom, one cell at a time, and because a screen reader does not repeat a cell, merging or splitting cells can affect the reading order of a table.
However, you can use merged or split table cells if they are formatted correctly. Check out this web page to learn more: Tables Concepts
Who are you doing this for?
This work supports students who:
- Have a form of cognitive disability,
- Are blind or have low vision
What do you need to do?
In the same way that your content hierarchy needs headings and structure (see Organizing Content), tables need a properly defined structure to be accessible. This means that you must add row and column headers to define the different sections of data. Screen readers read tables horizontally—cell by cell, row by row—and row and column headers help give context to the data in each cell for students who are blind, have low vision, or have a cognitive disability.
The following video shows a screenreader reading different table layouts and demonstrates the importance of reading order when creating accessible tables.
Screen reader reading different table layouts
Create simple tables
A simple table includes:
- A table title or caption
- Maximum of one row of column headers and/or maximum of one column of row headers, with the appropriate scope assigned
- Avoid using merged or split cells
- Adequate cell padding for visual learners
Example 1: How to Create a Simple Table in VIULearn
The table below is a simple table created in VIULearn. Reviewed against the preceding requirements list, this table:
- Includes a caption (Spring Blossoms)
- Has one row in which cells are tagged as column headers (Colour Family, Bulbs, Shrubs, Trees), and one column (beginning on the second row) in which the cells are tagged as row headers (Pink, Yellow)
- Avoids the use of merged or split cells wherever possible
- Has adequate cell padding to provide space buffering around the data in each cell. (Cell padding in this table is set at “10”).
For a student accessing the table through a screen reader, the first row of data following the column headers will be presented along the lines of:
- Row 2, Colour family, column 1, Pink
- Bulbs, column 2, Tulips
- Shrubs, column 3, Flowering currant
- Trees, column 4, Ornamental plum
Marking cells in the first row and/or column of a table as header cells allows a screen reader to interpret the structure of a table and how cells relate to each other. This, in turn, ensures that someone using a screen reader can navigate through a table and understand what column/row a given cell is in. If a table doesn’t have headers, the screen reader will recite cell information starting in the upper left corner and continuing left to right, top to bottom.
How to mark cells and rows as headers
As with section headings, it is not enough to bold or enlarge text in table cells that you want to be marked as headers.
The following screenshots will show you how to identify column and row headers in a table created in VIULearn.
Examples: How to add column and row headers in a table created in VIULearn.
How to create a table caption and add cell padding
Example 3: Captions and cell padding in VIULearn
Add a [Skip Table] option
For large data tables, it can be a good idea to add a link which will allow people to skip the content of the table. See the image below for an example.
As shown, this link is best placed in a row preceding the column headers. That way, someone using a screen reader will hear the caption of the table before being given the option to skip the table.
In this case the link will take the user to the next piece of content in the VIULearn course.
- Penn State, "Tables," Accessibility, accessed March 28, 2018, http://accessibility.psu.edu/tables. ↵
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.288209
|
03-10-2023
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/designingforall/chapter/tables/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/designingforall/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Designing for All",
"author": "Anwen Burk, Kathleen Bortolin, Sylvie Lafrenière",
"institution": "",
"subject": "Publishing and book trade, Writing and editing guides,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/designingforall/chapter/multimedia/
|
6 Multimedia
In this section, we provide recommendations to guide your inclusion of accessible multimedia content.
What are multimedia?
The term multimedia refers to a variety of ways, or media, used to communicate information, such as videos, audio, animations, and slideshows.
File types used: MP3, MP4, PPT
What types of multimedia are you including?
Before you can determine what you need to do to make media accessible, you must understand what is required for different types of multimedia. Consider the following questions:
- Does your multimedia resource include audio narration or instructions? If so, you should:
- provide a complete transcript of all speech content and relevant non-speech content in the resource
- Does your multimedia resource include audio that is synchronized with a video presentation? If so, you should:
- provide captions of all speech content and relevant non-speech content in the resource
- Does your multimedia resource include contextual visuals (e.g., charts, graphs) that are not addressed in the spoken content? If so, you should:
- provide audio descriptions of relevant visual materials in the resource
Who are you doing this for?
This work supports students who:
- Are deaf or hard of hearing
- Are blind or have low vision,
- Have a form of cognitive disability
- Are in a location where they cannot play or hear audio
- Are not native-English speakers and need written-word formats to support understanding
What do you need to do?
Many types of multimedia present information in a non-text manner. For students unable to use the original version of these formats, providing text as a transcript, caption, or written description gives them access.
Transcripts
Consider what your students would get out of your multimedia resource if they were not able to hear the audio portion, or if they had difficulty understanding the spoken word. A text transcript provides students with equivalent information to the audio content in a multimedia resource.[1]
As you work on developing a text transcript, keep in mind the following recommendations about what to include:
- Speaker’s name
- All speech content. If there is speech that is not relevant, it is usually best to indicate that it has been excluded from the transcript, e.g., “[A & B chatted while slides were loading].”
- Relevant descriptions about the speech. Descriptions that convey emotions and mood are usually provided in brackets, e.g., “Don’t touch that! [shouted].”
- Descriptions of relevant non-speech audio. These are usually provided in brackets, e.g., “[metal pipes crashing to concrete floor].” Background noise that isn’t relevant can be left out.
- Headings and sub-headings. Headings help when they make a transcript more usable or easy to navigate, especially when the transcript is long. When included, put headings in brackets to show they were not part of the original audio, e.g., [Introduction]; [Group Discussion]; [Case Study].
Transcripts and Third-Party Videos
If you are not producing your own video resource but are planning to embed video materials from a third-party source be aware that not all third-party videos include transcripts. If you select a video resource that does not already have a transcript, you will need to produce one yourself.
YouTube does have an autogenerated transcript and closed captioning feature. You can read more about it on the YouTube Help page.
Captions
Captions are the text that is synchronized with the audio in a video presentation. Captions are important when people need to see what’s happening in the video and get the audio information in text at the same time.
The work you put into creating a text transcript for a video resource can be repurposed to provide captions. Keep in mind the following recommendations about what to include in your captions:
- All speech content. If there is speech that is not relevant, it is usually best to indicate that it has been excluded from the captions, e.g., “[A & B chatted while slides were loading].”
- Descriptions of relevant non-speech audio. These are usually provided in brackets, e.g., “[metal pipes crashing to concrete floor]”; “[background music by XXX plays].” Background noise that isn’t relevant can be left out.
How can I create Captions?
VIU now has a site licence (instructional staff) for a tool called Camtasia. This software can, among other things, be used to create screencasts and it will also autogenerate captions from your speech. You have to do a bit of training with the software, but once it knows your voice it will produce accurate captions.
Email ithelp@viu.ca to get access to request Camtasia.
You can find information about creating or manually adding captions on the TechSmith Support website.
Audio descriptions
Consider what your students would get out of a multimedia resource if they were not able to see embedded visual materials critical for comprehension. Audio descriptions are helpful if visual content (e.g., a chart or map) in a video or presentation provides important context that is not available through the audio alone.[2]
When describing visual elements in your multimedia resources, keep in mind the following recommendations and guidelines:
- When contextual visual content on the screen is not described in the audio itself, you will need to provide an objective audio description of the visual element.
- Whenever possible, avoid creating the need for audio descriptions in the first place by being proactive at the time of recording. If you pay attention to contextual visuals while recording, you may find opportunities to convey the visual content with the accompanying spoken material instead of inserting audio descriptions of the visual content after the fact.
Example 1
To help students fully grasp a concept that you are trying to convey in your video, you have included some contextual visual references (e.g., maps, charts, physical demonstrations of a process). However, you realize, after making the video, that the audio portion does not describe these visuals in enough detail for all students to be able to access all of the concepts you intended to convey.
In this case, you would need to record an audio description of the visual material that provides enough detail so the same content is available to all learners.
Example 2
You are recording a video or presentation that includes a chart that tracks coal production in British Columbia, and as part of the presentation you want to focus on specific data in the chart. The narrator or presenter might point to sections on the chart and say:
“As you can see, metallurgical coal projection increased by three million tonnes over these two years.“
In this case, audio descriptions would be necessary to provide the missing context to students with visual disabilities; these students cannot see the data on the chart that tells visual learners what the production figures are and for what dates. However, if the narrator or presenter instead says:
“This chart illustrates that metallurgical coal production in B.C. increased from 23 million tonnes in 1999 to 26 million tonnes in 2001,”
the visual content is conveyed through the audio and no audio description will be necessary.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.310751
|
03-10-2023
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/designingforall/chapter/multimedia/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/designingforall/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Designing for All",
"author": "Anwen Burk, Kathleen Bortolin, Sylvie Lafrenière",
"institution": "",
"subject": "Publishing and book trade, Writing and editing guides,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/designingforall/chapter/formulas/
|
7 Formulas
In this section, we review how to add accessible formulas to content.
What are formulas?
Formulas refer to math equations and science formulas.
File types used: LaTex, MathType
Note: Both of these types of files are available in VIULearn
Who are you doing this for?
This work supports students who:
- Are blind or have low vision
- Have a form of cognitive disability
- Have a physical disability
What do you need to do?
There are several ways to handle equations, from images with alt tags to MathML. MathML is available in the HTML text editor in VIULearn,
MathML
Math ML is a text-based XML (short for “extensible markup language”) designed for math equations. Browsers that support MathML are able to translate the XML into a formatted equation. Since MathML with MathJax can be rendered in many systems, including HTML, sites at Penn State, Angel and Drupal, it is considered the best choice for accessibility.
Here is information about creating and viewing MathML.
MathML may vary from system to system and the content can change rapidly.
MathML is available via the Graphical equation menu in VIULearn. The screenshot below shows where to find it.
Image with an alt tag
A safe option is to create an image of an equation (or export it from an equation editor) and then insert the image into a document with an alt tag.
Example 1: An equation in HTML
View the alt tag
alt = “m equals begin fraction m sub 0 over begin square root 1 minus begin fraction v sup 2 over c sup 2 end fraction end square root end fraction”
LaTeX
LaTeX is a math markup language familiar to many in the science and math community. Unfortunately, it is not currently supported by screen reader technology. It is, however, fairly simple to convert LaTeX to an image or MathML in most equation editors.
To import LaTeX, follow these steps in MathMagic and MathType:
- Copy a piece of LaTeX code such as
m &= \frac{m_0}{\sqrt{1-\frac{v^2}{c^2}}}
into an equation editor’s main editing window. - The equation should appear fully formatted. Make minor adjustments as needed.
At a BCcampus user-testing session, students indicated that it would be helpful to place an audio file of the formula or equation alongside each, allowing the user to hear exactly how the formula or equation should be interpreted.
Additional resources
Math accessibility at Portland Community College
In 2012, Portland Community College departments took a closer look at making math accessible to blind students. Read more about the math accessibility study.
Watch Math Accessibility at Portland Community College. (This video is an open educational resource.)
Text Attributions
This chapter is a derivative of Equations: MathML, Images and LaTeX by Penn State. Penn State has provided permission to the authors to use this information under the licence of the toolkit.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.324778
|
03-10-2023
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/designingforall/chapter/formulas/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/designingforall/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Designing for All",
"author": "Anwen Burk, Kathleen Bortolin, Sylvie Lafrenière",
"institution": "",
"subject": "Publishing and book trade, Writing and editing guides,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/designingforall/chapter/font-size/
|
8 Font Size
In this section, we review the two main concerns regarding font size on the web.
What is font size?
Font size is the size of text visible on the screen.
Who are you doing this for?
This work supports students who:
- Are blind or have low vision,
- Have a form of cognitive disability
- Are deaf or hard of hearing
- Have a physical disability
What do you need to do?
There are two main concerns when working with font sizes:
- Ensuring that default font sizes are not too small.
- Ensuring that text can be expanded to 200% on websites.[1]
Keep in mind these recommendations and guidelines:
- Use 12 point for body text. For most documents, body text should be around 12 points. Small fonts may be illegible for some audiences.
- Use 9 point for footnotes. If a document contains footnotes or endnotes, the minimum size should be 9 points.
- The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0) recommend ensuring that text can be zoomed to 200%. As well, we recommend using liquid layouts[2] that can accommodate 200% text.
Where do I change Font Size in VIULearn?
You can change the font size using the HTML editor. The screenshot below shows where the font menu is located in the HTML editor.
- "Font Size on the Web," Accessibility and Usability at Penn State, accessed April 17, 2018, http://accessibility.psu.edu/fontsizehtml/. ↵
- Liquid layouts are layouts that are based on percentages of the current browser window's size. They flex with the size of the window, even if the current viewer changes their browser size as they're viewing the site. Liquid width layouts allow a very efficient use of the space provided by any given web browser window or screen resolution. ↵
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.335628
|
03-10-2023
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/designingforall/chapter/font-size/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/designingforall/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Designing for All",
"author": "Anwen Burk, Kathleen Bortolin, Sylvie Lafrenière",
"institution": "",
"subject": "Publishing and book trade, Writing and editing guides,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/designingforall/chapter/colour-contrast/
|
9 Colour Contrast
In this section, we provide guidelines and recommendations about colour contrast in your learning materials.
What is colour contrast?
Colour contrast refers to the hue, lightness and saturation of text, images, and background.
File types include: DOCX, HTML, PDF, JPG, GIF
What role does colour play in the delivery of your content?
When documents or web pages do not provide enough contrast between foreground elements (e.g., text, images) and background elements (e.g., colour, watermark images), some students will have difficulty reading the content. Consider the following questions:
- Have you presented text- or image-based content on a coloured or textured background? If so, you should:
- confirm that there is sufficient contrast between your foreground content and the chosen background colour or texture
- Have you included links in your content? If so, you should:
- confirm that the colour of your web links is distinct from both your background colour and the colour of the surrounding text
- Have you used colour to convey concepts or information? If so, you should:
- confirm that you are not using colour alone to convey this information
Who are you doing this for?
This work supports students who:
- Have low vision
- Have poor contrast vision
- Are colour blind and cannot differentiate between certain colours
- Use a device with monochrome display
- Use a print copy that is in black and white
What do you need to do?
In order to use colour in a way that is most accessible, take into account colour contrast between text and background, and whether or not colour is used to convey information and the location of a link.
Contrast
Students with low vision and/or a form of colour blindness may have difficulty reading text that does not contrast enough with the background colour selected. If the colour palette you have adopted is too subtle (e.g., white text on a pastel background; medium-grey text on a light-grey background), the contrast between your foreground and background is probably insufficient for some students.
Level AAA of the “Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0)” requires that “the visual presentation of text and images of text has a contrast ratio of at least 7:1.”[1] The following image presents four different foreground/background colour-contrast examples to illustrate insufficient and sufficient colour contrast ratios.
How to Test Your Materials for Colour-Contrast Ratios
There are many online and downloadable tools available to help you evaluate colour-contrast ratios. Here are a few we have tried and like:
- WebAIM’s Color Contrast Checker: This web-based tool allows you to select or enter colour values to test, and provides you with a “pass” or “fail” on your contrast ratio.
- ACART’s Contrast Checker: This is a straightforward, web-based tool you can use to both check colour contrast and view your selections in grey scale. This tool also allows you to keep a history of the colour combinations you have tested.
NOTE: VIULearn has its own accessibility checker. You can read more about it later in this chapter.
Link colours
Links must be visually distinct from both the surrounding, non-linked text and the background colour. If you do not underline your links (or provide some other non-colour cue), you must ensure that you provide both sufficient contrast between the link and background colours and between the link colour and that of the surrounding text.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0) require a:
- 4.5:1 contrast between the link text colour and the background
- 3:1 contrast between the link text colour and the surrounding non-link text colour[2]
High-contrast mode
Some students need to see light text on a dark background for it to be readable, while others require dark text on a light background. Students with low vision must be able to see content when it is displayed in high-contrast mode. This can be a subjective experience, based on individual student needs. We recommend testing your text- and image-based content as you go by using high-contrast mode on your own computer and making adjustments as needed.
All content items such as text, images, bullets, and table borders must be visible in both regular and high-contrast modes.
How to Test Your Content in High-Contrast Mode
To test the visibility of your content in this mode, turn on high contrast by simultaneously pressing the following keys on your (PC) keyboard:
Left ALT + Left SHIFT + Print Screen.
To turn off high contrast mode, repeat this step.
Use of colour
You should not rely on colour as the sole means of conveying information and instruction. If the point you are making depends on colour to be understood, you will need to edit your materials so that concepts presented in the visuals are not lost to those who are colour blind or who require high contrast between colours.[3]
What does this mean in VIULearn?
The default colour settings for creating HTML (e.g. Create a File) content in VIULearn have sufficient contrast for both text and links. So, you really don’t need to change anything. Just be aware that if you do change the default colours you will want to be sure that they meet the standards outlined in this chapter. The good news is that there is a contrast checker built into VIULearn. As shown the screenshot below, it appears when you choose the “Apply Colour” drop down menu in the HTML Editor. Note the green check beside WCAG AA. This indicates that the colour contrast is sufficient.
- WCAG defines three levels of minimum accessibility standards: A, AA, and AAA. AAA outlines the highest level of minimum standards for web accessibility. Large text can have a lower contrast ratio (4.5:1). In addition, text that conveys no information or is part of a logo has no colour contrast requirements. See "Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, Guideline 1.4.6 Contrast (Enhanced)," WC3, accessed February 28, 2018, http://www.w3.org/TR/UNDERSTANDING-WCAG20/visual-audio-contrast7.html. ↵
- "WCAG 2.0 and Link Color," WebAIM, accessed June 7, 2018, http://webaim.org/blog/wcag-2-0-and-link-colors/. ↵
- "Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, Guideline 1.4.1 Use of Color," WC3, accessed June 7, 2018, http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/#visual-audio-contrast. ↵
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.353413
|
03-10-2023
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/designingforall/chapter/colour-contrast/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/designingforall/front-matter/introduction-2/",
"title": "Designing for All",
"author": "Anwen Burk, Kathleen Bortolin, Sylvie Lafrenière",
"institution": "",
"subject": "Publishing and book trade, Writing and editing guides,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/introduction/
|
1 Introduction
Infographics like handouts, one-pagers or brochures are combinations of text and imagery commonly used in health care to summarize complex information in a story for health care learners, providers, patients or other audiences.1,2 Infographics are used in health care higher education both for teaching and learners’ projects.3-5 Family Medicine residents, Nurse Practitioner students and other provider learners often make infographics for their scholarly projects. Once in practice, health care providers make infographics for their patients, the facilities they work in, and to disseminate information to the public. Infographics also are effective for mobilizing research findings.6
The evidence base for infographics creation in health care is fragmentary and only just being summarized.7-9 However, we think there is enough consensus for broad brush recommendations. Infographics development begins with needs analysis, then flows through content gathering to design, distribution, and evaluation. The basics of most of the phases are relatively straight-forward, but comprehensive guidance for the design phase is not readily available for those without a background in design. Well-funded teams tend to collaborate with expert designers, marketers and evaluators, but many learners and practitioners do not have access to such expertise.
Our objective for this manual is to summarize published evidence for basic principles of infographics creation, with an emphasis on the design phase. Our primary audiences for this manual are health care provider learners, practitioners, educators and researchers who wish to use infographics in their work but do not have access to professional designers. Our goal is to help with the pressing need to make accurate, unbiased health information readily available to all.
Tip
Don’t dive into designing an infographic before scanning the whole manual. It won’t take long.
Scope
This manual is intended only as a basic resource for health professionals in creating infographics. It does not establish a standard for course work or practice. We are not design experts, though we have assisted in developing infographics and in overseeing learners who make infographics during their training. While the manual does not cover the development of apps or interactive online tools for disseminating knowledge, some of the principles in this manual can apply to those tasks as well.
Next Steps
The evidence base for much of this guidance remains incomplete. Knowledge mobilization is evolving extremely rapidly in this digital age. We imagine a near future where digital systems will profoundly change the way learners and practitioners create and disseminate evidence-based information for their audiences. Digital systems already can function as expert consultants and assistants in ways that supplement the manual processes we describe in this manual. But, for the foreseeable future, informed expert human oversight will be needed to judge the output from digital systems. So, we invite you to tell us what you like and don’t like about the manual. This manual will be revised with your feedback and as new information emerges from research studies and expert guidance.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.363203
|
12-16-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/introduction/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Designing Infographics – A Manual for Health Care Provider Learners and Practitioners",
"author": "Jim Thompson MD, CCFP(EM), FCFP, Gail Macartney RN(NP), PhD, CON(C), Stephanie Welton MSc",
"institution": "University of Prince Edward Island",
"subject": "Personal and public health / health education, Writing and editing guides, , , , , , ,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/development-phases/
|
2 Creative Process
Table 1 shows the elements of infographic creation.10-14 Learners creating infographics for projects might need to complete some of those phases but not all. For example, they might stop after the design phase but describe external review, dissemination and evaluation in their project reports. Learners without the resources to engage audience informants could comment on that issue in their reports. Providers planning public release will want to consider all phases.
Table 1. Infographic creation.
| Identify the topic | What is the problem you are trying to address with an infographic? |
|---|---|
| Understand the audience | Health care provider group, patients, family members, administrators, policy analysts, general public or others? Young, old or elderly? Mix of cultures or certain sub-groups? Specific accessibility requirements? |
| Assemble development team | Identify who will participate in development of the infographic. If resources permit, engage early participation by members of the intended audience. |
| Do needs analysis | Identify what the audience wants, needs and should know. Clarify the purpose of the infographic. |
| Find existing tools | Find out what tools already exist. Identify opportunities for improvement over existing tools. |
| Identify content, assess the evidence | Gather evidence using literature searches, expert opinion and team consensus. Assess the evidence. Think about the story the infographic will tell the audience. |
| Choose format and plan distribution | Decide on the format, for example paper handout or electronic file. Consider accessibility. Plan how the infographic will be distributed, stored and revised. |
| Design phase | Design and test prototypes: see Chapter 2. |
| External review | Consider external review of the infographic for content and accessibility by experts and intended audience prior to finalizing the design and distributing the infographic. |
| Distribution | Distribute the infographic. |
| Evaluation | Assess the effectiveness of the infographic. |
| Revision | Revise and re-issue new versions as required. |
1- Identify the Topic
The first step is to identify the topic. For learners, it might be a subject they have an interest in or want to learn more about. Other learners and practitioners pick topics based on an identified need in a particular audience. Infographics typically address only 1 to 3 main points, so highly nuanced, complex topics might not be suitable.10 In those cases, infographics can be used to attract audiences to more detailed information sources. To refine the topic, write drafts of the topic statement while considering desired outcomes (objectives).
2- Understand the Audience
The topic step goes hand-in-hand with identifying and understanding the target audience. For the general population, consider differences in age, ethnicity, gender, culture, education level, societal roles and accessibility requirements.15-18 Consider engaging members of the intended audience early in development to understand their priorities and preferences. Lived experience participation especially important in the design phase, to get a feel for what design elements would work best to enable comprehension and actionability.
Stones and Gent (2015) suggested writing out a “persona” to describe the audience, considering:11
- Their literacy in health terminology, numbers and imagery;
- Life experiences, behaviours and opinions;
- Health experiences and opinions;
- How they interpret colours;
- Their preferred go-to places for information;
- Their time available for learning;
- Their needs with respect to the chosen topic.; and
- Their accessibility needs.
Keep the persona in mind during the design phase.
3 – Assemble the Development Team
Learners might work alone on projects, but some might wish to identify collaborators, including intended audience members with lived experience. Intended audience participation is valuable in shaping the design and all other development phases.12,14,19 They can advise on need, format, content, distribution and evaluation. Collaboration with health system managers and practicing providers helps to make infographics more relevant and practical, and facilitates dissemination. Practitioners creating infographics also need to consider their institution’s perspective. Finally, it is best to consult a design expert, but that might not be practical for many.
4 – Do a Needs Analysis
What are you trying to achieve? Needs analysis considers the topic, objectives and audience to clarify what is needed to achieve desired outcomes. Consultation with experts and the intended audience can be very helpful by identifying factors one might otherwise not have considered. What you think the audience needs might be quite different from what they are looking for. For example, lived-experience participants who are very familiar with the topic of interest might not remember what it was like to be a newly diagnosed person.14 Or a helpful infographic designer in one health profession might not understand the needs of an intended audience who are learners in another health profession, or even the same profession but practising in a different setting.
5 – Find Existing Tools
Search for existing infographics and other types of tools intended to mobilize information on the topic. Identify opportunities to improve on existing tools. An older infographic might need updating or refining. Access to a complex online patient education system can be eased with an infographic that helps audience members to get started. Infographics in a related area for the intended audience can help to inspire your design.
6 – Identify Evidence-Based and Accessible Content
Considering the story you intend to tell, identify evidence-based content from the perspectives of both you, your audience and your organization.12,15 Infographics can contain only very limited information. The trick is to decide on just enough: not too little but not too much.4
- Start by conducting literature searches using tools like PubMed and Google Scholar and consulting a professional librarian. Librarians are available at universities, hospitals and professional associations.
- Evaluate the strength of evidence and certainty of conclusions for information that will be included in the infographic.20 At its simplest, evidence evaluation for management of health issues considers the quality, quantity and consistency of pieces of evidence, including attention to bias. There are other criteria for assessing evidence for causality, conducting program evaluation, and evidence in the form of expert opinion. Evidence evaluation is beyond the scope of this manual.
- When evidence is very limited, consider ethical pitfalls in infographic design such as the risks of misinformation, miscommunication and bias.22,23
- External review by content experts prior to distribution can help to mitigate communication risks such as bias, inaccuracy or information gaps.
- Consider how to accurately and succinctly reference sources in the infographic.
- Guidance is emerging for selecting the content of infographics for specific tasks, such as the RIVA-C checklist for summarizing the findings of comparative studies of health interventions.20
Accessibility is a key consideration in the development of infographics.17,18,21 Think about accessibility to ensure that all users, including those with disabilities or impairments can access and understand the information. Accessibility starts with content: the content must be appropriate to the objective and audience, and easy to understand. See Chapter 2 (Designing the Infographic) and Chapter 3 (Software) for more tips.
7 – Choose Format and Plan Distribution
The format of the infographic and how it will be distributed informs the design phase: a paper handout, brochure or poster might look different from an electronic version intended for viewing on a cellphone, for example.11 Consider accessibility of different formats, for example whether the format is compatible with screen reader technology that verbalizes for readers with impaired vision.
8 – Design Phase
The main focus of this manual is the design phase: putting text, imagery and white space together to create your infographic: see Chapter 2 (Designing the Infographic) for things to consider.
9 – External Review
Consider external review of the infographic by experts and the intended audience for content and accessibility prior to finalizing and distributing it. Ideally, use external review throughout development, including prior to starting the design phase. External review can reduce risks of misinformation, bias, inaccuracy, information gaps, weak utility and inaccessibility.
10 – Distribution
Once the infographic design is finalized, it needs to be distributed to the intended audience. Learners might only describe how the infographic could be distributed. Distribution is part of the larger process of disseminating evidence-based information to achieve a desired outcome.8
Planning for distribution should begin early in the development process. There are many physical and electronic options for distributing infographics to audiences, commonly printed handouts, emailing, or posting on websites.11 There is at least anecdotal evidence that wall posters about clinical matters can be stressful for patients compared to more neutral and comforting wall hangings.
11 – Maintenance: Evaluation and Revision
The infographic should be evaluated after initial distribution and could need revision depending on how it is received by the intended audience. Like distribution, planning for maintenance should begin early in the development process. Evaluations assess factors like reach, appeal, comprehension, recall, and effectiveness in achieving the objectives.2,11 Evaluation planning considers what information will be collected and how; how the information will be analyzed; and how the findings will be used to revise the infographic or further dissemination. End-user evaluation can be done with surveys, focus groups or even laboratory tests (e.g. eye tracking), for example.12 Based on the findings, revise the design or distribution plans. Consider how new evidence will be incorporated, and how end-users will be informed of revisions.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.381079
|
12-16-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/development-phases/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Designing Infographics – A Manual for Health Care Provider Learners and Practitioners",
"author": "Jim Thompson MD, CCFP(EM), FCFP, Gail Macartney RN(NP), PhD, CON(C), Stephanie Welton MSc",
"institution": "University of Prince Edward Island",
"subject": "Personal and public health / health education, Writing and editing guides, , , , , , ,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/development-phases/#chapter-27-section-1
|
2 Creative Process
Table 1 shows the elements of infographic creation.10-14 Learners creating infographics for projects might need to complete some of those phases but not all. For example, they might stop after the design phase but describe external review, dissemination and evaluation in their project reports. Learners without the resources to engage audience informants could comment on that issue in their reports. Providers planning public release will want to consider all phases.
Table 1. Infographic creation.
| Identify the topic | What is the problem you are trying to address with an infographic? |
|---|---|
| Understand the audience | Health care provider group, patients, family members, administrators, policy analysts, general public or others? Young, old or elderly? Mix of cultures or certain sub-groups? Specific accessibility requirements? |
| Assemble development team | Identify who will participate in development of the infographic. If resources permit, engage early participation by members of the intended audience. |
| Do needs analysis | Identify what the audience wants, needs and should know. Clarify the purpose of the infographic. |
| Find existing tools | Find out what tools already exist. Identify opportunities for improvement over existing tools. |
| Identify content, assess the evidence | Gather evidence using literature searches, expert opinion and team consensus. Assess the evidence. Think about the story the infographic will tell the audience. |
| Choose format and plan distribution | Decide on the format, for example paper handout or electronic file. Consider accessibility. Plan how the infographic will be distributed, stored and revised. |
| Design phase | Design and test prototypes: see Chapter 2. |
| External review | Consider external review of the infographic for content and accessibility by experts and intended audience prior to finalizing the design and distributing the infographic. |
| Distribution | Distribute the infographic. |
| Evaluation | Assess the effectiveness of the infographic. |
| Revision | Revise and re-issue new versions as required. |
1- Identify the Topic
The first step is to identify the topic. For learners, it might be a subject they have an interest in or want to learn more about. Other learners and practitioners pick topics based on an identified need in a particular audience. Infographics typically address only 1 to 3 main points, so highly nuanced, complex topics might not be suitable.10 In those cases, infographics can be used to attract audiences to more detailed information sources. To refine the topic, write drafts of the topic statement while considering desired outcomes (objectives).
2- Understand the Audience
The topic step goes hand-in-hand with identifying and understanding the target audience. For the general population, consider differences in age, ethnicity, gender, culture, education level, societal roles and accessibility requirements.15-18 Consider engaging members of the intended audience early in development to understand their priorities and preferences. Lived experience participation especially important in the design phase, to get a feel for what design elements would work best to enable comprehension and actionability.
Stones and Gent (2015) suggested writing out a “persona” to describe the audience, considering:11
- Their literacy in health terminology, numbers and imagery;
- Life experiences, behaviours and opinions;
- Health experiences and opinions;
- How they interpret colours;
- Their preferred go-to places for information;
- Their time available for learning;
- Their needs with respect to the chosen topic.; and
- Their accessibility needs.
Keep the persona in mind during the design phase.
3 – Assemble the Development Team
Learners might work alone on projects, but some might wish to identify collaborators, including intended audience members with lived experience. Intended audience participation is valuable in shaping the design and all other development phases.12,14,19 They can advise on need, format, content, distribution and evaluation. Collaboration with health system managers and practicing providers helps to make infographics more relevant and practical, and facilitates dissemination. Practitioners creating infographics also need to consider their institution’s perspective. Finally, it is best to consult a design expert, but that might not be practical for many.
4 – Do a Needs Analysis
What are you trying to achieve? Needs analysis considers the topic, objectives and audience to clarify what is needed to achieve desired outcomes. Consultation with experts and the intended audience can be very helpful by identifying factors one might otherwise not have considered. What you think the audience needs might be quite different from what they are looking for. For example, lived-experience participants who are very familiar with the topic of interest might not remember what it was like to be a newly diagnosed person.14 Or a helpful infographic designer in one health profession might not understand the needs of an intended audience who are learners in another health profession, or even the same profession but practising in a different setting.
5 – Find Existing Tools
Search for existing infographics and other types of tools intended to mobilize information on the topic. Identify opportunities to improve on existing tools. An older infographic might need updating or refining. Access to a complex online patient education system can be eased with an infographic that helps audience members to get started. Infographics in a related area for the intended audience can help to inspire your design.
6 – Identify Evidence-Based and Accessible Content
Considering the story you intend to tell, identify evidence-based content from the perspectives of both you, your audience and your organization.12,15 Infographics can contain only very limited information. The trick is to decide on just enough: not too little but not too much.4
- Start by conducting literature searches using tools like PubMed and Google Scholar and consulting a professional librarian. Librarians are available at universities, hospitals and professional associations.
- Evaluate the strength of evidence and certainty of conclusions for information that will be included in the infographic.20 At its simplest, evidence evaluation for management of health issues considers the quality, quantity and consistency of pieces of evidence, including attention to bias. There are other criteria for assessing evidence for causality, conducting program evaluation, and evidence in the form of expert opinion. Evidence evaluation is beyond the scope of this manual.
- When evidence is very limited, consider ethical pitfalls in infographic design such as the risks of misinformation, miscommunication and bias.22,23
- External review by content experts prior to distribution can help to mitigate communication risks such as bias, inaccuracy or information gaps.
- Consider how to accurately and succinctly reference sources in the infographic.
- Guidance is emerging for selecting the content of infographics for specific tasks, such as the RIVA-C checklist for summarizing the findings of comparative studies of health interventions.20
Accessibility is a key consideration in the development of infographics.17,18,21 Think about accessibility to ensure that all users, including those with disabilities or impairments can access and understand the information. Accessibility starts with content: the content must be appropriate to the objective and audience, and easy to understand. See Chapter 2 (Designing the Infographic) and Chapter 3 (Software) for more tips.
7 – Choose Format and Plan Distribution
The format of the infographic and how it will be distributed informs the design phase: a paper handout, brochure or poster might look different from an electronic version intended for viewing on a cellphone, for example.11 Consider accessibility of different formats, for example whether the format is compatible with screen reader technology that verbalizes for readers with impaired vision.
8 – Design Phase
The main focus of this manual is the design phase: putting text, imagery and white space together to create your infographic: see Chapter 2 (Designing the Infographic) for things to consider.
9 – External Review
Consider external review of the infographic by experts and the intended audience for content and accessibility prior to finalizing and distributing it. Ideally, use external review throughout development, including prior to starting the design phase. External review can reduce risks of misinformation, bias, inaccuracy, information gaps, weak utility and inaccessibility.
10 – Distribution
Once the infographic design is finalized, it needs to be distributed to the intended audience. Learners might only describe how the infographic could be distributed. Distribution is part of the larger process of disseminating evidence-based information to achieve a desired outcome.8
Planning for distribution should begin early in the development process. There are many physical and electronic options for distributing infographics to audiences, commonly printed handouts, emailing, or posting on websites.11 There is at least anecdotal evidence that wall posters about clinical matters can be stressful for patients compared to more neutral and comforting wall hangings.
11 – Maintenance: Evaluation and Revision
The infographic should be evaluated after initial distribution and could need revision depending on how it is received by the intended audience. Like distribution, planning for maintenance should begin early in the development process. Evaluations assess factors like reach, appeal, comprehension, recall, and effectiveness in achieving the objectives.2,11 Evaluation planning considers what information will be collected and how; how the information will be analyzed; and how the findings will be used to revise the infographic or further dissemination. End-user evaluation can be done with surveys, focus groups or even laboratory tests (e.g. eye tracking), for example.12 Based on the findings, revise the design or distribution plans. Consider how new evidence will be incorporated, and how end-users will be informed of revisions.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.397834
|
12-16-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/development-phases/#chapter-27-section-1",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Designing Infographics – A Manual for Health Care Provider Learners and Practitioners",
"author": "Jim Thompson MD, CCFP(EM), FCFP, Gail Macartney RN(NP), PhD, CON(C), Stephanie Welton MSc",
"institution": "University of Prince Edward Island",
"subject": "Personal and public health / health education, Writing and editing guides, , , , , , ,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/development-phases/#chapter-27-section-2
|
2 Creative Process
Table 1 shows the elements of infographic creation.10-14 Learners creating infographics for projects might need to complete some of those phases but not all. For example, they might stop after the design phase but describe external review, dissemination and evaluation in their project reports. Learners without the resources to engage audience informants could comment on that issue in their reports. Providers planning public release will want to consider all phases.
Table 1. Infographic creation.
| Identify the topic | What is the problem you are trying to address with an infographic? |
|---|---|
| Understand the audience | Health care provider group, patients, family members, administrators, policy analysts, general public or others? Young, old or elderly? Mix of cultures or certain sub-groups? Specific accessibility requirements? |
| Assemble development team | Identify who will participate in development of the infographic. If resources permit, engage early participation by members of the intended audience. |
| Do needs analysis | Identify what the audience wants, needs and should know. Clarify the purpose of the infographic. |
| Find existing tools | Find out what tools already exist. Identify opportunities for improvement over existing tools. |
| Identify content, assess the evidence | Gather evidence using literature searches, expert opinion and team consensus. Assess the evidence. Think about the story the infographic will tell the audience. |
| Choose format and plan distribution | Decide on the format, for example paper handout or electronic file. Consider accessibility. Plan how the infographic will be distributed, stored and revised. |
| Design phase | Design and test prototypes: see Chapter 2. |
| External review | Consider external review of the infographic for content and accessibility by experts and intended audience prior to finalizing the design and distributing the infographic. |
| Distribution | Distribute the infographic. |
| Evaluation | Assess the effectiveness of the infographic. |
| Revision | Revise and re-issue new versions as required. |
1- Identify the Topic
The first step is to identify the topic. For learners, it might be a subject they have an interest in or want to learn more about. Other learners and practitioners pick topics based on an identified need in a particular audience. Infographics typically address only 1 to 3 main points, so highly nuanced, complex topics might not be suitable.10 In those cases, infographics can be used to attract audiences to more detailed information sources. To refine the topic, write drafts of the topic statement while considering desired outcomes (objectives).
2- Understand the Audience
The topic step goes hand-in-hand with identifying and understanding the target audience. For the general population, consider differences in age, ethnicity, gender, culture, education level, societal roles and accessibility requirements.15-18 Consider engaging members of the intended audience early in development to understand their priorities and preferences. Lived experience participation especially important in the design phase, to get a feel for what design elements would work best to enable comprehension and actionability.
Stones and Gent (2015) suggested writing out a “persona” to describe the audience, considering:11
- Their literacy in health terminology, numbers and imagery;
- Life experiences, behaviours and opinions;
- Health experiences and opinions;
- How they interpret colours;
- Their preferred go-to places for information;
- Their time available for learning;
- Their needs with respect to the chosen topic.; and
- Their accessibility needs.
Keep the persona in mind during the design phase.
3 – Assemble the Development Team
Learners might work alone on projects, but some might wish to identify collaborators, including intended audience members with lived experience. Intended audience participation is valuable in shaping the design and all other development phases.12,14,19 They can advise on need, format, content, distribution and evaluation. Collaboration with health system managers and practicing providers helps to make infographics more relevant and practical, and facilitates dissemination. Practitioners creating infographics also need to consider their institution’s perspective. Finally, it is best to consult a design expert, but that might not be practical for many.
4 – Do a Needs Analysis
What are you trying to achieve? Needs analysis considers the topic, objectives and audience to clarify what is needed to achieve desired outcomes. Consultation with experts and the intended audience can be very helpful by identifying factors one might otherwise not have considered. What you think the audience needs might be quite different from what they are looking for. For example, lived-experience participants who are very familiar with the topic of interest might not remember what it was like to be a newly diagnosed person.14 Or a helpful infographic designer in one health profession might not understand the needs of an intended audience who are learners in another health profession, or even the same profession but practising in a different setting.
5 – Find Existing Tools
Search for existing infographics and other types of tools intended to mobilize information on the topic. Identify opportunities to improve on existing tools. An older infographic might need updating or refining. Access to a complex online patient education system can be eased with an infographic that helps audience members to get started. Infographics in a related area for the intended audience can help to inspire your design.
6 – Identify Evidence-Based and Accessible Content
Considering the story you intend to tell, identify evidence-based content from the perspectives of both you, your audience and your organization.12,15 Infographics can contain only very limited information. The trick is to decide on just enough: not too little but not too much.4
- Start by conducting literature searches using tools like PubMed and Google Scholar and consulting a professional librarian. Librarians are available at universities, hospitals and professional associations.
- Evaluate the strength of evidence and certainty of conclusions for information that will be included in the infographic.20 At its simplest, evidence evaluation for management of health issues considers the quality, quantity and consistency of pieces of evidence, including attention to bias. There are other criteria for assessing evidence for causality, conducting program evaluation, and evidence in the form of expert opinion. Evidence evaluation is beyond the scope of this manual.
- When evidence is very limited, consider ethical pitfalls in infographic design such as the risks of misinformation, miscommunication and bias.22,23
- External review by content experts prior to distribution can help to mitigate communication risks such as bias, inaccuracy or information gaps.
- Consider how to accurately and succinctly reference sources in the infographic.
- Guidance is emerging for selecting the content of infographics for specific tasks, such as the RIVA-C checklist for summarizing the findings of comparative studies of health interventions.20
Accessibility is a key consideration in the development of infographics.17,18,21 Think about accessibility to ensure that all users, including those with disabilities or impairments can access and understand the information. Accessibility starts with content: the content must be appropriate to the objective and audience, and easy to understand. See Chapter 2 (Designing the Infographic) and Chapter 3 (Software) for more tips.
7 – Choose Format and Plan Distribution
The format of the infographic and how it will be distributed informs the design phase: a paper handout, brochure or poster might look different from an electronic version intended for viewing on a cellphone, for example.11 Consider accessibility of different formats, for example whether the format is compatible with screen reader technology that verbalizes for readers with impaired vision.
8 – Design Phase
The main focus of this manual is the design phase: putting text, imagery and white space together to create your infographic: see Chapter 2 (Designing the Infographic) for things to consider.
9 – External Review
Consider external review of the infographic by experts and the intended audience for content and accessibility prior to finalizing and distributing it. Ideally, use external review throughout development, including prior to starting the design phase. External review can reduce risks of misinformation, bias, inaccuracy, information gaps, weak utility and inaccessibility.
10 – Distribution
Once the infographic design is finalized, it needs to be distributed to the intended audience. Learners might only describe how the infographic could be distributed. Distribution is part of the larger process of disseminating evidence-based information to achieve a desired outcome.8
Planning for distribution should begin early in the development process. There are many physical and electronic options for distributing infographics to audiences, commonly printed handouts, emailing, or posting on websites.11 There is at least anecdotal evidence that wall posters about clinical matters can be stressful for patients compared to more neutral and comforting wall hangings.
11 – Maintenance: Evaluation and Revision
The infographic should be evaluated after initial distribution and could need revision depending on how it is received by the intended audience. Like distribution, planning for maintenance should begin early in the development process. Evaluations assess factors like reach, appeal, comprehension, recall, and effectiveness in achieving the objectives.2,11 Evaluation planning considers what information will be collected and how; how the information will be analyzed; and how the findings will be used to revise the infographic or further dissemination. End-user evaluation can be done with surveys, focus groups or even laboratory tests (e.g. eye tracking), for example.12 Based on the findings, revise the design or distribution plans. Consider how new evidence will be incorporated, and how end-users will be informed of revisions.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.413879
|
12-16-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/development-phases/#chapter-27-section-2",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Designing Infographics – A Manual for Health Care Provider Learners and Practitioners",
"author": "Jim Thompson MD, CCFP(EM), FCFP, Gail Macartney RN(NP), PhD, CON(C), Stephanie Welton MSc",
"institution": "University of Prince Edward Island",
"subject": "Personal and public health / health education, Writing and editing guides, , , , , , ,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/development-phases/#chapter-27-section-3
|
2 Creative Process
Table 1 shows the elements of infographic creation.10-14 Learners creating infographics for projects might need to complete some of those phases but not all. For example, they might stop after the design phase but describe external review, dissemination and evaluation in their project reports. Learners without the resources to engage audience informants could comment on that issue in their reports. Providers planning public release will want to consider all phases.
Table 1. Infographic creation.
| Identify the topic | What is the problem you are trying to address with an infographic? |
|---|---|
| Understand the audience | Health care provider group, patients, family members, administrators, policy analysts, general public or others? Young, old or elderly? Mix of cultures or certain sub-groups? Specific accessibility requirements? |
| Assemble development team | Identify who will participate in development of the infographic. If resources permit, engage early participation by members of the intended audience. |
| Do needs analysis | Identify what the audience wants, needs and should know. Clarify the purpose of the infographic. |
| Find existing tools | Find out what tools already exist. Identify opportunities for improvement over existing tools. |
| Identify content, assess the evidence | Gather evidence using literature searches, expert opinion and team consensus. Assess the evidence. Think about the story the infographic will tell the audience. |
| Choose format and plan distribution | Decide on the format, for example paper handout or electronic file. Consider accessibility. Plan how the infographic will be distributed, stored and revised. |
| Design phase | Design and test prototypes: see Chapter 2. |
| External review | Consider external review of the infographic for content and accessibility by experts and intended audience prior to finalizing the design and distributing the infographic. |
| Distribution | Distribute the infographic. |
| Evaluation | Assess the effectiveness of the infographic. |
| Revision | Revise and re-issue new versions as required. |
1- Identify the Topic
The first step is to identify the topic. For learners, it might be a subject they have an interest in or want to learn more about. Other learners and practitioners pick topics based on an identified need in a particular audience. Infographics typically address only 1 to 3 main points, so highly nuanced, complex topics might not be suitable.10 In those cases, infographics can be used to attract audiences to more detailed information sources. To refine the topic, write drafts of the topic statement while considering desired outcomes (objectives).
2- Understand the Audience
The topic step goes hand-in-hand with identifying and understanding the target audience. For the general population, consider differences in age, ethnicity, gender, culture, education level, societal roles and accessibility requirements.15-18 Consider engaging members of the intended audience early in development to understand their priorities and preferences. Lived experience participation especially important in the design phase, to get a feel for what design elements would work best to enable comprehension and actionability.
Stones and Gent (2015) suggested writing out a “persona” to describe the audience, considering:11
- Their literacy in health terminology, numbers and imagery;
- Life experiences, behaviours and opinions;
- Health experiences and opinions;
- How they interpret colours;
- Their preferred go-to places for information;
- Their time available for learning;
- Their needs with respect to the chosen topic.; and
- Their accessibility needs.
Keep the persona in mind during the design phase.
3 – Assemble the Development Team
Learners might work alone on projects, but some might wish to identify collaborators, including intended audience members with lived experience. Intended audience participation is valuable in shaping the design and all other development phases.12,14,19 They can advise on need, format, content, distribution and evaluation. Collaboration with health system managers and practicing providers helps to make infographics more relevant and practical, and facilitates dissemination. Practitioners creating infographics also need to consider their institution’s perspective. Finally, it is best to consult a design expert, but that might not be practical for many.
4 – Do a Needs Analysis
What are you trying to achieve? Needs analysis considers the topic, objectives and audience to clarify what is needed to achieve desired outcomes. Consultation with experts and the intended audience can be very helpful by identifying factors one might otherwise not have considered. What you think the audience needs might be quite different from what they are looking for. For example, lived-experience participants who are very familiar with the topic of interest might not remember what it was like to be a newly diagnosed person.14 Or a helpful infographic designer in one health profession might not understand the needs of an intended audience who are learners in another health profession, or even the same profession but practising in a different setting.
5 – Find Existing Tools
Search for existing infographics and other types of tools intended to mobilize information on the topic. Identify opportunities to improve on existing tools. An older infographic might need updating or refining. Access to a complex online patient education system can be eased with an infographic that helps audience members to get started. Infographics in a related area for the intended audience can help to inspire your design.
6 – Identify Evidence-Based and Accessible Content
Considering the story you intend to tell, identify evidence-based content from the perspectives of both you, your audience and your organization.12,15 Infographics can contain only very limited information. The trick is to decide on just enough: not too little but not too much.4
- Start by conducting literature searches using tools like PubMed and Google Scholar and consulting a professional librarian. Librarians are available at universities, hospitals and professional associations.
- Evaluate the strength of evidence and certainty of conclusions for information that will be included in the infographic.20 At its simplest, evidence evaluation for management of health issues considers the quality, quantity and consistency of pieces of evidence, including attention to bias. There are other criteria for assessing evidence for causality, conducting program evaluation, and evidence in the form of expert opinion. Evidence evaluation is beyond the scope of this manual.
- When evidence is very limited, consider ethical pitfalls in infographic design such as the risks of misinformation, miscommunication and bias.22,23
- External review by content experts prior to distribution can help to mitigate communication risks such as bias, inaccuracy or information gaps.
- Consider how to accurately and succinctly reference sources in the infographic.
- Guidance is emerging for selecting the content of infographics for specific tasks, such as the RIVA-C checklist for summarizing the findings of comparative studies of health interventions.20
Accessibility is a key consideration in the development of infographics.17,18,21 Think about accessibility to ensure that all users, including those with disabilities or impairments can access and understand the information. Accessibility starts with content: the content must be appropriate to the objective and audience, and easy to understand. See Chapter 2 (Designing the Infographic) and Chapter 3 (Software) for more tips.
7 – Choose Format and Plan Distribution
The format of the infographic and how it will be distributed informs the design phase: a paper handout, brochure or poster might look different from an electronic version intended for viewing on a cellphone, for example.11 Consider accessibility of different formats, for example whether the format is compatible with screen reader technology that verbalizes for readers with impaired vision.
8 – Design Phase
The main focus of this manual is the design phase: putting text, imagery and white space together to create your infographic: see Chapter 2 (Designing the Infographic) for things to consider.
9 – External Review
Consider external review of the infographic by experts and the intended audience for content and accessibility prior to finalizing and distributing it. Ideally, use external review throughout development, including prior to starting the design phase. External review can reduce risks of misinformation, bias, inaccuracy, information gaps, weak utility and inaccessibility.
10 – Distribution
Once the infographic design is finalized, it needs to be distributed to the intended audience. Learners might only describe how the infographic could be distributed. Distribution is part of the larger process of disseminating evidence-based information to achieve a desired outcome.8
Planning for distribution should begin early in the development process. There are many physical and electronic options for distributing infographics to audiences, commonly printed handouts, emailing, or posting on websites.11 There is at least anecdotal evidence that wall posters about clinical matters can be stressful for patients compared to more neutral and comforting wall hangings.
11 – Maintenance: Evaluation and Revision
The infographic should be evaluated after initial distribution and could need revision depending on how it is received by the intended audience. Like distribution, planning for maintenance should begin early in the development process. Evaluations assess factors like reach, appeal, comprehension, recall, and effectiveness in achieving the objectives.2,11 Evaluation planning considers what information will be collected and how; how the information will be analyzed; and how the findings will be used to revise the infographic or further dissemination. End-user evaluation can be done with surveys, focus groups or even laboratory tests (e.g. eye tracking), for example.12 Based on the findings, revise the design or distribution plans. Consider how new evidence will be incorporated, and how end-users will be informed of revisions.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.433579
|
12-16-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/development-phases/#chapter-27-section-3",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Designing Infographics – A Manual for Health Care Provider Learners and Practitioners",
"author": "Jim Thompson MD, CCFP(EM), FCFP, Gail Macartney RN(NP), PhD, CON(C), Stephanie Welton MSc",
"institution": "University of Prince Edward Island",
"subject": "Personal and public health / health education, Writing and editing guides, , , , , , ,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/development-phases/#chapter-27-section-4
|
2 Creative Process
Table 1 shows the elements of infographic creation.10-14 Learners creating infographics for projects might need to complete some of those phases but not all. For example, they might stop after the design phase but describe external review, dissemination and evaluation in their project reports. Learners without the resources to engage audience informants could comment on that issue in their reports. Providers planning public release will want to consider all phases.
Table 1. Infographic creation.
| Identify the topic | What is the problem you are trying to address with an infographic? |
|---|---|
| Understand the audience | Health care provider group, patients, family members, administrators, policy analysts, general public or others? Young, old or elderly? Mix of cultures or certain sub-groups? Specific accessibility requirements? |
| Assemble development team | Identify who will participate in development of the infographic. If resources permit, engage early participation by members of the intended audience. |
| Do needs analysis | Identify what the audience wants, needs and should know. Clarify the purpose of the infographic. |
| Find existing tools | Find out what tools already exist. Identify opportunities for improvement over existing tools. |
| Identify content, assess the evidence | Gather evidence using literature searches, expert opinion and team consensus. Assess the evidence. Think about the story the infographic will tell the audience. |
| Choose format and plan distribution | Decide on the format, for example paper handout or electronic file. Consider accessibility. Plan how the infographic will be distributed, stored and revised. |
| Design phase | Design and test prototypes: see Chapter 2. |
| External review | Consider external review of the infographic for content and accessibility by experts and intended audience prior to finalizing the design and distributing the infographic. |
| Distribution | Distribute the infographic. |
| Evaluation | Assess the effectiveness of the infographic. |
| Revision | Revise and re-issue new versions as required. |
1- Identify the Topic
The first step is to identify the topic. For learners, it might be a subject they have an interest in or want to learn more about. Other learners and practitioners pick topics based on an identified need in a particular audience. Infographics typically address only 1 to 3 main points, so highly nuanced, complex topics might not be suitable.10 In those cases, infographics can be used to attract audiences to more detailed information sources. To refine the topic, write drafts of the topic statement while considering desired outcomes (objectives).
2- Understand the Audience
The topic step goes hand-in-hand with identifying and understanding the target audience. For the general population, consider differences in age, ethnicity, gender, culture, education level, societal roles and accessibility requirements.15-18 Consider engaging members of the intended audience early in development to understand their priorities and preferences. Lived experience participation especially important in the design phase, to get a feel for what design elements would work best to enable comprehension and actionability.
Stones and Gent (2015) suggested writing out a “persona” to describe the audience, considering:11
- Their literacy in health terminology, numbers and imagery;
- Life experiences, behaviours and opinions;
- Health experiences and opinions;
- How they interpret colours;
- Their preferred go-to places for information;
- Their time available for learning;
- Their needs with respect to the chosen topic.; and
- Their accessibility needs.
Keep the persona in mind during the design phase.
3 – Assemble the Development Team
Learners might work alone on projects, but some might wish to identify collaborators, including intended audience members with lived experience. Intended audience participation is valuable in shaping the design and all other development phases.12,14,19 They can advise on need, format, content, distribution and evaluation. Collaboration with health system managers and practicing providers helps to make infographics more relevant and practical, and facilitates dissemination. Practitioners creating infographics also need to consider their institution’s perspective. Finally, it is best to consult a design expert, but that might not be practical for many.
4 – Do a Needs Analysis
What are you trying to achieve? Needs analysis considers the topic, objectives and audience to clarify what is needed to achieve desired outcomes. Consultation with experts and the intended audience can be very helpful by identifying factors one might otherwise not have considered. What you think the audience needs might be quite different from what they are looking for. For example, lived-experience participants who are very familiar with the topic of interest might not remember what it was like to be a newly diagnosed person.14 Or a helpful infographic designer in one health profession might not understand the needs of an intended audience who are learners in another health profession, or even the same profession but practising in a different setting.
5 – Find Existing Tools
Search for existing infographics and other types of tools intended to mobilize information on the topic. Identify opportunities to improve on existing tools. An older infographic might need updating or refining. Access to a complex online patient education system can be eased with an infographic that helps audience members to get started. Infographics in a related area for the intended audience can help to inspire your design.
6 – Identify Evidence-Based and Accessible Content
Considering the story you intend to tell, identify evidence-based content from the perspectives of both you, your audience and your organization.12,15 Infographics can contain only very limited information. The trick is to decide on just enough: not too little but not too much.4
- Start by conducting literature searches using tools like PubMed and Google Scholar and consulting a professional librarian. Librarians are available at universities, hospitals and professional associations.
- Evaluate the strength of evidence and certainty of conclusions for information that will be included in the infographic.20 At its simplest, evidence evaluation for management of health issues considers the quality, quantity and consistency of pieces of evidence, including attention to bias. There are other criteria for assessing evidence for causality, conducting program evaluation, and evidence in the form of expert opinion. Evidence evaluation is beyond the scope of this manual.
- When evidence is very limited, consider ethical pitfalls in infographic design such as the risks of misinformation, miscommunication and bias.22,23
- External review by content experts prior to distribution can help to mitigate communication risks such as bias, inaccuracy or information gaps.
- Consider how to accurately and succinctly reference sources in the infographic.
- Guidance is emerging for selecting the content of infographics for specific tasks, such as the RIVA-C checklist for summarizing the findings of comparative studies of health interventions.20
Accessibility is a key consideration in the development of infographics.17,18,21 Think about accessibility to ensure that all users, including those with disabilities or impairments can access and understand the information. Accessibility starts with content: the content must be appropriate to the objective and audience, and easy to understand. See Chapter 2 (Designing the Infographic) and Chapter 3 (Software) for more tips.
7 – Choose Format and Plan Distribution
The format of the infographic and how it will be distributed informs the design phase: a paper handout, brochure or poster might look different from an electronic version intended for viewing on a cellphone, for example.11 Consider accessibility of different formats, for example whether the format is compatible with screen reader technology that verbalizes for readers with impaired vision.
8 – Design Phase
The main focus of this manual is the design phase: putting text, imagery and white space together to create your infographic: see Chapter 2 (Designing the Infographic) for things to consider.
9 – External Review
Consider external review of the infographic by experts and the intended audience for content and accessibility prior to finalizing and distributing it. Ideally, use external review throughout development, including prior to starting the design phase. External review can reduce risks of misinformation, bias, inaccuracy, information gaps, weak utility and inaccessibility.
10 – Distribution
Once the infographic design is finalized, it needs to be distributed to the intended audience. Learners might only describe how the infographic could be distributed. Distribution is part of the larger process of disseminating evidence-based information to achieve a desired outcome.8
Planning for distribution should begin early in the development process. There are many physical and electronic options for distributing infographics to audiences, commonly printed handouts, emailing, or posting on websites.11 There is at least anecdotal evidence that wall posters about clinical matters can be stressful for patients compared to more neutral and comforting wall hangings.
11 – Maintenance: Evaluation and Revision
The infographic should be evaluated after initial distribution and could need revision depending on how it is received by the intended audience. Like distribution, planning for maintenance should begin early in the development process. Evaluations assess factors like reach, appeal, comprehension, recall, and effectiveness in achieving the objectives.2,11 Evaluation planning considers what information will be collected and how; how the information will be analyzed; and how the findings will be used to revise the infographic or further dissemination. End-user evaluation can be done with surveys, focus groups or even laboratory tests (e.g. eye tracking), for example.12 Based on the findings, revise the design or distribution plans. Consider how new evidence will be incorporated, and how end-users will be informed of revisions.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.449991
|
12-16-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/development-phases/#chapter-27-section-4",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Designing Infographics – A Manual for Health Care Provider Learners and Practitioners",
"author": "Jim Thompson MD, CCFP(EM), FCFP, Gail Macartney RN(NP), PhD, CON(C), Stephanie Welton MSc",
"institution": "University of Prince Edward Island",
"subject": "Personal and public health / health education, Writing and editing guides, , , , , , ,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/development-phases/#chapter-27-section-5
|
2 Creative Process
Table 1 shows the elements of infographic creation.10-14 Learners creating infographics for projects might need to complete some of those phases but not all. For example, they might stop after the design phase but describe external review, dissemination and evaluation in their project reports. Learners without the resources to engage audience informants could comment on that issue in their reports. Providers planning public release will want to consider all phases.
Table 1. Infographic creation.
| Identify the topic | What is the problem you are trying to address with an infographic? |
|---|---|
| Understand the audience | Health care provider group, patients, family members, administrators, policy analysts, general public or others? Young, old or elderly? Mix of cultures or certain sub-groups? Specific accessibility requirements? |
| Assemble development team | Identify who will participate in development of the infographic. If resources permit, engage early participation by members of the intended audience. |
| Do needs analysis | Identify what the audience wants, needs and should know. Clarify the purpose of the infographic. |
| Find existing tools | Find out what tools already exist. Identify opportunities for improvement over existing tools. |
| Identify content, assess the evidence | Gather evidence using literature searches, expert opinion and team consensus. Assess the evidence. Think about the story the infographic will tell the audience. |
| Choose format and plan distribution | Decide on the format, for example paper handout or electronic file. Consider accessibility. Plan how the infographic will be distributed, stored and revised. |
| Design phase | Design and test prototypes: see Chapter 2. |
| External review | Consider external review of the infographic for content and accessibility by experts and intended audience prior to finalizing the design and distributing the infographic. |
| Distribution | Distribute the infographic. |
| Evaluation | Assess the effectiveness of the infographic. |
| Revision | Revise and re-issue new versions as required. |
1- Identify the Topic
The first step is to identify the topic. For learners, it might be a subject they have an interest in or want to learn more about. Other learners and practitioners pick topics based on an identified need in a particular audience. Infographics typically address only 1 to 3 main points, so highly nuanced, complex topics might not be suitable.10 In those cases, infographics can be used to attract audiences to more detailed information sources. To refine the topic, write drafts of the topic statement while considering desired outcomes (objectives).
2- Understand the Audience
The topic step goes hand-in-hand with identifying and understanding the target audience. For the general population, consider differences in age, ethnicity, gender, culture, education level, societal roles and accessibility requirements.15-18 Consider engaging members of the intended audience early in development to understand their priorities and preferences. Lived experience participation especially important in the design phase, to get a feel for what design elements would work best to enable comprehension and actionability.
Stones and Gent (2015) suggested writing out a “persona” to describe the audience, considering:11
- Their literacy in health terminology, numbers and imagery;
- Life experiences, behaviours and opinions;
- Health experiences and opinions;
- How they interpret colours;
- Their preferred go-to places for information;
- Their time available for learning;
- Their needs with respect to the chosen topic.; and
- Their accessibility needs.
Keep the persona in mind during the design phase.
3 – Assemble the Development Team
Learners might work alone on projects, but some might wish to identify collaborators, including intended audience members with lived experience. Intended audience participation is valuable in shaping the design and all other development phases.12,14,19 They can advise on need, format, content, distribution and evaluation. Collaboration with health system managers and practicing providers helps to make infographics more relevant and practical, and facilitates dissemination. Practitioners creating infographics also need to consider their institution’s perspective. Finally, it is best to consult a design expert, but that might not be practical for many.
4 – Do a Needs Analysis
What are you trying to achieve? Needs analysis considers the topic, objectives and audience to clarify what is needed to achieve desired outcomes. Consultation with experts and the intended audience can be very helpful by identifying factors one might otherwise not have considered. What you think the audience needs might be quite different from what they are looking for. For example, lived-experience participants who are very familiar with the topic of interest might not remember what it was like to be a newly diagnosed person.14 Or a helpful infographic designer in one health profession might not understand the needs of an intended audience who are learners in another health profession, or even the same profession but practising in a different setting.
5 – Find Existing Tools
Search for existing infographics and other types of tools intended to mobilize information on the topic. Identify opportunities to improve on existing tools. An older infographic might need updating or refining. Access to a complex online patient education system can be eased with an infographic that helps audience members to get started. Infographics in a related area for the intended audience can help to inspire your design.
6 – Identify Evidence-Based and Accessible Content
Considering the story you intend to tell, identify evidence-based content from the perspectives of both you, your audience and your organization.12,15 Infographics can contain only very limited information. The trick is to decide on just enough: not too little but not too much.4
- Start by conducting literature searches using tools like PubMed and Google Scholar and consulting a professional librarian. Librarians are available at universities, hospitals and professional associations.
- Evaluate the strength of evidence and certainty of conclusions for information that will be included in the infographic.20 At its simplest, evidence evaluation for management of health issues considers the quality, quantity and consistency of pieces of evidence, including attention to bias. There are other criteria for assessing evidence for causality, conducting program evaluation, and evidence in the form of expert opinion. Evidence evaluation is beyond the scope of this manual.
- When evidence is very limited, consider ethical pitfalls in infographic design such as the risks of misinformation, miscommunication and bias.22,23
- External review by content experts prior to distribution can help to mitigate communication risks such as bias, inaccuracy or information gaps.
- Consider how to accurately and succinctly reference sources in the infographic.
- Guidance is emerging for selecting the content of infographics for specific tasks, such as the RIVA-C checklist for summarizing the findings of comparative studies of health interventions.20
Accessibility is a key consideration in the development of infographics.17,18,21 Think about accessibility to ensure that all users, including those with disabilities or impairments can access and understand the information. Accessibility starts with content: the content must be appropriate to the objective and audience, and easy to understand. See Chapter 2 (Designing the Infographic) and Chapter 3 (Software) for more tips.
7 – Choose Format and Plan Distribution
The format of the infographic and how it will be distributed informs the design phase: a paper handout, brochure or poster might look different from an electronic version intended for viewing on a cellphone, for example.11 Consider accessibility of different formats, for example whether the format is compatible with screen reader technology that verbalizes for readers with impaired vision.
8 – Design Phase
The main focus of this manual is the design phase: putting text, imagery and white space together to create your infographic: see Chapter 2 (Designing the Infographic) for things to consider.
9 – External Review
Consider external review of the infographic by experts and the intended audience for content and accessibility prior to finalizing and distributing it. Ideally, use external review throughout development, including prior to starting the design phase. External review can reduce risks of misinformation, bias, inaccuracy, information gaps, weak utility and inaccessibility.
10 – Distribution
Once the infographic design is finalized, it needs to be distributed to the intended audience. Learners might only describe how the infographic could be distributed. Distribution is part of the larger process of disseminating evidence-based information to achieve a desired outcome.8
Planning for distribution should begin early in the development process. There are many physical and electronic options for distributing infographics to audiences, commonly printed handouts, emailing, or posting on websites.11 There is at least anecdotal evidence that wall posters about clinical matters can be stressful for patients compared to more neutral and comforting wall hangings.
11 – Maintenance: Evaluation and Revision
The infographic should be evaluated after initial distribution and could need revision depending on how it is received by the intended audience. Like distribution, planning for maintenance should begin early in the development process. Evaluations assess factors like reach, appeal, comprehension, recall, and effectiveness in achieving the objectives.2,11 Evaluation planning considers what information will be collected and how; how the information will be analyzed; and how the findings will be used to revise the infographic or further dissemination. End-user evaluation can be done with surveys, focus groups or even laboratory tests (e.g. eye tracking), for example.12 Based on the findings, revise the design or distribution plans. Consider how new evidence will be incorporated, and how end-users will be informed of revisions.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.466612
|
12-16-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/development-phases/#chapter-27-section-5",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Designing Infographics – A Manual for Health Care Provider Learners and Practitioners",
"author": "Jim Thompson MD, CCFP(EM), FCFP, Gail Macartney RN(NP), PhD, CON(C), Stephanie Welton MSc",
"institution": "University of Prince Edward Island",
"subject": "Personal and public health / health education, Writing and editing guides, , , , , , ,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/development-phases/#chapter-27-section-6
|
2 Creative Process
Table 1 shows the elements of infographic creation.10-14 Learners creating infographics for projects might need to complete some of those phases but not all. For example, they might stop after the design phase but describe external review, dissemination and evaluation in their project reports. Learners without the resources to engage audience informants could comment on that issue in their reports. Providers planning public release will want to consider all phases.
Table 1. Infographic creation.
| Identify the topic | What is the problem you are trying to address with an infographic? |
|---|---|
| Understand the audience | Health care provider group, patients, family members, administrators, policy analysts, general public or others? Young, old or elderly? Mix of cultures or certain sub-groups? Specific accessibility requirements? |
| Assemble development team | Identify who will participate in development of the infographic. If resources permit, engage early participation by members of the intended audience. |
| Do needs analysis | Identify what the audience wants, needs and should know. Clarify the purpose of the infographic. |
| Find existing tools | Find out what tools already exist. Identify opportunities for improvement over existing tools. |
| Identify content, assess the evidence | Gather evidence using literature searches, expert opinion and team consensus. Assess the evidence. Think about the story the infographic will tell the audience. |
| Choose format and plan distribution | Decide on the format, for example paper handout or electronic file. Consider accessibility. Plan how the infographic will be distributed, stored and revised. |
| Design phase | Design and test prototypes: see Chapter 2. |
| External review | Consider external review of the infographic for content and accessibility by experts and intended audience prior to finalizing the design and distributing the infographic. |
| Distribution | Distribute the infographic. |
| Evaluation | Assess the effectiveness of the infographic. |
| Revision | Revise and re-issue new versions as required. |
1- Identify the Topic
The first step is to identify the topic. For learners, it might be a subject they have an interest in or want to learn more about. Other learners and practitioners pick topics based on an identified need in a particular audience. Infographics typically address only 1 to 3 main points, so highly nuanced, complex topics might not be suitable.10 In those cases, infographics can be used to attract audiences to more detailed information sources. To refine the topic, write drafts of the topic statement while considering desired outcomes (objectives).
2- Understand the Audience
The topic step goes hand-in-hand with identifying and understanding the target audience. For the general population, consider differences in age, ethnicity, gender, culture, education level, societal roles and accessibility requirements.15-18 Consider engaging members of the intended audience early in development to understand their priorities and preferences. Lived experience participation especially important in the design phase, to get a feel for what design elements would work best to enable comprehension and actionability.
Stones and Gent (2015) suggested writing out a “persona” to describe the audience, considering:11
- Their literacy in health terminology, numbers and imagery;
- Life experiences, behaviours and opinions;
- Health experiences and opinions;
- How they interpret colours;
- Their preferred go-to places for information;
- Their time available for learning;
- Their needs with respect to the chosen topic.; and
- Their accessibility needs.
Keep the persona in mind during the design phase.
3 – Assemble the Development Team
Learners might work alone on projects, but some might wish to identify collaborators, including intended audience members with lived experience. Intended audience participation is valuable in shaping the design and all other development phases.12,14,19 They can advise on need, format, content, distribution and evaluation. Collaboration with health system managers and practicing providers helps to make infographics more relevant and practical, and facilitates dissemination. Practitioners creating infographics also need to consider their institution’s perspective. Finally, it is best to consult a design expert, but that might not be practical for many.
4 – Do a Needs Analysis
What are you trying to achieve? Needs analysis considers the topic, objectives and audience to clarify what is needed to achieve desired outcomes. Consultation with experts and the intended audience can be very helpful by identifying factors one might otherwise not have considered. What you think the audience needs might be quite different from what they are looking for. For example, lived-experience participants who are very familiar with the topic of interest might not remember what it was like to be a newly diagnosed person.14 Or a helpful infographic designer in one health profession might not understand the needs of an intended audience who are learners in another health profession, or even the same profession but practising in a different setting.
5 – Find Existing Tools
Search for existing infographics and other types of tools intended to mobilize information on the topic. Identify opportunities to improve on existing tools. An older infographic might need updating or refining. Access to a complex online patient education system can be eased with an infographic that helps audience members to get started. Infographics in a related area for the intended audience can help to inspire your design.
6 – Identify Evidence-Based and Accessible Content
Considering the story you intend to tell, identify evidence-based content from the perspectives of both you, your audience and your organization.12,15 Infographics can contain only very limited information. The trick is to decide on just enough: not too little but not too much.4
- Start by conducting literature searches using tools like PubMed and Google Scholar and consulting a professional librarian. Librarians are available at universities, hospitals and professional associations.
- Evaluate the strength of evidence and certainty of conclusions for information that will be included in the infographic.20 At its simplest, evidence evaluation for management of health issues considers the quality, quantity and consistency of pieces of evidence, including attention to bias. There are other criteria for assessing evidence for causality, conducting program evaluation, and evidence in the form of expert opinion. Evidence evaluation is beyond the scope of this manual.
- When evidence is very limited, consider ethical pitfalls in infographic design such as the risks of misinformation, miscommunication and bias.22,23
- External review by content experts prior to distribution can help to mitigate communication risks such as bias, inaccuracy or information gaps.
- Consider how to accurately and succinctly reference sources in the infographic.
- Guidance is emerging for selecting the content of infographics for specific tasks, such as the RIVA-C checklist for summarizing the findings of comparative studies of health interventions.20
Accessibility is a key consideration in the development of infographics.17,18,21 Think about accessibility to ensure that all users, including those with disabilities or impairments can access and understand the information. Accessibility starts with content: the content must be appropriate to the objective and audience, and easy to understand. See Chapter 2 (Designing the Infographic) and Chapter 3 (Software) for more tips.
7 – Choose Format and Plan Distribution
The format of the infographic and how it will be distributed informs the design phase: a paper handout, brochure or poster might look different from an electronic version intended for viewing on a cellphone, for example.11 Consider accessibility of different formats, for example whether the format is compatible with screen reader technology that verbalizes for readers with impaired vision.
8 – Design Phase
The main focus of this manual is the design phase: putting text, imagery and white space together to create your infographic: see Chapter 2 (Designing the Infographic) for things to consider.
9 – External Review
Consider external review of the infographic by experts and the intended audience for content and accessibility prior to finalizing and distributing it. Ideally, use external review throughout development, including prior to starting the design phase. External review can reduce risks of misinformation, bias, inaccuracy, information gaps, weak utility and inaccessibility.
10 – Distribution
Once the infographic design is finalized, it needs to be distributed to the intended audience. Learners might only describe how the infographic could be distributed. Distribution is part of the larger process of disseminating evidence-based information to achieve a desired outcome.8
Planning for distribution should begin early in the development process. There are many physical and electronic options for distributing infographics to audiences, commonly printed handouts, emailing, or posting on websites.11 There is at least anecdotal evidence that wall posters about clinical matters can be stressful for patients compared to more neutral and comforting wall hangings.
11 – Maintenance: Evaluation and Revision
The infographic should be evaluated after initial distribution and could need revision depending on how it is received by the intended audience. Like distribution, planning for maintenance should begin early in the development process. Evaluations assess factors like reach, appeal, comprehension, recall, and effectiveness in achieving the objectives.2,11 Evaluation planning considers what information will be collected and how; how the information will be analyzed; and how the findings will be used to revise the infographic or further dissemination. End-user evaluation can be done with surveys, focus groups or even laboratory tests (e.g. eye tracking), for example.12 Based on the findings, revise the design or distribution plans. Consider how new evidence will be incorporated, and how end-users will be informed of revisions.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.483025
|
12-16-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/development-phases/#chapter-27-section-6",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Designing Infographics – A Manual for Health Care Provider Learners and Practitioners",
"author": "Jim Thompson MD, CCFP(EM), FCFP, Gail Macartney RN(NP), PhD, CON(C), Stephanie Welton MSc",
"institution": "University of Prince Edward Island",
"subject": "Personal and public health / health education, Writing and editing guides, , , , , , ,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/development-phases/#chapter-27-section-7
|
2 Creative Process
Table 1 shows the elements of infographic creation.10-14 Learners creating infographics for projects might need to complete some of those phases but not all. For example, they might stop after the design phase but describe external review, dissemination and evaluation in their project reports. Learners without the resources to engage audience informants could comment on that issue in their reports. Providers planning public release will want to consider all phases.
Table 1. Infographic creation.
| Identify the topic | What is the problem you are trying to address with an infographic? |
|---|---|
| Understand the audience | Health care provider group, patients, family members, administrators, policy analysts, general public or others? Young, old or elderly? Mix of cultures or certain sub-groups? Specific accessibility requirements? |
| Assemble development team | Identify who will participate in development of the infographic. If resources permit, engage early participation by members of the intended audience. |
| Do needs analysis | Identify what the audience wants, needs and should know. Clarify the purpose of the infographic. |
| Find existing tools | Find out what tools already exist. Identify opportunities for improvement over existing tools. |
| Identify content, assess the evidence | Gather evidence using literature searches, expert opinion and team consensus. Assess the evidence. Think about the story the infographic will tell the audience. |
| Choose format and plan distribution | Decide on the format, for example paper handout or electronic file. Consider accessibility. Plan how the infographic will be distributed, stored and revised. |
| Design phase | Design and test prototypes: see Chapter 2. |
| External review | Consider external review of the infographic for content and accessibility by experts and intended audience prior to finalizing the design and distributing the infographic. |
| Distribution | Distribute the infographic. |
| Evaluation | Assess the effectiveness of the infographic. |
| Revision | Revise and re-issue new versions as required. |
1- Identify the Topic
The first step is to identify the topic. For learners, it might be a subject they have an interest in or want to learn more about. Other learners and practitioners pick topics based on an identified need in a particular audience. Infographics typically address only 1 to 3 main points, so highly nuanced, complex topics might not be suitable.10 In those cases, infographics can be used to attract audiences to more detailed information sources. To refine the topic, write drafts of the topic statement while considering desired outcomes (objectives).
2- Understand the Audience
The topic step goes hand-in-hand with identifying and understanding the target audience. For the general population, consider differences in age, ethnicity, gender, culture, education level, societal roles and accessibility requirements.15-18 Consider engaging members of the intended audience early in development to understand their priorities and preferences. Lived experience participation especially important in the design phase, to get a feel for what design elements would work best to enable comprehension and actionability.
Stones and Gent (2015) suggested writing out a “persona” to describe the audience, considering:11
- Their literacy in health terminology, numbers and imagery;
- Life experiences, behaviours and opinions;
- Health experiences and opinions;
- How they interpret colours;
- Their preferred go-to places for information;
- Their time available for learning;
- Their needs with respect to the chosen topic.; and
- Their accessibility needs.
Keep the persona in mind during the design phase.
3 – Assemble the Development Team
Learners might work alone on projects, but some might wish to identify collaborators, including intended audience members with lived experience. Intended audience participation is valuable in shaping the design and all other development phases.12,14,19 They can advise on need, format, content, distribution and evaluation. Collaboration with health system managers and practicing providers helps to make infographics more relevant and practical, and facilitates dissemination. Practitioners creating infographics also need to consider their institution’s perspective. Finally, it is best to consult a design expert, but that might not be practical for many.
4 – Do a Needs Analysis
What are you trying to achieve? Needs analysis considers the topic, objectives and audience to clarify what is needed to achieve desired outcomes. Consultation with experts and the intended audience can be very helpful by identifying factors one might otherwise not have considered. What you think the audience needs might be quite different from what they are looking for. For example, lived-experience participants who are very familiar with the topic of interest might not remember what it was like to be a newly diagnosed person.14 Or a helpful infographic designer in one health profession might not understand the needs of an intended audience who are learners in another health profession, or even the same profession but practising in a different setting.
5 – Find Existing Tools
Search for existing infographics and other types of tools intended to mobilize information on the topic. Identify opportunities to improve on existing tools. An older infographic might need updating or refining. Access to a complex online patient education system can be eased with an infographic that helps audience members to get started. Infographics in a related area for the intended audience can help to inspire your design.
6 – Identify Evidence-Based and Accessible Content
Considering the story you intend to tell, identify evidence-based content from the perspectives of both you, your audience and your organization.12,15 Infographics can contain only very limited information. The trick is to decide on just enough: not too little but not too much.4
- Start by conducting literature searches using tools like PubMed and Google Scholar and consulting a professional librarian. Librarians are available at universities, hospitals and professional associations.
- Evaluate the strength of evidence and certainty of conclusions for information that will be included in the infographic.20 At its simplest, evidence evaluation for management of health issues considers the quality, quantity and consistency of pieces of evidence, including attention to bias. There are other criteria for assessing evidence for causality, conducting program evaluation, and evidence in the form of expert opinion. Evidence evaluation is beyond the scope of this manual.
- When evidence is very limited, consider ethical pitfalls in infographic design such as the risks of misinformation, miscommunication and bias.22,23
- External review by content experts prior to distribution can help to mitigate communication risks such as bias, inaccuracy or information gaps.
- Consider how to accurately and succinctly reference sources in the infographic.
- Guidance is emerging for selecting the content of infographics for specific tasks, such as the RIVA-C checklist for summarizing the findings of comparative studies of health interventions.20
Accessibility is a key consideration in the development of infographics.17,18,21 Think about accessibility to ensure that all users, including those with disabilities or impairments can access and understand the information. Accessibility starts with content: the content must be appropriate to the objective and audience, and easy to understand. See Chapter 2 (Designing the Infographic) and Chapter 3 (Software) for more tips.
7 – Choose Format and Plan Distribution
The format of the infographic and how it will be distributed informs the design phase: a paper handout, brochure or poster might look different from an electronic version intended for viewing on a cellphone, for example.11 Consider accessibility of different formats, for example whether the format is compatible with screen reader technology that verbalizes for readers with impaired vision.
8 – Design Phase
The main focus of this manual is the design phase: putting text, imagery and white space together to create your infographic: see Chapter 2 (Designing the Infographic) for things to consider.
9 – External Review
Consider external review of the infographic by experts and the intended audience for content and accessibility prior to finalizing and distributing it. Ideally, use external review throughout development, including prior to starting the design phase. External review can reduce risks of misinformation, bias, inaccuracy, information gaps, weak utility and inaccessibility.
10 – Distribution
Once the infographic design is finalized, it needs to be distributed to the intended audience. Learners might only describe how the infographic could be distributed. Distribution is part of the larger process of disseminating evidence-based information to achieve a desired outcome.8
Planning for distribution should begin early in the development process. There are many physical and electronic options for distributing infographics to audiences, commonly printed handouts, emailing, or posting on websites.11 There is at least anecdotal evidence that wall posters about clinical matters can be stressful for patients compared to more neutral and comforting wall hangings.
11 – Maintenance: Evaluation and Revision
The infographic should be evaluated after initial distribution and could need revision depending on how it is received by the intended audience. Like distribution, planning for maintenance should begin early in the development process. Evaluations assess factors like reach, appeal, comprehension, recall, and effectiveness in achieving the objectives.2,11 Evaluation planning considers what information will be collected and how; how the information will be analyzed; and how the findings will be used to revise the infographic or further dissemination. End-user evaluation can be done with surveys, focus groups or even laboratory tests (e.g. eye tracking), for example.12 Based on the findings, revise the design or distribution plans. Consider how new evidence will be incorporated, and how end-users will be informed of revisions.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.498978
|
12-16-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/development-phases/#chapter-27-section-7",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Designing Infographics – A Manual for Health Care Provider Learners and Practitioners",
"author": "Jim Thompson MD, CCFP(EM), FCFP, Gail Macartney RN(NP), PhD, CON(C), Stephanie Welton MSc",
"institution": "University of Prince Edward Island",
"subject": "Personal and public health / health education, Writing and editing guides, , , , , , ,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/development-phases/#chapter-27-section-8
|
2 Creative Process
Table 1 shows the elements of infographic creation.10-14 Learners creating infographics for projects might need to complete some of those phases but not all. For example, they might stop after the design phase but describe external review, dissemination and evaluation in their project reports. Learners without the resources to engage audience informants could comment on that issue in their reports. Providers planning public release will want to consider all phases.
Table 1. Infographic creation.
| Identify the topic | What is the problem you are trying to address with an infographic? |
|---|---|
| Understand the audience | Health care provider group, patients, family members, administrators, policy analysts, general public or others? Young, old or elderly? Mix of cultures or certain sub-groups? Specific accessibility requirements? |
| Assemble development team | Identify who will participate in development of the infographic. If resources permit, engage early participation by members of the intended audience. |
| Do needs analysis | Identify what the audience wants, needs and should know. Clarify the purpose of the infographic. |
| Find existing tools | Find out what tools already exist. Identify opportunities for improvement over existing tools. |
| Identify content, assess the evidence | Gather evidence using literature searches, expert opinion and team consensus. Assess the evidence. Think about the story the infographic will tell the audience. |
| Choose format and plan distribution | Decide on the format, for example paper handout or electronic file. Consider accessibility. Plan how the infographic will be distributed, stored and revised. |
| Design phase | Design and test prototypes: see Chapter 2. |
| External review | Consider external review of the infographic for content and accessibility by experts and intended audience prior to finalizing the design and distributing the infographic. |
| Distribution | Distribute the infographic. |
| Evaluation | Assess the effectiveness of the infographic. |
| Revision | Revise and re-issue new versions as required. |
1- Identify the Topic
The first step is to identify the topic. For learners, it might be a subject they have an interest in or want to learn more about. Other learners and practitioners pick topics based on an identified need in a particular audience. Infographics typically address only 1 to 3 main points, so highly nuanced, complex topics might not be suitable.10 In those cases, infographics can be used to attract audiences to more detailed information sources. To refine the topic, write drafts of the topic statement while considering desired outcomes (objectives).
2- Understand the Audience
The topic step goes hand-in-hand with identifying and understanding the target audience. For the general population, consider differences in age, ethnicity, gender, culture, education level, societal roles and accessibility requirements.15-18 Consider engaging members of the intended audience early in development to understand their priorities and preferences. Lived experience participation especially important in the design phase, to get a feel for what design elements would work best to enable comprehension and actionability.
Stones and Gent (2015) suggested writing out a “persona” to describe the audience, considering:11
- Their literacy in health terminology, numbers and imagery;
- Life experiences, behaviours and opinions;
- Health experiences and opinions;
- How they interpret colours;
- Their preferred go-to places for information;
- Their time available for learning;
- Their needs with respect to the chosen topic.; and
- Their accessibility needs.
Keep the persona in mind during the design phase.
3 – Assemble the Development Team
Learners might work alone on projects, but some might wish to identify collaborators, including intended audience members with lived experience. Intended audience participation is valuable in shaping the design and all other development phases.12,14,19 They can advise on need, format, content, distribution and evaluation. Collaboration with health system managers and practicing providers helps to make infographics more relevant and practical, and facilitates dissemination. Practitioners creating infographics also need to consider their institution’s perspective. Finally, it is best to consult a design expert, but that might not be practical for many.
4 – Do a Needs Analysis
What are you trying to achieve? Needs analysis considers the topic, objectives and audience to clarify what is needed to achieve desired outcomes. Consultation with experts and the intended audience can be very helpful by identifying factors one might otherwise not have considered. What you think the audience needs might be quite different from what they are looking for. For example, lived-experience participants who are very familiar with the topic of interest might not remember what it was like to be a newly diagnosed person.14 Or a helpful infographic designer in one health profession might not understand the needs of an intended audience who are learners in another health profession, or even the same profession but practising in a different setting.
5 – Find Existing Tools
Search for existing infographics and other types of tools intended to mobilize information on the topic. Identify opportunities to improve on existing tools. An older infographic might need updating or refining. Access to a complex online patient education system can be eased with an infographic that helps audience members to get started. Infographics in a related area for the intended audience can help to inspire your design.
6 – Identify Evidence-Based and Accessible Content
Considering the story you intend to tell, identify evidence-based content from the perspectives of both you, your audience and your organization.12,15 Infographics can contain only very limited information. The trick is to decide on just enough: not too little but not too much.4
- Start by conducting literature searches using tools like PubMed and Google Scholar and consulting a professional librarian. Librarians are available at universities, hospitals and professional associations.
- Evaluate the strength of evidence and certainty of conclusions for information that will be included in the infographic.20 At its simplest, evidence evaluation for management of health issues considers the quality, quantity and consistency of pieces of evidence, including attention to bias. There are other criteria for assessing evidence for causality, conducting program evaluation, and evidence in the form of expert opinion. Evidence evaluation is beyond the scope of this manual.
- When evidence is very limited, consider ethical pitfalls in infographic design such as the risks of misinformation, miscommunication and bias.22,23
- External review by content experts prior to distribution can help to mitigate communication risks such as bias, inaccuracy or information gaps.
- Consider how to accurately and succinctly reference sources in the infographic.
- Guidance is emerging for selecting the content of infographics for specific tasks, such as the RIVA-C checklist for summarizing the findings of comparative studies of health interventions.20
Accessibility is a key consideration in the development of infographics.17,18,21 Think about accessibility to ensure that all users, including those with disabilities or impairments can access and understand the information. Accessibility starts with content: the content must be appropriate to the objective and audience, and easy to understand. See Chapter 2 (Designing the Infographic) and Chapter 3 (Software) for more tips.
7 – Choose Format and Plan Distribution
The format of the infographic and how it will be distributed informs the design phase: a paper handout, brochure or poster might look different from an electronic version intended for viewing on a cellphone, for example.11 Consider accessibility of different formats, for example whether the format is compatible with screen reader technology that verbalizes for readers with impaired vision.
8 – Design Phase
The main focus of this manual is the design phase: putting text, imagery and white space together to create your infographic: see Chapter 2 (Designing the Infographic) for things to consider.
9 – External Review
Consider external review of the infographic by experts and the intended audience for content and accessibility prior to finalizing and distributing it. Ideally, use external review throughout development, including prior to starting the design phase. External review can reduce risks of misinformation, bias, inaccuracy, information gaps, weak utility and inaccessibility.
10 – Distribution
Once the infographic design is finalized, it needs to be distributed to the intended audience. Learners might only describe how the infographic could be distributed. Distribution is part of the larger process of disseminating evidence-based information to achieve a desired outcome.8
Planning for distribution should begin early in the development process. There are many physical and electronic options for distributing infographics to audiences, commonly printed handouts, emailing, or posting on websites.11 There is at least anecdotal evidence that wall posters about clinical matters can be stressful for patients compared to more neutral and comforting wall hangings.
11 – Maintenance: Evaluation and Revision
The infographic should be evaluated after initial distribution and could need revision depending on how it is received by the intended audience. Like distribution, planning for maintenance should begin early in the development process. Evaluations assess factors like reach, appeal, comprehension, recall, and effectiveness in achieving the objectives.2,11 Evaluation planning considers what information will be collected and how; how the information will be analyzed; and how the findings will be used to revise the infographic or further dissemination. End-user evaluation can be done with surveys, focus groups or even laboratory tests (e.g. eye tracking), for example.12 Based on the findings, revise the design or distribution plans. Consider how new evidence will be incorporated, and how end-users will be informed of revisions.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.520279
|
12-16-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/development-phases/#chapter-27-section-8",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Designing Infographics – A Manual for Health Care Provider Learners and Practitioners",
"author": "Jim Thompson MD, CCFP(EM), FCFP, Gail Macartney RN(NP), PhD, CON(C), Stephanie Welton MSc",
"institution": "University of Prince Edward Island",
"subject": "Personal and public health / health education, Writing and editing guides, , , , , , ,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/development-phases/#chapter-27-section-9
|
2 Creative Process
Table 1 shows the elements of infographic creation.10-14 Learners creating infographics for projects might need to complete some of those phases but not all. For example, they might stop after the design phase but describe external review, dissemination and evaluation in their project reports. Learners without the resources to engage audience informants could comment on that issue in their reports. Providers planning public release will want to consider all phases.
Table 1. Infographic creation.
| Identify the topic | What is the problem you are trying to address with an infographic? |
|---|---|
| Understand the audience | Health care provider group, patients, family members, administrators, policy analysts, general public or others? Young, old or elderly? Mix of cultures or certain sub-groups? Specific accessibility requirements? |
| Assemble development team | Identify who will participate in development of the infographic. If resources permit, engage early participation by members of the intended audience. |
| Do needs analysis | Identify what the audience wants, needs and should know. Clarify the purpose of the infographic. |
| Find existing tools | Find out what tools already exist. Identify opportunities for improvement over existing tools. |
| Identify content, assess the evidence | Gather evidence using literature searches, expert opinion and team consensus. Assess the evidence. Think about the story the infographic will tell the audience. |
| Choose format and plan distribution | Decide on the format, for example paper handout or electronic file. Consider accessibility. Plan how the infographic will be distributed, stored and revised. |
| Design phase | Design and test prototypes: see Chapter 2. |
| External review | Consider external review of the infographic for content and accessibility by experts and intended audience prior to finalizing the design and distributing the infographic. |
| Distribution | Distribute the infographic. |
| Evaluation | Assess the effectiveness of the infographic. |
| Revision | Revise and re-issue new versions as required. |
1- Identify the Topic
The first step is to identify the topic. For learners, it might be a subject they have an interest in or want to learn more about. Other learners and practitioners pick topics based on an identified need in a particular audience. Infographics typically address only 1 to 3 main points, so highly nuanced, complex topics might not be suitable.10 In those cases, infographics can be used to attract audiences to more detailed information sources. To refine the topic, write drafts of the topic statement while considering desired outcomes (objectives).
2- Understand the Audience
The topic step goes hand-in-hand with identifying and understanding the target audience. For the general population, consider differences in age, ethnicity, gender, culture, education level, societal roles and accessibility requirements.15-18 Consider engaging members of the intended audience early in development to understand their priorities and preferences. Lived experience participation especially important in the design phase, to get a feel for what design elements would work best to enable comprehension and actionability.
Stones and Gent (2015) suggested writing out a “persona” to describe the audience, considering:11
- Their literacy in health terminology, numbers and imagery;
- Life experiences, behaviours and opinions;
- Health experiences and opinions;
- How they interpret colours;
- Their preferred go-to places for information;
- Their time available for learning;
- Their needs with respect to the chosen topic.; and
- Their accessibility needs.
Keep the persona in mind during the design phase.
3 – Assemble the Development Team
Learners might work alone on projects, but some might wish to identify collaborators, including intended audience members with lived experience. Intended audience participation is valuable in shaping the design and all other development phases.12,14,19 They can advise on need, format, content, distribution and evaluation. Collaboration with health system managers and practicing providers helps to make infographics more relevant and practical, and facilitates dissemination. Practitioners creating infographics also need to consider their institution’s perspective. Finally, it is best to consult a design expert, but that might not be practical for many.
4 – Do a Needs Analysis
What are you trying to achieve? Needs analysis considers the topic, objectives and audience to clarify what is needed to achieve desired outcomes. Consultation with experts and the intended audience can be very helpful by identifying factors one might otherwise not have considered. What you think the audience needs might be quite different from what they are looking for. For example, lived-experience participants who are very familiar with the topic of interest might not remember what it was like to be a newly diagnosed person.14 Or a helpful infographic designer in one health profession might not understand the needs of an intended audience who are learners in another health profession, or even the same profession but practising in a different setting.
5 – Find Existing Tools
Search for existing infographics and other types of tools intended to mobilize information on the topic. Identify opportunities to improve on existing tools. An older infographic might need updating or refining. Access to a complex online patient education system can be eased with an infographic that helps audience members to get started. Infographics in a related area for the intended audience can help to inspire your design.
6 – Identify Evidence-Based and Accessible Content
Considering the story you intend to tell, identify evidence-based content from the perspectives of both you, your audience and your organization.12,15 Infographics can contain only very limited information. The trick is to decide on just enough: not too little but not too much.4
- Start by conducting literature searches using tools like PubMed and Google Scholar and consulting a professional librarian. Librarians are available at universities, hospitals and professional associations.
- Evaluate the strength of evidence and certainty of conclusions for information that will be included in the infographic.20 At its simplest, evidence evaluation for management of health issues considers the quality, quantity and consistency of pieces of evidence, including attention to bias. There are other criteria for assessing evidence for causality, conducting program evaluation, and evidence in the form of expert opinion. Evidence evaluation is beyond the scope of this manual.
- When evidence is very limited, consider ethical pitfalls in infographic design such as the risks of misinformation, miscommunication and bias.22,23
- External review by content experts prior to distribution can help to mitigate communication risks such as bias, inaccuracy or information gaps.
- Consider how to accurately and succinctly reference sources in the infographic.
- Guidance is emerging for selecting the content of infographics for specific tasks, such as the RIVA-C checklist for summarizing the findings of comparative studies of health interventions.20
Accessibility is a key consideration in the development of infographics.17,18,21 Think about accessibility to ensure that all users, including those with disabilities or impairments can access and understand the information. Accessibility starts with content: the content must be appropriate to the objective and audience, and easy to understand. See Chapter 2 (Designing the Infographic) and Chapter 3 (Software) for more tips.
7 – Choose Format and Plan Distribution
The format of the infographic and how it will be distributed informs the design phase: a paper handout, brochure or poster might look different from an electronic version intended for viewing on a cellphone, for example.11 Consider accessibility of different formats, for example whether the format is compatible with screen reader technology that verbalizes for readers with impaired vision.
8 – Design Phase
The main focus of this manual is the design phase: putting text, imagery and white space together to create your infographic: see Chapter 2 (Designing the Infographic) for things to consider.
9 – External Review
Consider external review of the infographic by experts and the intended audience for content and accessibility prior to finalizing and distributing it. Ideally, use external review throughout development, including prior to starting the design phase. External review can reduce risks of misinformation, bias, inaccuracy, information gaps, weak utility and inaccessibility.
10 – Distribution
Once the infographic design is finalized, it needs to be distributed to the intended audience. Learners might only describe how the infographic could be distributed. Distribution is part of the larger process of disseminating evidence-based information to achieve a desired outcome.8
Planning for distribution should begin early in the development process. There are many physical and electronic options for distributing infographics to audiences, commonly printed handouts, emailing, or posting on websites.11 There is at least anecdotal evidence that wall posters about clinical matters can be stressful for patients compared to more neutral and comforting wall hangings.
11 – Maintenance: Evaluation and Revision
The infographic should be evaluated after initial distribution and could need revision depending on how it is received by the intended audience. Like distribution, planning for maintenance should begin early in the development process. Evaluations assess factors like reach, appeal, comprehension, recall, and effectiveness in achieving the objectives.2,11 Evaluation planning considers what information will be collected and how; how the information will be analyzed; and how the findings will be used to revise the infographic or further dissemination. End-user evaluation can be done with surveys, focus groups or even laboratory tests (e.g. eye tracking), for example.12 Based on the findings, revise the design or distribution plans. Consider how new evidence will be incorporated, and how end-users will be informed of revisions.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.536001
|
12-16-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/development-phases/#chapter-27-section-9",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Designing Infographics – A Manual for Health Care Provider Learners and Practitioners",
"author": "Jim Thompson MD, CCFP(EM), FCFP, Gail Macartney RN(NP), PhD, CON(C), Stephanie Welton MSc",
"institution": "University of Prince Edward Island",
"subject": "Personal and public health / health education, Writing and editing guides, , , , , , ,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/development-phases/#chapter-27-section-10
|
2 Creative Process
Table 1 shows the elements of infographic creation.10-14 Learners creating infographics for projects might need to complete some of those phases but not all. For example, they might stop after the design phase but describe external review, dissemination and evaluation in their project reports. Learners without the resources to engage audience informants could comment on that issue in their reports. Providers planning public release will want to consider all phases.
Table 1. Infographic creation.
| Identify the topic | What is the problem you are trying to address with an infographic? |
|---|---|
| Understand the audience | Health care provider group, patients, family members, administrators, policy analysts, general public or others? Young, old or elderly? Mix of cultures or certain sub-groups? Specific accessibility requirements? |
| Assemble development team | Identify who will participate in development of the infographic. If resources permit, engage early participation by members of the intended audience. |
| Do needs analysis | Identify what the audience wants, needs and should know. Clarify the purpose of the infographic. |
| Find existing tools | Find out what tools already exist. Identify opportunities for improvement over existing tools. |
| Identify content, assess the evidence | Gather evidence using literature searches, expert opinion and team consensus. Assess the evidence. Think about the story the infographic will tell the audience. |
| Choose format and plan distribution | Decide on the format, for example paper handout or electronic file. Consider accessibility. Plan how the infographic will be distributed, stored and revised. |
| Design phase | Design and test prototypes: see Chapter 2. |
| External review | Consider external review of the infographic for content and accessibility by experts and intended audience prior to finalizing the design and distributing the infographic. |
| Distribution | Distribute the infographic. |
| Evaluation | Assess the effectiveness of the infographic. |
| Revision | Revise and re-issue new versions as required. |
1- Identify the Topic
The first step is to identify the topic. For learners, it might be a subject they have an interest in or want to learn more about. Other learners and practitioners pick topics based on an identified need in a particular audience. Infographics typically address only 1 to 3 main points, so highly nuanced, complex topics might not be suitable.10 In those cases, infographics can be used to attract audiences to more detailed information sources. To refine the topic, write drafts of the topic statement while considering desired outcomes (objectives).
2- Understand the Audience
The topic step goes hand-in-hand with identifying and understanding the target audience. For the general population, consider differences in age, ethnicity, gender, culture, education level, societal roles and accessibility requirements.15-18 Consider engaging members of the intended audience early in development to understand their priorities and preferences. Lived experience participation especially important in the design phase, to get a feel for what design elements would work best to enable comprehension and actionability.
Stones and Gent (2015) suggested writing out a “persona” to describe the audience, considering:11
- Their literacy in health terminology, numbers and imagery;
- Life experiences, behaviours and opinions;
- Health experiences and opinions;
- How they interpret colours;
- Their preferred go-to places for information;
- Their time available for learning;
- Their needs with respect to the chosen topic.; and
- Their accessibility needs.
Keep the persona in mind during the design phase.
3 – Assemble the Development Team
Learners might work alone on projects, but some might wish to identify collaborators, including intended audience members with lived experience. Intended audience participation is valuable in shaping the design and all other development phases.12,14,19 They can advise on need, format, content, distribution and evaluation. Collaboration with health system managers and practicing providers helps to make infographics more relevant and practical, and facilitates dissemination. Practitioners creating infographics also need to consider their institution’s perspective. Finally, it is best to consult a design expert, but that might not be practical for many.
4 – Do a Needs Analysis
What are you trying to achieve? Needs analysis considers the topic, objectives and audience to clarify what is needed to achieve desired outcomes. Consultation with experts and the intended audience can be very helpful by identifying factors one might otherwise not have considered. What you think the audience needs might be quite different from what they are looking for. For example, lived-experience participants who are very familiar with the topic of interest might not remember what it was like to be a newly diagnosed person.14 Or a helpful infographic designer in one health profession might not understand the needs of an intended audience who are learners in another health profession, or even the same profession but practising in a different setting.
5 – Find Existing Tools
Search for existing infographics and other types of tools intended to mobilize information on the topic. Identify opportunities to improve on existing tools. An older infographic might need updating or refining. Access to a complex online patient education system can be eased with an infographic that helps audience members to get started. Infographics in a related area for the intended audience can help to inspire your design.
6 – Identify Evidence-Based and Accessible Content
Considering the story you intend to tell, identify evidence-based content from the perspectives of both you, your audience and your organization.12,15 Infographics can contain only very limited information. The trick is to decide on just enough: not too little but not too much.4
- Start by conducting literature searches using tools like PubMed and Google Scholar and consulting a professional librarian. Librarians are available at universities, hospitals and professional associations.
- Evaluate the strength of evidence and certainty of conclusions for information that will be included in the infographic.20 At its simplest, evidence evaluation for management of health issues considers the quality, quantity and consistency of pieces of evidence, including attention to bias. There are other criteria for assessing evidence for causality, conducting program evaluation, and evidence in the form of expert opinion. Evidence evaluation is beyond the scope of this manual.
- When evidence is very limited, consider ethical pitfalls in infographic design such as the risks of misinformation, miscommunication and bias.22,23
- External review by content experts prior to distribution can help to mitigate communication risks such as bias, inaccuracy or information gaps.
- Consider how to accurately and succinctly reference sources in the infographic.
- Guidance is emerging for selecting the content of infographics for specific tasks, such as the RIVA-C checklist for summarizing the findings of comparative studies of health interventions.20
Accessibility is a key consideration in the development of infographics.17,18,21 Think about accessibility to ensure that all users, including those with disabilities or impairments can access and understand the information. Accessibility starts with content: the content must be appropriate to the objective and audience, and easy to understand. See Chapter 2 (Designing the Infographic) and Chapter 3 (Software) for more tips.
7 – Choose Format and Plan Distribution
The format of the infographic and how it will be distributed informs the design phase: a paper handout, brochure or poster might look different from an electronic version intended for viewing on a cellphone, for example.11 Consider accessibility of different formats, for example whether the format is compatible with screen reader technology that verbalizes for readers with impaired vision.
8 – Design Phase
The main focus of this manual is the design phase: putting text, imagery and white space together to create your infographic: see Chapter 2 (Designing the Infographic) for things to consider.
9 – External Review
Consider external review of the infographic by experts and the intended audience for content and accessibility prior to finalizing and distributing it. Ideally, use external review throughout development, including prior to starting the design phase. External review can reduce risks of misinformation, bias, inaccuracy, information gaps, weak utility and inaccessibility.
10 – Distribution
Once the infographic design is finalized, it needs to be distributed to the intended audience. Learners might only describe how the infographic could be distributed. Distribution is part of the larger process of disseminating evidence-based information to achieve a desired outcome.8
Planning for distribution should begin early in the development process. There are many physical and electronic options for distributing infographics to audiences, commonly printed handouts, emailing, or posting on websites.11 There is at least anecdotal evidence that wall posters about clinical matters can be stressful for patients compared to more neutral and comforting wall hangings.
11 – Maintenance: Evaluation and Revision
The infographic should be evaluated after initial distribution and could need revision depending on how it is received by the intended audience. Like distribution, planning for maintenance should begin early in the development process. Evaluations assess factors like reach, appeal, comprehension, recall, and effectiveness in achieving the objectives.2,11 Evaluation planning considers what information will be collected and how; how the information will be analyzed; and how the findings will be used to revise the infographic or further dissemination. End-user evaluation can be done with surveys, focus groups or even laboratory tests (e.g. eye tracking), for example.12 Based on the findings, revise the design or distribution plans. Consider how new evidence will be incorporated, and how end-users will be informed of revisions.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.552944
|
12-16-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/development-phases/#chapter-27-section-10",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Designing Infographics – A Manual for Health Care Provider Learners and Practitioners",
"author": "Jim Thompson MD, CCFP(EM), FCFP, Gail Macartney RN(NP), PhD, CON(C), Stephanie Welton MSc",
"institution": "University of Prince Edward Island",
"subject": "Personal and public health / health education, Writing and editing guides, , , , , , ,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/development-phases/#chapter-27-section-11
|
2 Creative Process
Table 1 shows the elements of infographic creation.10-14 Learners creating infographics for projects might need to complete some of those phases but not all. For example, they might stop after the design phase but describe external review, dissemination and evaluation in their project reports. Learners without the resources to engage audience informants could comment on that issue in their reports. Providers planning public release will want to consider all phases.
Table 1. Infographic creation.
| Identify the topic | What is the problem you are trying to address with an infographic? |
|---|---|
| Understand the audience | Health care provider group, patients, family members, administrators, policy analysts, general public or others? Young, old or elderly? Mix of cultures or certain sub-groups? Specific accessibility requirements? |
| Assemble development team | Identify who will participate in development of the infographic. If resources permit, engage early participation by members of the intended audience. |
| Do needs analysis | Identify what the audience wants, needs and should know. Clarify the purpose of the infographic. |
| Find existing tools | Find out what tools already exist. Identify opportunities for improvement over existing tools. |
| Identify content, assess the evidence | Gather evidence using literature searches, expert opinion and team consensus. Assess the evidence. Think about the story the infographic will tell the audience. |
| Choose format and plan distribution | Decide on the format, for example paper handout or electronic file. Consider accessibility. Plan how the infographic will be distributed, stored and revised. |
| Design phase | Design and test prototypes: see Chapter 2. |
| External review | Consider external review of the infographic for content and accessibility by experts and intended audience prior to finalizing the design and distributing the infographic. |
| Distribution | Distribute the infographic. |
| Evaluation | Assess the effectiveness of the infographic. |
| Revision | Revise and re-issue new versions as required. |
1- Identify the Topic
The first step is to identify the topic. For learners, it might be a subject they have an interest in or want to learn more about. Other learners and practitioners pick topics based on an identified need in a particular audience. Infographics typically address only 1 to 3 main points, so highly nuanced, complex topics might not be suitable.10 In those cases, infographics can be used to attract audiences to more detailed information sources. To refine the topic, write drafts of the topic statement while considering desired outcomes (objectives).
2- Understand the Audience
The topic step goes hand-in-hand with identifying and understanding the target audience. For the general population, consider differences in age, ethnicity, gender, culture, education level, societal roles and accessibility requirements.15-18 Consider engaging members of the intended audience early in development to understand their priorities and preferences. Lived experience participation especially important in the design phase, to get a feel for what design elements would work best to enable comprehension and actionability.
Stones and Gent (2015) suggested writing out a “persona” to describe the audience, considering:11
- Their literacy in health terminology, numbers and imagery;
- Life experiences, behaviours and opinions;
- Health experiences and opinions;
- How they interpret colours;
- Their preferred go-to places for information;
- Their time available for learning;
- Their needs with respect to the chosen topic.; and
- Their accessibility needs.
Keep the persona in mind during the design phase.
3 – Assemble the Development Team
Learners might work alone on projects, but some might wish to identify collaborators, including intended audience members with lived experience. Intended audience participation is valuable in shaping the design and all other development phases.12,14,19 They can advise on need, format, content, distribution and evaluation. Collaboration with health system managers and practicing providers helps to make infographics more relevant and practical, and facilitates dissemination. Practitioners creating infographics also need to consider their institution’s perspective. Finally, it is best to consult a design expert, but that might not be practical for many.
4 – Do a Needs Analysis
What are you trying to achieve? Needs analysis considers the topic, objectives and audience to clarify what is needed to achieve desired outcomes. Consultation with experts and the intended audience can be very helpful by identifying factors one might otherwise not have considered. What you think the audience needs might be quite different from what they are looking for. For example, lived-experience participants who are very familiar with the topic of interest might not remember what it was like to be a newly diagnosed person.14 Or a helpful infographic designer in one health profession might not understand the needs of an intended audience who are learners in another health profession, or even the same profession but practising in a different setting.
5 – Find Existing Tools
Search for existing infographics and other types of tools intended to mobilize information on the topic. Identify opportunities to improve on existing tools. An older infographic might need updating or refining. Access to a complex online patient education system can be eased with an infographic that helps audience members to get started. Infographics in a related area for the intended audience can help to inspire your design.
6 – Identify Evidence-Based and Accessible Content
Considering the story you intend to tell, identify evidence-based content from the perspectives of both you, your audience and your organization.12,15 Infographics can contain only very limited information. The trick is to decide on just enough: not too little but not too much.4
- Start by conducting literature searches using tools like PubMed and Google Scholar and consulting a professional librarian. Librarians are available at universities, hospitals and professional associations.
- Evaluate the strength of evidence and certainty of conclusions for information that will be included in the infographic.20 At its simplest, evidence evaluation for management of health issues considers the quality, quantity and consistency of pieces of evidence, including attention to bias. There are other criteria for assessing evidence for causality, conducting program evaluation, and evidence in the form of expert opinion. Evidence evaluation is beyond the scope of this manual.
- When evidence is very limited, consider ethical pitfalls in infographic design such as the risks of misinformation, miscommunication and bias.22,23
- External review by content experts prior to distribution can help to mitigate communication risks such as bias, inaccuracy or information gaps.
- Consider how to accurately and succinctly reference sources in the infographic.
- Guidance is emerging for selecting the content of infographics for specific tasks, such as the RIVA-C checklist for summarizing the findings of comparative studies of health interventions.20
Accessibility is a key consideration in the development of infographics.17,18,21 Think about accessibility to ensure that all users, including those with disabilities or impairments can access and understand the information. Accessibility starts with content: the content must be appropriate to the objective and audience, and easy to understand. See Chapter 2 (Designing the Infographic) and Chapter 3 (Software) for more tips.
7 – Choose Format and Plan Distribution
The format of the infographic and how it will be distributed informs the design phase: a paper handout, brochure or poster might look different from an electronic version intended for viewing on a cellphone, for example.11 Consider accessibility of different formats, for example whether the format is compatible with screen reader technology that verbalizes for readers with impaired vision.
8 – Design Phase
The main focus of this manual is the design phase: putting text, imagery and white space together to create your infographic: see Chapter 2 (Designing the Infographic) for things to consider.
9 – External Review
Consider external review of the infographic by experts and the intended audience for content and accessibility prior to finalizing and distributing it. Ideally, use external review throughout development, including prior to starting the design phase. External review can reduce risks of misinformation, bias, inaccuracy, information gaps, weak utility and inaccessibility.
10 – Distribution
Once the infographic design is finalized, it needs to be distributed to the intended audience. Learners might only describe how the infographic could be distributed. Distribution is part of the larger process of disseminating evidence-based information to achieve a desired outcome.8
Planning for distribution should begin early in the development process. There are many physical and electronic options for distributing infographics to audiences, commonly printed handouts, emailing, or posting on websites.11 There is at least anecdotal evidence that wall posters about clinical matters can be stressful for patients compared to more neutral and comforting wall hangings.
11 – Maintenance: Evaluation and Revision
The infographic should be evaluated after initial distribution and could need revision depending on how it is received by the intended audience. Like distribution, planning for maintenance should begin early in the development process. Evaluations assess factors like reach, appeal, comprehension, recall, and effectiveness in achieving the objectives.2,11 Evaluation planning considers what information will be collected and how; how the information will be analyzed; and how the findings will be used to revise the infographic or further dissemination. End-user evaluation can be done with surveys, focus groups or even laboratory tests (e.g. eye tracking), for example.12 Based on the findings, revise the design or distribution plans. Consider how new evidence will be incorporated, and how end-users will be informed of revisions.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.570997
|
12-16-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/development-phases/#chapter-27-section-11",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Designing Infographics – A Manual for Health Care Provider Learners and Practitioners",
"author": "Jim Thompson MD, CCFP(EM), FCFP, Gail Macartney RN(NP), PhD, CON(C), Stephanie Welton MSc",
"institution": "University of Prince Edward Island",
"subject": "Personal and public health / health education, Writing and editing guides, , , , , , ,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/designing-the-infographic/
|
3 Design Phase
The design phase begins while working through early development phases, but doesn’t really get going until you start putting pen to paper. Table 2 summarizes basic infographic design considerations, starting with establishing a short list of a priori design principles specific to your project and ending with prototype testing. Once you finalize your design, go back to Chapter 1 for ideas about the distribution and maintenance phases.
Table 2. Infographic design phase considerations.
| Design Considerations | |
|---|---|
| Establish design principles | Develop design principles with the team and, ideally, end-users. Consider cultural diversity, language and readability. Expect to revisit the list and revise it as you work through the design phase. |
| Sketch general layout on paper with pen or pencil | One page or two? For printing on paper or electronic distribution or both? Whole pages, folding brochure or poster? Paper sizes vary across countries and for different printing purposes. Consider whether the infographic will be viewed on cellphones. Considering the storyline, draw boundaries for text blocks, images, and white spaces. Consider the balance and alignment of those blocks. The flow of those blocks helps to tell the story. Do not add any text or imagery at this point. |
| Chose the title | Chose a compelling title that attracts readers and sustains their attention. |
| Choose fonts | Consider font type, size and justification. |
| Choose colour palette | Pick limited complementary colours appropriate for the topic and audience. |
| Add text and graphics/images | Consult the guidelines you established to choose text and graphics/images to tell the story. |
| Ethical, privacy and copyright considerations | Brevity risks insufficient information, misinterpretation, misinformation and bias. Be careful about privacy issues using real people’s stories. Watch out for copyright if using others' content. |
| Cite sources | Tell the reader about the evidence base for the information in the infographic. Add institution logo if appropriate. |
| Draft prototype | Chose design software (Chapter 3): set document parameters for size and resolution appropriate for the planned distribution medium. Add content: consider readability, understandability and actionability. Balance text, imagery and white space appropriately for audience and topic. |
| Evaluate prototype | Test the prototype with the development team, end-user informants and content expert reviewers. |
| Revise design | Revise the layout, imagery, text and colours based on feedback from the team and reviewers. |
| Finalize design | Freeze the design. |
Basic Elements of an Infographic
Every infographic is different because there are so many variables, including differences in topics, intended outcomes, audiences and content. Nuances of fonts, colours and layout differ for various purposes. While there are no established standard templates, the basic elements of an infographic are:4
- Structure: a clear, logical layout.
- White space: meaningful use of white space.
- Color palette: colours are consistent, complementary, purposeful and meaningful, with sufficient contrast between text and background.
- Text: appropriate and accessible font types and sizes.
- Imagery: effective information visualization, including use of alt text for images posted online in HTML.
There are two broad areas to consider in telling the story: (1) content, meaning the information that will be conveyed in text and imagery, and (2) visual look, meaning the colours, text font, and layout of content, images and white space.
- Content is chosen to achieve a desired outcome. The content must be evidence-based, ethically correct, unbiased and accessible. It is crucial to use the content in ways that make sense to the intended audience. For example, patient informants who have lived for years with a health condition that the infographic is addressing need to think about how they would have understood the infographic back when they were first being diagnosed. 14 Consider content and design aspects for infographics for health professional audiences, as mentioned in other sections of this manual.
- Visual design requires understanding “visual literacy”, meaning how people interpret the way infographics look. 2,22 Consider accessibility factors, for example users with visual impairment might miss important context that you mean to convey by your colour choices. 21
Accessibility
Consider accessibility issues while designing your infographic. Accessibility design ensures that all users, including those with disabilities or impairments can access and understand the information. See sections below for accessibility tips.17,18,21
First Step: List Design Principles
Before you start on the design, consider the story you want to tell. Reflect on the information in this manual to draw up a list of principles that will guide design of your infographic. For example:
- State your objective with intended outcomes.
- Summarize your intended audience’s persona.
- Identify accessibility requirements.
- Describe the type of content you will use; focus on your objective, the evidence base, and your audience.
- Look through the rest of this chapter for ideas about principles regarding, for example, audience engagement, layout, text versus image content, and how text, imagery, colour and white space will work together for your audience.
Keep in mind differences and overlaps between the organization’s goals (what you want to achieve with the infographic) and the audience’s goals (what your audience wants from the infographic).
In addition to the overall storyline for the infographic, patient’s own stories can help readers to make sense of the information and understand why the infographic’s story is important to them.23
Clarify the Storyline
“Design is an opportunity to continue telling the story, not just to sum everything up” (Tate Linden)2
Good infographics tell a story that makes sense to the user.
- Infographics are very short stories, not novels.
- A story is a narrative about an emotional journey taken by characters. Stories allow people to share information in memorable way that enables deeper understanding. For example, simply telling someone to do something does not stick as well as telling someone about a person who had a good outcome if they did the thing. The first is merely a directive, while the second is a human story.
- The plot is the sequence of events that make up the story, from start to finish. The plot includes the beginning where the storyteller introduces the characters, setting and problem; then moves to the rise in action where tension escalates, then talks about the peak (climax) where a decision must be made, then provides answers during the fall in action and, finally, describes the happy ending where the problem is resolved.
- The storyline is a summary of the plot that describes the main thread of the story, summarizing main events around a problem that affects the characters, in a setting where the story takes place.
Sketch the Layout before Adding Content
A study of design students found that better infographics were designed by students who started by laying out all the content blocks on a piece of paper with pen or pencil before going to the computer or adding any content and there seems to be consensus on this approach.24 Stones and Gent (2015) and Kibar et al. (2017) show examples of the process:11,22
- Find some examples of infographics similar to yours in terms of content, intent or audience.
- With the storyline in mind, align blocks horizontally and vertically. Eye-tracking studies give insights into how readers scan blocks in infographics. Grid systems guided readers better than random block placements.11
- A good infographic tells a story.15 Lay out the blocks on the paper to achieve that end. Consider cues like headings, arrows, callouts, flow of text and images. Highlight main ideas in the story.
- Different people read infographics in different ways, so make drafts on paper to test different ways of positioning text and imagery blocks, considering reading flow in the storyline.25 Some, particularly some professionals, go straight to text from left to right and top down. Others look first at the headings or images then might go back to read something in more depth. Some just skim, and callouts might focus those readers.14 The trick is to design infographics for different reading styles and accessibility needs. For example, some users will use a screen reader and some will have other people interpret the infographic for them. Consider how the design works when it is read out loud.
- Use white space carefully. Place white space around blocks of text and graphics to highlight main storyline points. Don’t make text blocks too narrow or too wide.
- Consider the infographic medium. Layout will be influenced by whether the infographic will be printed on letterhead-sized paper in black and white or colour, made into a folded brochure, or distributed electronically in a PDF or HTML format for viewing on cellphones and tablets.26
One author suggests this:26
- Use informative titles and headings.
- Use a three-part introduction:
- Tell reader why the infographic is important to them.
- Tell them what it was designed to accomplish.
- Tell them what to expect when they read it.
- Organize the flow logically and make the flow apparent to the reader.
- Use appropriate text, imagery and colours that support the storyline.
Here is another way:23
- Get right to the point:
- Answer “Is this information for me?”
- Answer “What did you find out?”
- Answer “How did you find this information, where did it come from?”
- Answer “What should I do next?”
Choose the Title
Readers decide in a few seconds whether to read an infographic.15
- A few action-oriented, impactful words arouse interest better than an elaborate title.
- Use a more suggestive subtitle.
- Use words that speak directly to needs experienced by the target audience.
- But the title content must be true to the evidence and ethically sound, not misleading or sensational.11
Stones and Gent (2015) pointed out different approaches to titles:11
- Subject: “Vaccinations in Infants”
- Message: “Infant vaccination is available”
- Question: “What is the state of infant vaccination?”
- Fear: “Infants die when not vaccinated”
- Hopeful: “Infant vaccination can be increased”
- Call: “Be vaccinated not sick”
Text Content
These tips come from academic studies, design experts and expert advisors with lived experience:4,6,11,14,15,17,18,25
- The user needs to know, “Is this for me?”.
- Use headings and subheadings to organize the text and aid logical reading flow.
- Avoid large blocks of text. Keep a text block together, don’t wrap it around images, for example. Avoid dense text. Use left-aligned not justified text to prevent complex white spacing.
- Put important words first and keep sentences short.17 One idea per paragraph. Start the paragraph with a sentence giving the paragraph’s topic.
- Use plain language. Use short, familiar words and short sentences. Use common words and only use jargon or technical language when necessary and likely to be understood the audience.17 Use personal pronouns like “we” and “you”.27 Avoid acronyms or symbols.
- Use the present not past tense, and active not passive voice: “your doctor is going to _” is better than “Doctors would have_”.17
- Use realistic examples that the audience can relate to. Use concrete not abstract words and order events temporally.
- Arial or Calibri fonts seem to be easy to read, but don’t mix fonts, certainly no more than 3 types. The 10-point size generally is too small. Use much larger fonts for children and those with reading difficulty. Avoid fonts with serifs.17 Bolded font works better for emphasis than italics or underlining.
- Keep bulleted lists short and keep them together not across two pages.
- Be consistent in style features like headings and spelling out numbers versus showing regular numbers. Avoid capitalization, hyphens, semicolons and long sentences.
- Be cautious about how lay readers might interpret charts and statistics. Think carefully about how to use statistics. Write “half” instead of “49%”. This is the process of effective “data visualization” and there is lots published about it.2
- Be clear about evidence sources for the content in the infographic. Provide information about access to further resources for the audience. Refer (in an easy-to-understand way) to evidence sources: “How did you find this information?”.
- If tables are used, make them accessible: use informative headers for rows and columns, and a caption or summary to explain the table’s purpose.18 Keep tables simple: avoid merged and empty cells, and rotated text.17
Plain language is preferred. Plain language means wording, structure and design that is so simple and straightforward that everyone can understand it. Technical language often fails because only specialized readers can understand it, including even a narrow group of health care practitioners within a sub-specialty of their own specialty. Patient information leaflets can be laid out well but often exceed patient comprehension thresholds.27
- Readability refers to ease of reading and understanding text. You can test readability using Microsoft Word. Select the block of text. Click on “Home”, then “Editor”, then “Document Stats”. Word returns scores for Flesch Reading Ease and Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level. Health care providers can read technical language, while language for the general public needs to consider different reading abilities. Guidelines suggest that general public infographic readability should be grade 8 or less and grades 4-6 are sometimes preferred. 28,29
- Understandability refers to how easy it is for readers to understand the information. Actionability refers to how easy it is for readers to act on the information. Both can be assessed with, for example, the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT). 12
Imagery Content
Graphics (drawings) and images (photos) aid reader retention when used well.15 Here are some tips from the literature: 14,15,23,30
• Not all handouts need fancy graphics or images. In fact, there is some limited evidence that some
Designing the Infographic | 10 technical readers like health care providers can prefer text in certain circumstances. But even handouts for technical readers can benefit from graphics, and graphics aid engagement and retention for all audiences. 15
• Avoid distracting graphics like unnecessary grid lines or box outlines.
• Avoid mixing graphics and images with starkly different colours, contrast and dark/white space.
• Use images that seem real, relatable and sympathetic to the audience. Be aware that some people interpret images far differently than intended by the designer. 30 Avoid stock images using stereotypical representations of people because they look “phoney” to audiences and are not relatable.
• Use alt text (alternative text) to describe images in HTML infographics to improve accessibility for readers with different learning styles or accessibility needs. 17,21 Accessibility features can also be built into PDF versions.
• Use inclusive imagery. Avoid inadvertently reinforcing negative stereotypes of ethnicity, age or gender.
• The authoring organization’s logo can convey credibility as well as source. 23
Data visualization is the process of picking the right way to image data.
18
• Be careful with charts: they can be easily misinterpreted, even by technical readers. Pick the right chart type for the data type and audience, or even use a non-chart method to display the data.
• Arcia et al. (2015) provide details about general public preferences for graphics of statistics and other types of health information. 19
• Graphics that use curves are preferred over linear ones like standard bar charts. 31
Text and Imagery Used Together
There is evidence that information from infographics is more likely to be retained than from text alone.15 Three randomized controlled trials comparing infographics and plain language summaries of Cochrane systematic reviews found that while infographics were preferred in terms of reading experience and user-friendliness in both lay and professional audiences, there were no differences between the two modes in knowledge translation.32 That study has been criticized, but another (Canadian) study had similar findings.5,33 Nevertheless, both studies found that readers preferred infographics over text alone.
Here are tips from the literature for thinking about text and images together:15,25
- Keep together text and images that refer to the same topic.
- Imagery and text generally complement each other rather than convey the same information but sometimes can be used to repeat the same information for different reader styles.
- Repeat the most important points in different ways using text, fonts, callouts, or images.
- Don’t wrap a block of text around an image.
- Consider how to address varying beliefs held by audience members.
- For charts and graphs, label axes, data points and legends clearly with text rather than only colour and shape.18
If you want some insight into how design experts think of “visual literacy” in terms of infographics, check out Dunlap and Lowenthal (2016).2 They point out that visuals are powerful learning tools and that the overall look is important. To get technical, “Effective visuals apply visual organization and structure to reflect relationships, describe how parts of a whole interact, and/or reveal an underlying story.”
Colour Palette
Colours used in fonts, background and images must work together. They can have considerable affective impact, and they influence reader’s comprehension owing to the meanings readers attach to colours, and ease of readability due to contrast levels and other accessibility considerations.15,19,21,22,34,35
- There are many online tools for assisting with infographic colour palette choice, but they might not consider nuances like cultural meanings. “Stoplight” colours were found to convey value judgements to some audiences, for example.
- Experts advise restricting colour rather than over-using it, and restricting the palette to 3-5 colours.11
- The Piktochart website has a basic primer. 34 Canva can suggest colour palettes.36
- Don’t rely on colour alone to convey emphasis and meaning.17
- Consider colour vision impairments, which affect one in twenty people.4 There are online tools that can be used to ensure that the colour palette is accessible to people who perceive colour in different ways.18,21 Red/green and blue/yellow combinations can be problematic. Colour contrast is especially important for those with low vision. Online resources like the WebAIM Contrast Checker tool can be helpful (https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker).
Online Infographics
There are a number of accessibility design considerations for infographics that will be posted as HTML and even PDF formats.18,36,37 Here are a few basic examples but readers should review other sources for more detailed information if they are designing online interactive infographics:
- Use concise, informative “alt text” to convey the meaning of an infographic for readers with vision impairments.
- Allow users to navigate them with a keyboard alone so that all interactive elements like buttons and links are accessible by the tab key with clear focus indicators.
- Use HTML elements for tables that include headers, columns, and captions or summaries.
- Use “semantic HTML” such as headings that create a hierarchal outline, appropriately using lists and paragraphs.
- Provide alternative versions of the infographic for users who cannot access the visual content fully, for example a downloadable table or text-based summary.
- Software is available that can test an infographic for use with screen readers that speak content aloud.
Ethical, Privacy and Copyright Considerations
While brevity is a key goal in infographics design, it is important to carefully avoid causing ethical problems that lead to misinterpretation, misinformation and bias.37,38 It is also important to consider privacy issues around use of images and personal stories.10 Be cautious about using content like images that might be protected by someone’s copyright, including images generated by artificial intelligence software or online services.
Cite Sources
In a succinct and user-friendly way, tell the reader where the information you are giving them comes from. For health care providers, give them a sense of the strength of evidence and certainty of conclusions. If appropriate and with permissions, add logos of supporting institutions.
Prototype Development
Refine the design before finalizing it. Prototypes can be shown to health care expert advisors for content and to audience members to assess engagement, accessibility, comprehension and actionability.19,39 If intending to use a screen reader for HTML or PDF versions, pilot the implementation.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.613295
|
12-16-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/designing-the-infographic/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Designing Infographics – A Manual for Health Care Provider Learners and Practitioners",
"author": "Jim Thompson MD, CCFP(EM), FCFP, Gail Macartney RN(NP), PhD, CON(C), Stephanie Welton MSc",
"institution": "University of Prince Edward Island",
"subject": "Personal and public health / health education, Writing and editing guides, , , , , , ,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/designing-the-infographic/#chapter-363-section-1
|
3 Design Phase
The design phase begins while working through early development phases, but doesn’t really get going until you start putting pen to paper. Table 2 summarizes basic infographic design considerations, starting with establishing a short list of a priori design principles specific to your project and ending with prototype testing. Once you finalize your design, go back to Chapter 1 for ideas about the distribution and maintenance phases.
Table 2. Infographic design phase considerations.
| Design Considerations | |
|---|---|
| Establish design principles | Develop design principles with the team and, ideally, end-users. Consider cultural diversity, language and readability. Expect to revisit the list and revise it as you work through the design phase. |
| Sketch general layout on paper with pen or pencil | One page or two? For printing on paper or electronic distribution or both? Whole pages, folding brochure or poster? Paper sizes vary across countries and for different printing purposes. Consider whether the infographic will be viewed on cellphones. Considering the storyline, draw boundaries for text blocks, images, and white spaces. Consider the balance and alignment of those blocks. The flow of those blocks helps to tell the story. Do not add any text or imagery at this point. |
| Chose the title | Chose a compelling title that attracts readers and sustains their attention. |
| Choose fonts | Consider font type, size and justification. |
| Choose colour palette | Pick limited complementary colours appropriate for the topic and audience. |
| Add text and graphics/images | Consult the guidelines you established to choose text and graphics/images to tell the story. |
| Ethical, privacy and copyright considerations | Brevity risks insufficient information, misinterpretation, misinformation and bias. Be careful about privacy issues using real people’s stories. Watch out for copyright if using others' content. |
| Cite sources | Tell the reader about the evidence base for the information in the infographic. Add institution logo if appropriate. |
| Draft prototype | Chose design software (Chapter 3): set document parameters for size and resolution appropriate for the planned distribution medium. Add content: consider readability, understandability and actionability. Balance text, imagery and white space appropriately for audience and topic. |
| Evaluate prototype | Test the prototype with the development team, end-user informants and content expert reviewers. |
| Revise design | Revise the layout, imagery, text and colours based on feedback from the team and reviewers. |
| Finalize design | Freeze the design. |
Basic Elements of an Infographic
Every infographic is different because there are so many variables, including differences in topics, intended outcomes, audiences and content. Nuances of fonts, colours and layout differ for various purposes. While there are no established standard templates, the basic elements of an infographic are:4
- Structure: a clear, logical layout.
- White space: meaningful use of white space.
- Color palette: colours are consistent, complementary, purposeful and meaningful, with sufficient contrast between text and background.
- Text: appropriate and accessible font types and sizes.
- Imagery: effective information visualization, including use of alt text for images posted online in HTML.
There are two broad areas to consider in telling the story: (1) content, meaning the information that will be conveyed in text and imagery, and (2) visual look, meaning the colours, text font, and layout of content, images and white space.
- Content is chosen to achieve a desired outcome. The content must be evidence-based, ethically correct, unbiased and accessible. It is crucial to use the content in ways that make sense to the intended audience. For example, patient informants who have lived for years with a health condition that the infographic is addressing need to think about how they would have understood the infographic back when they were first being diagnosed. 14 Consider content and design aspects for infographics for health professional audiences, as mentioned in other sections of this manual.
- Visual design requires understanding “visual literacy”, meaning how people interpret the way infographics look. 2,22 Consider accessibility factors, for example users with visual impairment might miss important context that you mean to convey by your colour choices. 21
Accessibility
Consider accessibility issues while designing your infographic. Accessibility design ensures that all users, including those with disabilities or impairments can access and understand the information. See sections below for accessibility tips.17,18,21
First Step: List Design Principles
Before you start on the design, consider the story you want to tell. Reflect on the information in this manual to draw up a list of principles that will guide design of your infographic. For example:
- State your objective with intended outcomes.
- Summarize your intended audience’s persona.
- Identify accessibility requirements.
- Describe the type of content you will use; focus on your objective, the evidence base, and your audience.
- Look through the rest of this chapter for ideas about principles regarding, for example, audience engagement, layout, text versus image content, and how text, imagery, colour and white space will work together for your audience.
Keep in mind differences and overlaps between the organization’s goals (what you want to achieve with the infographic) and the audience’s goals (what your audience wants from the infographic).
In addition to the overall storyline for the infographic, patient’s own stories can help readers to make sense of the information and understand why the infographic’s story is important to them.23
Clarify the Storyline
“Design is an opportunity to continue telling the story, not just to sum everything up” (Tate Linden)2
Good infographics tell a story that makes sense to the user.
- Infographics are very short stories, not novels.
- A story is a narrative about an emotional journey taken by characters. Stories allow people to share information in memorable way that enables deeper understanding. For example, simply telling someone to do something does not stick as well as telling someone about a person who had a good outcome if they did the thing. The first is merely a directive, while the second is a human story.
- The plot is the sequence of events that make up the story, from start to finish. The plot includes the beginning where the storyteller introduces the characters, setting and problem; then moves to the rise in action where tension escalates, then talks about the peak (climax) where a decision must be made, then provides answers during the fall in action and, finally, describes the happy ending where the problem is resolved.
- The storyline is a summary of the plot that describes the main thread of the story, summarizing main events around a problem that affects the characters, in a setting where the story takes place.
Sketch the Layout before Adding Content
A study of design students found that better infographics were designed by students who started by laying out all the content blocks on a piece of paper with pen or pencil before going to the computer or adding any content and there seems to be consensus on this approach.24 Stones and Gent (2015) and Kibar et al. (2017) show examples of the process:11,22
- Find some examples of infographics similar to yours in terms of content, intent or audience.
- With the storyline in mind, align blocks horizontally and vertically. Eye-tracking studies give insights into how readers scan blocks in infographics. Grid systems guided readers better than random block placements.11
- A good infographic tells a story.15 Lay out the blocks on the paper to achieve that end. Consider cues like headings, arrows, callouts, flow of text and images. Highlight main ideas in the story.
- Different people read infographics in different ways, so make drafts on paper to test different ways of positioning text and imagery blocks, considering reading flow in the storyline.25 Some, particularly some professionals, go straight to text from left to right and top down. Others look first at the headings or images then might go back to read something in more depth. Some just skim, and callouts might focus those readers.14 The trick is to design infographics for different reading styles and accessibility needs. For example, some users will use a screen reader and some will have other people interpret the infographic for them. Consider how the design works when it is read out loud.
- Use white space carefully. Place white space around blocks of text and graphics to highlight main storyline points. Don’t make text blocks too narrow or too wide.
- Consider the infographic medium. Layout will be influenced by whether the infographic will be printed on letterhead-sized paper in black and white or colour, made into a folded brochure, or distributed electronically in a PDF or HTML format for viewing on cellphones and tablets.26
One author suggests this:26
- Use informative titles and headings.
- Use a three-part introduction:
- Tell reader why the infographic is important to them.
- Tell them what it was designed to accomplish.
- Tell them what to expect when they read it.
- Organize the flow logically and make the flow apparent to the reader.
- Use appropriate text, imagery and colours that support the storyline.
Here is another way:23
- Get right to the point:
- Answer “Is this information for me?”
- Answer “What did you find out?”
- Answer “How did you find this information, where did it come from?”
- Answer “What should I do next?”
Choose the Title
Readers decide in a few seconds whether to read an infographic.15
- A few action-oriented, impactful words arouse interest better than an elaborate title.
- Use a more suggestive subtitle.
- Use words that speak directly to needs experienced by the target audience.
- But the title content must be true to the evidence and ethically sound, not misleading or sensational.11
Stones and Gent (2015) pointed out different approaches to titles:11
- Subject: “Vaccinations in Infants”
- Message: “Infant vaccination is available”
- Question: “What is the state of infant vaccination?”
- Fear: “Infants die when not vaccinated”
- Hopeful: “Infant vaccination can be increased”
- Call: “Be vaccinated not sick”
Text Content
These tips come from academic studies, design experts and expert advisors with lived experience:4,6,11,14,15,17,18,25
- The user needs to know, “Is this for me?”.
- Use headings and subheadings to organize the text and aid logical reading flow.
- Avoid large blocks of text. Keep a text block together, don’t wrap it around images, for example. Avoid dense text. Use left-aligned not justified text to prevent complex white spacing.
- Put important words first and keep sentences short.17 One idea per paragraph. Start the paragraph with a sentence giving the paragraph’s topic.
- Use plain language. Use short, familiar words and short sentences. Use common words and only use jargon or technical language when necessary and likely to be understood the audience.17 Use personal pronouns like “we” and “you”.27 Avoid acronyms or symbols.
- Use the present not past tense, and active not passive voice: “your doctor is going to _” is better than “Doctors would have_”.17
- Use realistic examples that the audience can relate to. Use concrete not abstract words and order events temporally.
- Arial or Calibri fonts seem to be easy to read, but don’t mix fonts, certainly no more than 3 types. The 10-point size generally is too small. Use much larger fonts for children and those with reading difficulty. Avoid fonts with serifs.17 Bolded font works better for emphasis than italics or underlining.
- Keep bulleted lists short and keep them together not across two pages.
- Be consistent in style features like headings and spelling out numbers versus showing regular numbers. Avoid capitalization, hyphens, semicolons and long sentences.
- Be cautious about how lay readers might interpret charts and statistics. Think carefully about how to use statistics. Write “half” instead of “49%”. This is the process of effective “data visualization” and there is lots published about it.2
- Be clear about evidence sources for the content in the infographic. Provide information about access to further resources for the audience. Refer (in an easy-to-understand way) to evidence sources: “How did you find this information?”.
- If tables are used, make them accessible: use informative headers for rows and columns, and a caption or summary to explain the table’s purpose.18 Keep tables simple: avoid merged and empty cells, and rotated text.17
Plain language is preferred. Plain language means wording, structure and design that is so simple and straightforward that everyone can understand it. Technical language often fails because only specialized readers can understand it, including even a narrow group of health care practitioners within a sub-specialty of their own specialty. Patient information leaflets can be laid out well but often exceed patient comprehension thresholds.27
- Readability refers to ease of reading and understanding text. You can test readability using Microsoft Word. Select the block of text. Click on “Home”, then “Editor”, then “Document Stats”. Word returns scores for Flesch Reading Ease and Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level. Health care providers can read technical language, while language for the general public needs to consider different reading abilities. Guidelines suggest that general public infographic readability should be grade 8 or less and grades 4-6 are sometimes preferred. 28,29
- Understandability refers to how easy it is for readers to understand the information. Actionability refers to how easy it is for readers to act on the information. Both can be assessed with, for example, the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT). 12
Imagery Content
Graphics (drawings) and images (photos) aid reader retention when used well.15 Here are some tips from the literature: 14,15,23,30
• Not all handouts need fancy graphics or images. In fact, there is some limited evidence that some
Designing the Infographic | 10 technical readers like health care providers can prefer text in certain circumstances. But even handouts for technical readers can benefit from graphics, and graphics aid engagement and retention for all audiences. 15
• Avoid distracting graphics like unnecessary grid lines or box outlines.
• Avoid mixing graphics and images with starkly different colours, contrast and dark/white space.
• Use images that seem real, relatable and sympathetic to the audience. Be aware that some people interpret images far differently than intended by the designer. 30 Avoid stock images using stereotypical representations of people because they look “phoney” to audiences and are not relatable.
• Use alt text (alternative text) to describe images in HTML infographics to improve accessibility for readers with different learning styles or accessibility needs. 17,21 Accessibility features can also be built into PDF versions.
• Use inclusive imagery. Avoid inadvertently reinforcing negative stereotypes of ethnicity, age or gender.
• The authoring organization’s logo can convey credibility as well as source. 23
Data visualization is the process of picking the right way to image data.
18
• Be careful with charts: they can be easily misinterpreted, even by technical readers. Pick the right chart type for the data type and audience, or even use a non-chart method to display the data.
• Arcia et al. (2015) provide details about general public preferences for graphics of statistics and other types of health information. 19
• Graphics that use curves are preferred over linear ones like standard bar charts. 31
Text and Imagery Used Together
There is evidence that information from infographics is more likely to be retained than from text alone.15 Three randomized controlled trials comparing infographics and plain language summaries of Cochrane systematic reviews found that while infographics were preferred in terms of reading experience and user-friendliness in both lay and professional audiences, there were no differences between the two modes in knowledge translation.32 That study has been criticized, but another (Canadian) study had similar findings.5,33 Nevertheless, both studies found that readers preferred infographics over text alone.
Here are tips from the literature for thinking about text and images together:15,25
- Keep together text and images that refer to the same topic.
- Imagery and text generally complement each other rather than convey the same information but sometimes can be used to repeat the same information for different reader styles.
- Repeat the most important points in different ways using text, fonts, callouts, or images.
- Don’t wrap a block of text around an image.
- Consider how to address varying beliefs held by audience members.
- For charts and graphs, label axes, data points and legends clearly with text rather than only colour and shape.18
If you want some insight into how design experts think of “visual literacy” in terms of infographics, check out Dunlap and Lowenthal (2016).2 They point out that visuals are powerful learning tools and that the overall look is important. To get technical, “Effective visuals apply visual organization and structure to reflect relationships, describe how parts of a whole interact, and/or reveal an underlying story.”
Colour Palette
Colours used in fonts, background and images must work together. They can have considerable affective impact, and they influence reader’s comprehension owing to the meanings readers attach to colours, and ease of readability due to contrast levels and other accessibility considerations.15,19,21,22,34,35
- There are many online tools for assisting with infographic colour palette choice, but they might not consider nuances like cultural meanings. “Stoplight” colours were found to convey value judgements to some audiences, for example.
- Experts advise restricting colour rather than over-using it, and restricting the palette to 3-5 colours.11
- The Piktochart website has a basic primer. 34 Canva can suggest colour palettes.36
- Don’t rely on colour alone to convey emphasis and meaning.17
- Consider colour vision impairments, which affect one in twenty people.4 There are online tools that can be used to ensure that the colour palette is accessible to people who perceive colour in different ways.18,21 Red/green and blue/yellow combinations can be problematic. Colour contrast is especially important for those with low vision. Online resources like the WebAIM Contrast Checker tool can be helpful (https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker).
Online Infographics
There are a number of accessibility design considerations for infographics that will be posted as HTML and even PDF formats.18,36,37 Here are a few basic examples but readers should review other sources for more detailed information if they are designing online interactive infographics:
- Use concise, informative “alt text” to convey the meaning of an infographic for readers with vision impairments.
- Allow users to navigate them with a keyboard alone so that all interactive elements like buttons and links are accessible by the tab key with clear focus indicators.
- Use HTML elements for tables that include headers, columns, and captions or summaries.
- Use “semantic HTML” such as headings that create a hierarchal outline, appropriately using lists and paragraphs.
- Provide alternative versions of the infographic for users who cannot access the visual content fully, for example a downloadable table or text-based summary.
- Software is available that can test an infographic for use with screen readers that speak content aloud.
Ethical, Privacy and Copyright Considerations
While brevity is a key goal in infographics design, it is important to carefully avoid causing ethical problems that lead to misinterpretation, misinformation and bias.37,38 It is also important to consider privacy issues around use of images and personal stories.10 Be cautious about using content like images that might be protected by someone’s copyright, including images generated by artificial intelligence software or online services.
Cite Sources
In a succinct and user-friendly way, tell the reader where the information you are giving them comes from. For health care providers, give them a sense of the strength of evidence and certainty of conclusions. If appropriate and with permissions, add logos of supporting institutions.
Prototype Development
Refine the design before finalizing it. Prototypes can be shown to health care expert advisors for content and to audience members to assess engagement, accessibility, comprehension and actionability.19,39 If intending to use a screen reader for HTML or PDF versions, pilot the implementation.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.645879
|
12-16-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/designing-the-infographic/#chapter-363-section-1",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Designing Infographics – A Manual for Health Care Provider Learners and Practitioners",
"author": "Jim Thompson MD, CCFP(EM), FCFP, Gail Macartney RN(NP), PhD, CON(C), Stephanie Welton MSc",
"institution": "University of Prince Edward Island",
"subject": "Personal and public health / health education, Writing and editing guides, , , , , , ,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/designing-the-infographic/#chapter-363-section-2
|
3 Design Phase
The design phase begins while working through early development phases, but doesn’t really get going until you start putting pen to paper. Table 2 summarizes basic infographic design considerations, starting with establishing a short list of a priori design principles specific to your project and ending with prototype testing. Once you finalize your design, go back to Chapter 1 for ideas about the distribution and maintenance phases.
Table 2. Infographic design phase considerations.
| Design Considerations | |
|---|---|
| Establish design principles | Develop design principles with the team and, ideally, end-users. Consider cultural diversity, language and readability. Expect to revisit the list and revise it as you work through the design phase. |
| Sketch general layout on paper with pen or pencil | One page or two? For printing on paper or electronic distribution or both? Whole pages, folding brochure or poster? Paper sizes vary across countries and for different printing purposes. Consider whether the infographic will be viewed on cellphones. Considering the storyline, draw boundaries for text blocks, images, and white spaces. Consider the balance and alignment of those blocks. The flow of those blocks helps to tell the story. Do not add any text or imagery at this point. |
| Chose the title | Chose a compelling title that attracts readers and sustains their attention. |
| Choose fonts | Consider font type, size and justification. |
| Choose colour palette | Pick limited complementary colours appropriate for the topic and audience. |
| Add text and graphics/images | Consult the guidelines you established to choose text and graphics/images to tell the story. |
| Ethical, privacy and copyright considerations | Brevity risks insufficient information, misinterpretation, misinformation and bias. Be careful about privacy issues using real people’s stories. Watch out for copyright if using others' content. |
| Cite sources | Tell the reader about the evidence base for the information in the infographic. Add institution logo if appropriate. |
| Draft prototype | Chose design software (Chapter 3): set document parameters for size and resolution appropriate for the planned distribution medium. Add content: consider readability, understandability and actionability. Balance text, imagery and white space appropriately for audience and topic. |
| Evaluate prototype | Test the prototype with the development team, end-user informants and content expert reviewers. |
| Revise design | Revise the layout, imagery, text and colours based on feedback from the team and reviewers. |
| Finalize design | Freeze the design. |
Basic Elements of an Infographic
Every infographic is different because there are so many variables, including differences in topics, intended outcomes, audiences and content. Nuances of fonts, colours and layout differ for various purposes. While there are no established standard templates, the basic elements of an infographic are:4
- Structure: a clear, logical layout.
- White space: meaningful use of white space.
- Color palette: colours are consistent, complementary, purposeful and meaningful, with sufficient contrast between text and background.
- Text: appropriate and accessible font types and sizes.
- Imagery: effective information visualization, including use of alt text for images posted online in HTML.
There are two broad areas to consider in telling the story: (1) content, meaning the information that will be conveyed in text and imagery, and (2) visual look, meaning the colours, text font, and layout of content, images and white space.
- Content is chosen to achieve a desired outcome. The content must be evidence-based, ethically correct, unbiased and accessible. It is crucial to use the content in ways that make sense to the intended audience. For example, patient informants who have lived for years with a health condition that the infographic is addressing need to think about how they would have understood the infographic back when they were first being diagnosed. 14 Consider content and design aspects for infographics for health professional audiences, as mentioned in other sections of this manual.
- Visual design requires understanding “visual literacy”, meaning how people interpret the way infographics look. 2,22 Consider accessibility factors, for example users with visual impairment might miss important context that you mean to convey by your colour choices. 21
Accessibility
Consider accessibility issues while designing your infographic. Accessibility design ensures that all users, including those with disabilities or impairments can access and understand the information. See sections below for accessibility tips.17,18,21
First Step: List Design Principles
Before you start on the design, consider the story you want to tell. Reflect on the information in this manual to draw up a list of principles that will guide design of your infographic. For example:
- State your objective with intended outcomes.
- Summarize your intended audience’s persona.
- Identify accessibility requirements.
- Describe the type of content you will use; focus on your objective, the evidence base, and your audience.
- Look through the rest of this chapter for ideas about principles regarding, for example, audience engagement, layout, text versus image content, and how text, imagery, colour and white space will work together for your audience.
Keep in mind differences and overlaps between the organization’s goals (what you want to achieve with the infographic) and the audience’s goals (what your audience wants from the infographic).
In addition to the overall storyline for the infographic, patient’s own stories can help readers to make sense of the information and understand why the infographic’s story is important to them.23
Clarify the Storyline
“Design is an opportunity to continue telling the story, not just to sum everything up” (Tate Linden)2
Good infographics tell a story that makes sense to the user.
- Infographics are very short stories, not novels.
- A story is a narrative about an emotional journey taken by characters. Stories allow people to share information in memorable way that enables deeper understanding. For example, simply telling someone to do something does not stick as well as telling someone about a person who had a good outcome if they did the thing. The first is merely a directive, while the second is a human story.
- The plot is the sequence of events that make up the story, from start to finish. The plot includes the beginning where the storyteller introduces the characters, setting and problem; then moves to the rise in action where tension escalates, then talks about the peak (climax) where a decision must be made, then provides answers during the fall in action and, finally, describes the happy ending where the problem is resolved.
- The storyline is a summary of the plot that describes the main thread of the story, summarizing main events around a problem that affects the characters, in a setting where the story takes place.
Sketch the Layout before Adding Content
A study of design students found that better infographics were designed by students who started by laying out all the content blocks on a piece of paper with pen or pencil before going to the computer or adding any content and there seems to be consensus on this approach.24 Stones and Gent (2015) and Kibar et al. (2017) show examples of the process:11,22
- Find some examples of infographics similar to yours in terms of content, intent or audience.
- With the storyline in mind, align blocks horizontally and vertically. Eye-tracking studies give insights into how readers scan blocks in infographics. Grid systems guided readers better than random block placements.11
- A good infographic tells a story.15 Lay out the blocks on the paper to achieve that end. Consider cues like headings, arrows, callouts, flow of text and images. Highlight main ideas in the story.
- Different people read infographics in different ways, so make drafts on paper to test different ways of positioning text and imagery blocks, considering reading flow in the storyline.25 Some, particularly some professionals, go straight to text from left to right and top down. Others look first at the headings or images then might go back to read something in more depth. Some just skim, and callouts might focus those readers.14 The trick is to design infographics for different reading styles and accessibility needs. For example, some users will use a screen reader and some will have other people interpret the infographic for them. Consider how the design works when it is read out loud.
- Use white space carefully. Place white space around blocks of text and graphics to highlight main storyline points. Don’t make text blocks too narrow or too wide.
- Consider the infographic medium. Layout will be influenced by whether the infographic will be printed on letterhead-sized paper in black and white or colour, made into a folded brochure, or distributed electronically in a PDF or HTML format for viewing on cellphones and tablets.26
One author suggests this:26
- Use informative titles and headings.
- Use a three-part introduction:
- Tell reader why the infographic is important to them.
- Tell them what it was designed to accomplish.
- Tell them what to expect when they read it.
- Organize the flow logically and make the flow apparent to the reader.
- Use appropriate text, imagery and colours that support the storyline.
Here is another way:23
- Get right to the point:
- Answer “Is this information for me?”
- Answer “What did you find out?”
- Answer “How did you find this information, where did it come from?”
- Answer “What should I do next?”
Choose the Title
Readers decide in a few seconds whether to read an infographic.15
- A few action-oriented, impactful words arouse interest better than an elaborate title.
- Use a more suggestive subtitle.
- Use words that speak directly to needs experienced by the target audience.
- But the title content must be true to the evidence and ethically sound, not misleading or sensational.11
Stones and Gent (2015) pointed out different approaches to titles:11
- Subject: “Vaccinations in Infants”
- Message: “Infant vaccination is available”
- Question: “What is the state of infant vaccination?”
- Fear: “Infants die when not vaccinated”
- Hopeful: “Infant vaccination can be increased”
- Call: “Be vaccinated not sick”
Text Content
These tips come from academic studies, design experts and expert advisors with lived experience:4,6,11,14,15,17,18,25
- The user needs to know, “Is this for me?”.
- Use headings and subheadings to organize the text and aid logical reading flow.
- Avoid large blocks of text. Keep a text block together, don’t wrap it around images, for example. Avoid dense text. Use left-aligned not justified text to prevent complex white spacing.
- Put important words first and keep sentences short.17 One idea per paragraph. Start the paragraph with a sentence giving the paragraph’s topic.
- Use plain language. Use short, familiar words and short sentences. Use common words and only use jargon or technical language when necessary and likely to be understood the audience.17 Use personal pronouns like “we” and “you”.27 Avoid acronyms or symbols.
- Use the present not past tense, and active not passive voice: “your doctor is going to _” is better than “Doctors would have_”.17
- Use realistic examples that the audience can relate to. Use concrete not abstract words and order events temporally.
- Arial or Calibri fonts seem to be easy to read, but don’t mix fonts, certainly no more than 3 types. The 10-point size generally is too small. Use much larger fonts for children and those with reading difficulty. Avoid fonts with serifs.17 Bolded font works better for emphasis than italics or underlining.
- Keep bulleted lists short and keep them together not across two pages.
- Be consistent in style features like headings and spelling out numbers versus showing regular numbers. Avoid capitalization, hyphens, semicolons and long sentences.
- Be cautious about how lay readers might interpret charts and statistics. Think carefully about how to use statistics. Write “half” instead of “49%”. This is the process of effective “data visualization” and there is lots published about it.2
- Be clear about evidence sources for the content in the infographic. Provide information about access to further resources for the audience. Refer (in an easy-to-understand way) to evidence sources: “How did you find this information?”.
- If tables are used, make them accessible: use informative headers for rows and columns, and a caption or summary to explain the table’s purpose.18 Keep tables simple: avoid merged and empty cells, and rotated text.17
Plain language is preferred. Plain language means wording, structure and design that is so simple and straightforward that everyone can understand it. Technical language often fails because only specialized readers can understand it, including even a narrow group of health care practitioners within a sub-specialty of their own specialty. Patient information leaflets can be laid out well but often exceed patient comprehension thresholds.27
- Readability refers to ease of reading and understanding text. You can test readability using Microsoft Word. Select the block of text. Click on “Home”, then “Editor”, then “Document Stats”. Word returns scores for Flesch Reading Ease and Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level. Health care providers can read technical language, while language for the general public needs to consider different reading abilities. Guidelines suggest that general public infographic readability should be grade 8 or less and grades 4-6 are sometimes preferred. 28,29
- Understandability refers to how easy it is for readers to understand the information. Actionability refers to how easy it is for readers to act on the information. Both can be assessed with, for example, the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT). 12
Imagery Content
Graphics (drawings) and images (photos) aid reader retention when used well.15 Here are some tips from the literature: 14,15,23,30
• Not all handouts need fancy graphics or images. In fact, there is some limited evidence that some
Designing the Infographic | 10 technical readers like health care providers can prefer text in certain circumstances. But even handouts for technical readers can benefit from graphics, and graphics aid engagement and retention for all audiences. 15
• Avoid distracting graphics like unnecessary grid lines or box outlines.
• Avoid mixing graphics and images with starkly different colours, contrast and dark/white space.
• Use images that seem real, relatable and sympathetic to the audience. Be aware that some people interpret images far differently than intended by the designer. 30 Avoid stock images using stereotypical representations of people because they look “phoney” to audiences and are not relatable.
• Use alt text (alternative text) to describe images in HTML infographics to improve accessibility for readers with different learning styles or accessibility needs. 17,21 Accessibility features can also be built into PDF versions.
• Use inclusive imagery. Avoid inadvertently reinforcing negative stereotypes of ethnicity, age or gender.
• The authoring organization’s logo can convey credibility as well as source. 23
Data visualization is the process of picking the right way to image data.
18
• Be careful with charts: they can be easily misinterpreted, even by technical readers. Pick the right chart type for the data type and audience, or even use a non-chart method to display the data.
• Arcia et al. (2015) provide details about general public preferences for graphics of statistics and other types of health information. 19
• Graphics that use curves are preferred over linear ones like standard bar charts. 31
Text and Imagery Used Together
There is evidence that information from infographics is more likely to be retained than from text alone.15 Three randomized controlled trials comparing infographics and plain language summaries of Cochrane systematic reviews found that while infographics were preferred in terms of reading experience and user-friendliness in both lay and professional audiences, there were no differences between the two modes in knowledge translation.32 That study has been criticized, but another (Canadian) study had similar findings.5,33 Nevertheless, both studies found that readers preferred infographics over text alone.
Here are tips from the literature for thinking about text and images together:15,25
- Keep together text and images that refer to the same topic.
- Imagery and text generally complement each other rather than convey the same information but sometimes can be used to repeat the same information for different reader styles.
- Repeat the most important points in different ways using text, fonts, callouts, or images.
- Don’t wrap a block of text around an image.
- Consider how to address varying beliefs held by audience members.
- For charts and graphs, label axes, data points and legends clearly with text rather than only colour and shape.18
If you want some insight into how design experts think of “visual literacy” in terms of infographics, check out Dunlap and Lowenthal (2016).2 They point out that visuals are powerful learning tools and that the overall look is important. To get technical, “Effective visuals apply visual organization and structure to reflect relationships, describe how parts of a whole interact, and/or reveal an underlying story.”
Colour Palette
Colours used in fonts, background and images must work together. They can have considerable affective impact, and they influence reader’s comprehension owing to the meanings readers attach to colours, and ease of readability due to contrast levels and other accessibility considerations.15,19,21,22,34,35
- There are many online tools for assisting with infographic colour palette choice, but they might not consider nuances like cultural meanings. “Stoplight” colours were found to convey value judgements to some audiences, for example.
- Experts advise restricting colour rather than over-using it, and restricting the palette to 3-5 colours.11
- The Piktochart website has a basic primer. 34 Canva can suggest colour palettes.36
- Don’t rely on colour alone to convey emphasis and meaning.17
- Consider colour vision impairments, which affect one in twenty people.4 There are online tools that can be used to ensure that the colour palette is accessible to people who perceive colour in different ways.18,21 Red/green and blue/yellow combinations can be problematic. Colour contrast is especially important for those with low vision. Online resources like the WebAIM Contrast Checker tool can be helpful (https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker).
Online Infographics
There are a number of accessibility design considerations for infographics that will be posted as HTML and even PDF formats.18,36,37 Here are a few basic examples but readers should review other sources for more detailed information if they are designing online interactive infographics:
- Use concise, informative “alt text” to convey the meaning of an infographic for readers with vision impairments.
- Allow users to navigate them with a keyboard alone so that all interactive elements like buttons and links are accessible by the tab key with clear focus indicators.
- Use HTML elements for tables that include headers, columns, and captions or summaries.
- Use “semantic HTML” such as headings that create a hierarchal outline, appropriately using lists and paragraphs.
- Provide alternative versions of the infographic for users who cannot access the visual content fully, for example a downloadable table or text-based summary.
- Software is available that can test an infographic for use with screen readers that speak content aloud.
Ethical, Privacy and Copyright Considerations
While brevity is a key goal in infographics design, it is important to carefully avoid causing ethical problems that lead to misinterpretation, misinformation and bias.37,38 It is also important to consider privacy issues around use of images and personal stories.10 Be cautious about using content like images that might be protected by someone’s copyright, including images generated by artificial intelligence software or online services.
Cite Sources
In a succinct and user-friendly way, tell the reader where the information you are giving them comes from. For health care providers, give them a sense of the strength of evidence and certainty of conclusions. If appropriate and with permissions, add logos of supporting institutions.
Prototype Development
Refine the design before finalizing it. Prototypes can be shown to health care expert advisors for content and to audience members to assess engagement, accessibility, comprehension and actionability.19,39 If intending to use a screen reader for HTML or PDF versions, pilot the implementation.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.675101
|
12-16-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/designing-the-infographic/#chapter-363-section-2",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Designing Infographics – A Manual for Health Care Provider Learners and Practitioners",
"author": "Jim Thompson MD, CCFP(EM), FCFP, Gail Macartney RN(NP), PhD, CON(C), Stephanie Welton MSc",
"institution": "University of Prince Edward Island",
"subject": "Personal and public health / health education, Writing and editing guides, , , , , , ,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/designing-the-infographic/#chapter-363-section-3
|
3 Design Phase
The design phase begins while working through early development phases, but doesn’t really get going until you start putting pen to paper. Table 2 summarizes basic infographic design considerations, starting with establishing a short list of a priori design principles specific to your project and ending with prototype testing. Once you finalize your design, go back to Chapter 1 for ideas about the distribution and maintenance phases.
Table 2. Infographic design phase considerations.
| Design Considerations | |
|---|---|
| Establish design principles | Develop design principles with the team and, ideally, end-users. Consider cultural diversity, language and readability. Expect to revisit the list and revise it as you work through the design phase. |
| Sketch general layout on paper with pen or pencil | One page or two? For printing on paper or electronic distribution or both? Whole pages, folding brochure or poster? Paper sizes vary across countries and for different printing purposes. Consider whether the infographic will be viewed on cellphones. Considering the storyline, draw boundaries for text blocks, images, and white spaces. Consider the balance and alignment of those blocks. The flow of those blocks helps to tell the story. Do not add any text or imagery at this point. |
| Chose the title | Chose a compelling title that attracts readers and sustains their attention. |
| Choose fonts | Consider font type, size and justification. |
| Choose colour palette | Pick limited complementary colours appropriate for the topic and audience. |
| Add text and graphics/images | Consult the guidelines you established to choose text and graphics/images to tell the story. |
| Ethical, privacy and copyright considerations | Brevity risks insufficient information, misinterpretation, misinformation and bias. Be careful about privacy issues using real people’s stories. Watch out for copyright if using others' content. |
| Cite sources | Tell the reader about the evidence base for the information in the infographic. Add institution logo if appropriate. |
| Draft prototype | Chose design software (Chapter 3): set document parameters for size and resolution appropriate for the planned distribution medium. Add content: consider readability, understandability and actionability. Balance text, imagery and white space appropriately for audience and topic. |
| Evaluate prototype | Test the prototype with the development team, end-user informants and content expert reviewers. |
| Revise design | Revise the layout, imagery, text and colours based on feedback from the team and reviewers. |
| Finalize design | Freeze the design. |
Basic Elements of an Infographic
Every infographic is different because there are so many variables, including differences in topics, intended outcomes, audiences and content. Nuances of fonts, colours and layout differ for various purposes. While there are no established standard templates, the basic elements of an infographic are:4
- Structure: a clear, logical layout.
- White space: meaningful use of white space.
- Color palette: colours are consistent, complementary, purposeful and meaningful, with sufficient contrast between text and background.
- Text: appropriate and accessible font types and sizes.
- Imagery: effective information visualization, including use of alt text for images posted online in HTML.
There are two broad areas to consider in telling the story: (1) content, meaning the information that will be conveyed in text and imagery, and (2) visual look, meaning the colours, text font, and layout of content, images and white space.
- Content is chosen to achieve a desired outcome. The content must be evidence-based, ethically correct, unbiased and accessible. It is crucial to use the content in ways that make sense to the intended audience. For example, patient informants who have lived for years with a health condition that the infographic is addressing need to think about how they would have understood the infographic back when they were first being diagnosed. 14 Consider content and design aspects for infographics for health professional audiences, as mentioned in other sections of this manual.
- Visual design requires understanding “visual literacy”, meaning how people interpret the way infographics look. 2,22 Consider accessibility factors, for example users with visual impairment might miss important context that you mean to convey by your colour choices. 21
Accessibility
Consider accessibility issues while designing your infographic. Accessibility design ensures that all users, including those with disabilities or impairments can access and understand the information. See sections below for accessibility tips.17,18,21
First Step: List Design Principles
Before you start on the design, consider the story you want to tell. Reflect on the information in this manual to draw up a list of principles that will guide design of your infographic. For example:
- State your objective with intended outcomes.
- Summarize your intended audience’s persona.
- Identify accessibility requirements.
- Describe the type of content you will use; focus on your objective, the evidence base, and your audience.
- Look through the rest of this chapter for ideas about principles regarding, for example, audience engagement, layout, text versus image content, and how text, imagery, colour and white space will work together for your audience.
Keep in mind differences and overlaps between the organization’s goals (what you want to achieve with the infographic) and the audience’s goals (what your audience wants from the infographic).
In addition to the overall storyline for the infographic, patient’s own stories can help readers to make sense of the information and understand why the infographic’s story is important to them.23
Clarify the Storyline
“Design is an opportunity to continue telling the story, not just to sum everything up” (Tate Linden)2
Good infographics tell a story that makes sense to the user.
- Infographics are very short stories, not novels.
- A story is a narrative about an emotional journey taken by characters. Stories allow people to share information in memorable way that enables deeper understanding. For example, simply telling someone to do something does not stick as well as telling someone about a person who had a good outcome if they did the thing. The first is merely a directive, while the second is a human story.
- The plot is the sequence of events that make up the story, from start to finish. The plot includes the beginning where the storyteller introduces the characters, setting and problem; then moves to the rise in action where tension escalates, then talks about the peak (climax) where a decision must be made, then provides answers during the fall in action and, finally, describes the happy ending where the problem is resolved.
- The storyline is a summary of the plot that describes the main thread of the story, summarizing main events around a problem that affects the characters, in a setting where the story takes place.
Sketch the Layout before Adding Content
A study of design students found that better infographics were designed by students who started by laying out all the content blocks on a piece of paper with pen or pencil before going to the computer or adding any content and there seems to be consensus on this approach.24 Stones and Gent (2015) and Kibar et al. (2017) show examples of the process:11,22
- Find some examples of infographics similar to yours in terms of content, intent or audience.
- With the storyline in mind, align blocks horizontally and vertically. Eye-tracking studies give insights into how readers scan blocks in infographics. Grid systems guided readers better than random block placements.11
- A good infographic tells a story.15 Lay out the blocks on the paper to achieve that end. Consider cues like headings, arrows, callouts, flow of text and images. Highlight main ideas in the story.
- Different people read infographics in different ways, so make drafts on paper to test different ways of positioning text and imagery blocks, considering reading flow in the storyline.25 Some, particularly some professionals, go straight to text from left to right and top down. Others look first at the headings or images then might go back to read something in more depth. Some just skim, and callouts might focus those readers.14 The trick is to design infographics for different reading styles and accessibility needs. For example, some users will use a screen reader and some will have other people interpret the infographic for them. Consider how the design works when it is read out loud.
- Use white space carefully. Place white space around blocks of text and graphics to highlight main storyline points. Don’t make text blocks too narrow or too wide.
- Consider the infographic medium. Layout will be influenced by whether the infographic will be printed on letterhead-sized paper in black and white or colour, made into a folded brochure, or distributed electronically in a PDF or HTML format for viewing on cellphones and tablets.26
One author suggests this:26
- Use informative titles and headings.
- Use a three-part introduction:
- Tell reader why the infographic is important to them.
- Tell them what it was designed to accomplish.
- Tell them what to expect when they read it.
- Organize the flow logically and make the flow apparent to the reader.
- Use appropriate text, imagery and colours that support the storyline.
Here is another way:23
- Get right to the point:
- Answer “Is this information for me?”
- Answer “What did you find out?”
- Answer “How did you find this information, where did it come from?”
- Answer “What should I do next?”
Choose the Title
Readers decide in a few seconds whether to read an infographic.15
- A few action-oriented, impactful words arouse interest better than an elaborate title.
- Use a more suggestive subtitle.
- Use words that speak directly to needs experienced by the target audience.
- But the title content must be true to the evidence and ethically sound, not misleading or sensational.11
Stones and Gent (2015) pointed out different approaches to titles:11
- Subject: “Vaccinations in Infants”
- Message: “Infant vaccination is available”
- Question: “What is the state of infant vaccination?”
- Fear: “Infants die when not vaccinated”
- Hopeful: “Infant vaccination can be increased”
- Call: “Be vaccinated not sick”
Text Content
These tips come from academic studies, design experts and expert advisors with lived experience:4,6,11,14,15,17,18,25
- The user needs to know, “Is this for me?”.
- Use headings and subheadings to organize the text and aid logical reading flow.
- Avoid large blocks of text. Keep a text block together, don’t wrap it around images, for example. Avoid dense text. Use left-aligned not justified text to prevent complex white spacing.
- Put important words first and keep sentences short.17 One idea per paragraph. Start the paragraph with a sentence giving the paragraph’s topic.
- Use plain language. Use short, familiar words and short sentences. Use common words and only use jargon or technical language when necessary and likely to be understood the audience.17 Use personal pronouns like “we” and “you”.27 Avoid acronyms or symbols.
- Use the present not past tense, and active not passive voice: “your doctor is going to _” is better than “Doctors would have_”.17
- Use realistic examples that the audience can relate to. Use concrete not abstract words and order events temporally.
- Arial or Calibri fonts seem to be easy to read, but don’t mix fonts, certainly no more than 3 types. The 10-point size generally is too small. Use much larger fonts for children and those with reading difficulty. Avoid fonts with serifs.17 Bolded font works better for emphasis than italics or underlining.
- Keep bulleted lists short and keep them together not across two pages.
- Be consistent in style features like headings and spelling out numbers versus showing regular numbers. Avoid capitalization, hyphens, semicolons and long sentences.
- Be cautious about how lay readers might interpret charts and statistics. Think carefully about how to use statistics. Write “half” instead of “49%”. This is the process of effective “data visualization” and there is lots published about it.2
- Be clear about evidence sources for the content in the infographic. Provide information about access to further resources for the audience. Refer (in an easy-to-understand way) to evidence sources: “How did you find this information?”.
- If tables are used, make them accessible: use informative headers for rows and columns, and a caption or summary to explain the table’s purpose.18 Keep tables simple: avoid merged and empty cells, and rotated text.17
Plain language is preferred. Plain language means wording, structure and design that is so simple and straightforward that everyone can understand it. Technical language often fails because only specialized readers can understand it, including even a narrow group of health care practitioners within a sub-specialty of their own specialty. Patient information leaflets can be laid out well but often exceed patient comprehension thresholds.27
- Readability refers to ease of reading and understanding text. You can test readability using Microsoft Word. Select the block of text. Click on “Home”, then “Editor”, then “Document Stats”. Word returns scores for Flesch Reading Ease and Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level. Health care providers can read technical language, while language for the general public needs to consider different reading abilities. Guidelines suggest that general public infographic readability should be grade 8 or less and grades 4-6 are sometimes preferred. 28,29
- Understandability refers to how easy it is for readers to understand the information. Actionability refers to how easy it is for readers to act on the information. Both can be assessed with, for example, the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT). 12
Imagery Content
Graphics (drawings) and images (photos) aid reader retention when used well.15 Here are some tips from the literature: 14,15,23,30
• Not all handouts need fancy graphics or images. In fact, there is some limited evidence that some
Designing the Infographic | 10 technical readers like health care providers can prefer text in certain circumstances. But even handouts for technical readers can benefit from graphics, and graphics aid engagement and retention for all audiences. 15
• Avoid distracting graphics like unnecessary grid lines or box outlines.
• Avoid mixing graphics and images with starkly different colours, contrast and dark/white space.
• Use images that seem real, relatable and sympathetic to the audience. Be aware that some people interpret images far differently than intended by the designer. 30 Avoid stock images using stereotypical representations of people because they look “phoney” to audiences and are not relatable.
• Use alt text (alternative text) to describe images in HTML infographics to improve accessibility for readers with different learning styles or accessibility needs. 17,21 Accessibility features can also be built into PDF versions.
• Use inclusive imagery. Avoid inadvertently reinforcing negative stereotypes of ethnicity, age or gender.
• The authoring organization’s logo can convey credibility as well as source. 23
Data visualization is the process of picking the right way to image data.
18
• Be careful with charts: they can be easily misinterpreted, even by technical readers. Pick the right chart type for the data type and audience, or even use a non-chart method to display the data.
• Arcia et al. (2015) provide details about general public preferences for graphics of statistics and other types of health information. 19
• Graphics that use curves are preferred over linear ones like standard bar charts. 31
Text and Imagery Used Together
There is evidence that information from infographics is more likely to be retained than from text alone.15 Three randomized controlled trials comparing infographics and plain language summaries of Cochrane systematic reviews found that while infographics were preferred in terms of reading experience and user-friendliness in both lay and professional audiences, there were no differences between the two modes in knowledge translation.32 That study has been criticized, but another (Canadian) study had similar findings.5,33 Nevertheless, both studies found that readers preferred infographics over text alone.
Here are tips from the literature for thinking about text and images together:15,25
- Keep together text and images that refer to the same topic.
- Imagery and text generally complement each other rather than convey the same information but sometimes can be used to repeat the same information for different reader styles.
- Repeat the most important points in different ways using text, fonts, callouts, or images.
- Don’t wrap a block of text around an image.
- Consider how to address varying beliefs held by audience members.
- For charts and graphs, label axes, data points and legends clearly with text rather than only colour and shape.18
If you want some insight into how design experts think of “visual literacy” in terms of infographics, check out Dunlap and Lowenthal (2016).2 They point out that visuals are powerful learning tools and that the overall look is important. To get technical, “Effective visuals apply visual organization and structure to reflect relationships, describe how parts of a whole interact, and/or reveal an underlying story.”
Colour Palette
Colours used in fonts, background and images must work together. They can have considerable affective impact, and they influence reader’s comprehension owing to the meanings readers attach to colours, and ease of readability due to contrast levels and other accessibility considerations.15,19,21,22,34,35
- There are many online tools for assisting with infographic colour palette choice, but they might not consider nuances like cultural meanings. “Stoplight” colours were found to convey value judgements to some audiences, for example.
- Experts advise restricting colour rather than over-using it, and restricting the palette to 3-5 colours.11
- The Piktochart website has a basic primer. 34 Canva can suggest colour palettes.36
- Don’t rely on colour alone to convey emphasis and meaning.17
- Consider colour vision impairments, which affect one in twenty people.4 There are online tools that can be used to ensure that the colour palette is accessible to people who perceive colour in different ways.18,21 Red/green and blue/yellow combinations can be problematic. Colour contrast is especially important for those with low vision. Online resources like the WebAIM Contrast Checker tool can be helpful (https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker).
Online Infographics
There are a number of accessibility design considerations for infographics that will be posted as HTML and even PDF formats.18,36,37 Here are a few basic examples but readers should review other sources for more detailed information if they are designing online interactive infographics:
- Use concise, informative “alt text” to convey the meaning of an infographic for readers with vision impairments.
- Allow users to navigate them with a keyboard alone so that all interactive elements like buttons and links are accessible by the tab key with clear focus indicators.
- Use HTML elements for tables that include headers, columns, and captions or summaries.
- Use “semantic HTML” such as headings that create a hierarchal outline, appropriately using lists and paragraphs.
- Provide alternative versions of the infographic for users who cannot access the visual content fully, for example a downloadable table or text-based summary.
- Software is available that can test an infographic for use with screen readers that speak content aloud.
Ethical, Privacy and Copyright Considerations
While brevity is a key goal in infographics design, it is important to carefully avoid causing ethical problems that lead to misinterpretation, misinformation and bias.37,38 It is also important to consider privacy issues around use of images and personal stories.10 Be cautious about using content like images that might be protected by someone’s copyright, including images generated by artificial intelligence software or online services.
Cite Sources
In a succinct and user-friendly way, tell the reader where the information you are giving them comes from. For health care providers, give them a sense of the strength of evidence and certainty of conclusions. If appropriate and with permissions, add logos of supporting institutions.
Prototype Development
Refine the design before finalizing it. Prototypes can be shown to health care expert advisors for content and to audience members to assess engagement, accessibility, comprehension and actionability.19,39 If intending to use a screen reader for HTML or PDF versions, pilot the implementation.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.704332
|
12-16-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/designing-the-infographic/#chapter-363-section-3",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Designing Infographics – A Manual for Health Care Provider Learners and Practitioners",
"author": "Jim Thompson MD, CCFP(EM), FCFP, Gail Macartney RN(NP), PhD, CON(C), Stephanie Welton MSc",
"institution": "University of Prince Edward Island",
"subject": "Personal and public health / health education, Writing and editing guides, , , , , , ,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/designing-the-infographic/#chapter-363-section-4
|
3 Design Phase
The design phase begins while working through early development phases, but doesn’t really get going until you start putting pen to paper. Table 2 summarizes basic infographic design considerations, starting with establishing a short list of a priori design principles specific to your project and ending with prototype testing. Once you finalize your design, go back to Chapter 1 for ideas about the distribution and maintenance phases.
Table 2. Infographic design phase considerations.
| Design Considerations | |
|---|---|
| Establish design principles | Develop design principles with the team and, ideally, end-users. Consider cultural diversity, language and readability. Expect to revisit the list and revise it as you work through the design phase. |
| Sketch general layout on paper with pen or pencil | One page or two? For printing on paper or electronic distribution or both? Whole pages, folding brochure or poster? Paper sizes vary across countries and for different printing purposes. Consider whether the infographic will be viewed on cellphones. Considering the storyline, draw boundaries for text blocks, images, and white spaces. Consider the balance and alignment of those blocks. The flow of those blocks helps to tell the story. Do not add any text or imagery at this point. |
| Chose the title | Chose a compelling title that attracts readers and sustains their attention. |
| Choose fonts | Consider font type, size and justification. |
| Choose colour palette | Pick limited complementary colours appropriate for the topic and audience. |
| Add text and graphics/images | Consult the guidelines you established to choose text and graphics/images to tell the story. |
| Ethical, privacy and copyright considerations | Brevity risks insufficient information, misinterpretation, misinformation and bias. Be careful about privacy issues using real people’s stories. Watch out for copyright if using others' content. |
| Cite sources | Tell the reader about the evidence base for the information in the infographic. Add institution logo if appropriate. |
| Draft prototype | Chose design software (Chapter 3): set document parameters for size and resolution appropriate for the planned distribution medium. Add content: consider readability, understandability and actionability. Balance text, imagery and white space appropriately for audience and topic. |
| Evaluate prototype | Test the prototype with the development team, end-user informants and content expert reviewers. |
| Revise design | Revise the layout, imagery, text and colours based on feedback from the team and reviewers. |
| Finalize design | Freeze the design. |
Basic Elements of an Infographic
Every infographic is different because there are so many variables, including differences in topics, intended outcomes, audiences and content. Nuances of fonts, colours and layout differ for various purposes. While there are no established standard templates, the basic elements of an infographic are:4
- Structure: a clear, logical layout.
- White space: meaningful use of white space.
- Color palette: colours are consistent, complementary, purposeful and meaningful, with sufficient contrast between text and background.
- Text: appropriate and accessible font types and sizes.
- Imagery: effective information visualization, including use of alt text for images posted online in HTML.
There are two broad areas to consider in telling the story: (1) content, meaning the information that will be conveyed in text and imagery, and (2) visual look, meaning the colours, text font, and layout of content, images and white space.
- Content is chosen to achieve a desired outcome. The content must be evidence-based, ethically correct, unbiased and accessible. It is crucial to use the content in ways that make sense to the intended audience. For example, patient informants who have lived for years with a health condition that the infographic is addressing need to think about how they would have understood the infographic back when they were first being diagnosed. 14 Consider content and design aspects for infographics for health professional audiences, as mentioned in other sections of this manual.
- Visual design requires understanding “visual literacy”, meaning how people interpret the way infographics look. 2,22 Consider accessibility factors, for example users with visual impairment might miss important context that you mean to convey by your colour choices. 21
Accessibility
Consider accessibility issues while designing your infographic. Accessibility design ensures that all users, including those with disabilities or impairments can access and understand the information. See sections below for accessibility tips.17,18,21
First Step: List Design Principles
Before you start on the design, consider the story you want to tell. Reflect on the information in this manual to draw up a list of principles that will guide design of your infographic. For example:
- State your objective with intended outcomes.
- Summarize your intended audience’s persona.
- Identify accessibility requirements.
- Describe the type of content you will use; focus on your objective, the evidence base, and your audience.
- Look through the rest of this chapter for ideas about principles regarding, for example, audience engagement, layout, text versus image content, and how text, imagery, colour and white space will work together for your audience.
Keep in mind differences and overlaps between the organization’s goals (what you want to achieve with the infographic) and the audience’s goals (what your audience wants from the infographic).
In addition to the overall storyline for the infographic, patient’s own stories can help readers to make sense of the information and understand why the infographic’s story is important to them.23
Clarify the Storyline
“Design is an opportunity to continue telling the story, not just to sum everything up” (Tate Linden)2
Good infographics tell a story that makes sense to the user.
- Infographics are very short stories, not novels.
- A story is a narrative about an emotional journey taken by characters. Stories allow people to share information in memorable way that enables deeper understanding. For example, simply telling someone to do something does not stick as well as telling someone about a person who had a good outcome if they did the thing. The first is merely a directive, while the second is a human story.
- The plot is the sequence of events that make up the story, from start to finish. The plot includes the beginning where the storyteller introduces the characters, setting and problem; then moves to the rise in action where tension escalates, then talks about the peak (climax) where a decision must be made, then provides answers during the fall in action and, finally, describes the happy ending where the problem is resolved.
- The storyline is a summary of the plot that describes the main thread of the story, summarizing main events around a problem that affects the characters, in a setting where the story takes place.
Sketch the Layout before Adding Content
A study of design students found that better infographics were designed by students who started by laying out all the content blocks on a piece of paper with pen or pencil before going to the computer or adding any content and there seems to be consensus on this approach.24 Stones and Gent (2015) and Kibar et al. (2017) show examples of the process:11,22
- Find some examples of infographics similar to yours in terms of content, intent or audience.
- With the storyline in mind, align blocks horizontally and vertically. Eye-tracking studies give insights into how readers scan blocks in infographics. Grid systems guided readers better than random block placements.11
- A good infographic tells a story.15 Lay out the blocks on the paper to achieve that end. Consider cues like headings, arrows, callouts, flow of text and images. Highlight main ideas in the story.
- Different people read infographics in different ways, so make drafts on paper to test different ways of positioning text and imagery blocks, considering reading flow in the storyline.25 Some, particularly some professionals, go straight to text from left to right and top down. Others look first at the headings or images then might go back to read something in more depth. Some just skim, and callouts might focus those readers.14 The trick is to design infographics for different reading styles and accessibility needs. For example, some users will use a screen reader and some will have other people interpret the infographic for them. Consider how the design works when it is read out loud.
- Use white space carefully. Place white space around blocks of text and graphics to highlight main storyline points. Don’t make text blocks too narrow or too wide.
- Consider the infographic medium. Layout will be influenced by whether the infographic will be printed on letterhead-sized paper in black and white or colour, made into a folded brochure, or distributed electronically in a PDF or HTML format for viewing on cellphones and tablets.26
One author suggests this:26
- Use informative titles and headings.
- Use a three-part introduction:
- Tell reader why the infographic is important to them.
- Tell them what it was designed to accomplish.
- Tell them what to expect when they read it.
- Organize the flow logically and make the flow apparent to the reader.
- Use appropriate text, imagery and colours that support the storyline.
Here is another way:23
- Get right to the point:
- Answer “Is this information for me?”
- Answer “What did you find out?”
- Answer “How did you find this information, where did it come from?”
- Answer “What should I do next?”
Choose the Title
Readers decide in a few seconds whether to read an infographic.15
- A few action-oriented, impactful words arouse interest better than an elaborate title.
- Use a more suggestive subtitle.
- Use words that speak directly to needs experienced by the target audience.
- But the title content must be true to the evidence and ethically sound, not misleading or sensational.11
Stones and Gent (2015) pointed out different approaches to titles:11
- Subject: “Vaccinations in Infants”
- Message: “Infant vaccination is available”
- Question: “What is the state of infant vaccination?”
- Fear: “Infants die when not vaccinated”
- Hopeful: “Infant vaccination can be increased”
- Call: “Be vaccinated not sick”
Text Content
These tips come from academic studies, design experts and expert advisors with lived experience:4,6,11,14,15,17,18,25
- The user needs to know, “Is this for me?”.
- Use headings and subheadings to organize the text and aid logical reading flow.
- Avoid large blocks of text. Keep a text block together, don’t wrap it around images, for example. Avoid dense text. Use left-aligned not justified text to prevent complex white spacing.
- Put important words first and keep sentences short.17 One idea per paragraph. Start the paragraph with a sentence giving the paragraph’s topic.
- Use plain language. Use short, familiar words and short sentences. Use common words and only use jargon or technical language when necessary and likely to be understood the audience.17 Use personal pronouns like “we” and “you”.27 Avoid acronyms or symbols.
- Use the present not past tense, and active not passive voice: “your doctor is going to _” is better than “Doctors would have_”.17
- Use realistic examples that the audience can relate to. Use concrete not abstract words and order events temporally.
- Arial or Calibri fonts seem to be easy to read, but don’t mix fonts, certainly no more than 3 types. The 10-point size generally is too small. Use much larger fonts for children and those with reading difficulty. Avoid fonts with serifs.17 Bolded font works better for emphasis than italics or underlining.
- Keep bulleted lists short and keep them together not across two pages.
- Be consistent in style features like headings and spelling out numbers versus showing regular numbers. Avoid capitalization, hyphens, semicolons and long sentences.
- Be cautious about how lay readers might interpret charts and statistics. Think carefully about how to use statistics. Write “half” instead of “49%”. This is the process of effective “data visualization” and there is lots published about it.2
- Be clear about evidence sources for the content in the infographic. Provide information about access to further resources for the audience. Refer (in an easy-to-understand way) to evidence sources: “How did you find this information?”.
- If tables are used, make them accessible: use informative headers for rows and columns, and a caption or summary to explain the table’s purpose.18 Keep tables simple: avoid merged and empty cells, and rotated text.17
Plain language is preferred. Plain language means wording, structure and design that is so simple and straightforward that everyone can understand it. Technical language often fails because only specialized readers can understand it, including even a narrow group of health care practitioners within a sub-specialty of their own specialty. Patient information leaflets can be laid out well but often exceed patient comprehension thresholds.27
- Readability refers to ease of reading and understanding text. You can test readability using Microsoft Word. Select the block of text. Click on “Home”, then “Editor”, then “Document Stats”. Word returns scores for Flesch Reading Ease and Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level. Health care providers can read technical language, while language for the general public needs to consider different reading abilities. Guidelines suggest that general public infographic readability should be grade 8 or less and grades 4-6 are sometimes preferred. 28,29
- Understandability refers to how easy it is for readers to understand the information. Actionability refers to how easy it is for readers to act on the information. Both can be assessed with, for example, the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT). 12
Imagery Content
Graphics (drawings) and images (photos) aid reader retention when used well.15 Here are some tips from the literature: 14,15,23,30
• Not all handouts need fancy graphics or images. In fact, there is some limited evidence that some
Designing the Infographic | 10 technical readers like health care providers can prefer text in certain circumstances. But even handouts for technical readers can benefit from graphics, and graphics aid engagement and retention for all audiences. 15
• Avoid distracting graphics like unnecessary grid lines or box outlines.
• Avoid mixing graphics and images with starkly different colours, contrast and dark/white space.
• Use images that seem real, relatable and sympathetic to the audience. Be aware that some people interpret images far differently than intended by the designer. 30 Avoid stock images using stereotypical representations of people because they look “phoney” to audiences and are not relatable.
• Use alt text (alternative text) to describe images in HTML infographics to improve accessibility for readers with different learning styles or accessibility needs. 17,21 Accessibility features can also be built into PDF versions.
• Use inclusive imagery. Avoid inadvertently reinforcing negative stereotypes of ethnicity, age or gender.
• The authoring organization’s logo can convey credibility as well as source. 23
Data visualization is the process of picking the right way to image data.
18
• Be careful with charts: they can be easily misinterpreted, even by technical readers. Pick the right chart type for the data type and audience, or even use a non-chart method to display the data.
• Arcia et al. (2015) provide details about general public preferences for graphics of statistics and other types of health information. 19
• Graphics that use curves are preferred over linear ones like standard bar charts. 31
Text and Imagery Used Together
There is evidence that information from infographics is more likely to be retained than from text alone.15 Three randomized controlled trials comparing infographics and plain language summaries of Cochrane systematic reviews found that while infographics were preferred in terms of reading experience and user-friendliness in both lay and professional audiences, there were no differences between the two modes in knowledge translation.32 That study has been criticized, but another (Canadian) study had similar findings.5,33 Nevertheless, both studies found that readers preferred infographics over text alone.
Here are tips from the literature for thinking about text and images together:15,25
- Keep together text and images that refer to the same topic.
- Imagery and text generally complement each other rather than convey the same information but sometimes can be used to repeat the same information for different reader styles.
- Repeat the most important points in different ways using text, fonts, callouts, or images.
- Don’t wrap a block of text around an image.
- Consider how to address varying beliefs held by audience members.
- For charts and graphs, label axes, data points and legends clearly with text rather than only colour and shape.18
If you want some insight into how design experts think of “visual literacy” in terms of infographics, check out Dunlap and Lowenthal (2016).2 They point out that visuals are powerful learning tools and that the overall look is important. To get technical, “Effective visuals apply visual organization and structure to reflect relationships, describe how parts of a whole interact, and/or reveal an underlying story.”
Colour Palette
Colours used in fonts, background and images must work together. They can have considerable affective impact, and they influence reader’s comprehension owing to the meanings readers attach to colours, and ease of readability due to contrast levels and other accessibility considerations.15,19,21,22,34,35
- There are many online tools for assisting with infographic colour palette choice, but they might not consider nuances like cultural meanings. “Stoplight” colours were found to convey value judgements to some audiences, for example.
- Experts advise restricting colour rather than over-using it, and restricting the palette to 3-5 colours.11
- The Piktochart website has a basic primer. 34 Canva can suggest colour palettes.36
- Don’t rely on colour alone to convey emphasis and meaning.17
- Consider colour vision impairments, which affect one in twenty people.4 There are online tools that can be used to ensure that the colour palette is accessible to people who perceive colour in different ways.18,21 Red/green and blue/yellow combinations can be problematic. Colour contrast is especially important for those with low vision. Online resources like the WebAIM Contrast Checker tool can be helpful (https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker).
Online Infographics
There are a number of accessibility design considerations for infographics that will be posted as HTML and even PDF formats.18,36,37 Here are a few basic examples but readers should review other sources for more detailed information if they are designing online interactive infographics:
- Use concise, informative “alt text” to convey the meaning of an infographic for readers with vision impairments.
- Allow users to navigate them with a keyboard alone so that all interactive elements like buttons and links are accessible by the tab key with clear focus indicators.
- Use HTML elements for tables that include headers, columns, and captions or summaries.
- Use “semantic HTML” such as headings that create a hierarchal outline, appropriately using lists and paragraphs.
- Provide alternative versions of the infographic for users who cannot access the visual content fully, for example a downloadable table or text-based summary.
- Software is available that can test an infographic for use with screen readers that speak content aloud.
Ethical, Privacy and Copyright Considerations
While brevity is a key goal in infographics design, it is important to carefully avoid causing ethical problems that lead to misinterpretation, misinformation and bias.37,38 It is also important to consider privacy issues around use of images and personal stories.10 Be cautious about using content like images that might be protected by someone’s copyright, including images generated by artificial intelligence software or online services.
Cite Sources
In a succinct and user-friendly way, tell the reader where the information you are giving them comes from. For health care providers, give them a sense of the strength of evidence and certainty of conclusions. If appropriate and with permissions, add logos of supporting institutions.
Prototype Development
Refine the design before finalizing it. Prototypes can be shown to health care expert advisors for content and to audience members to assess engagement, accessibility, comprehension and actionability.19,39 If intending to use a screen reader for HTML or PDF versions, pilot the implementation.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.734712
|
12-16-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/designing-the-infographic/#chapter-363-section-4",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Designing Infographics – A Manual for Health Care Provider Learners and Practitioners",
"author": "Jim Thompson MD, CCFP(EM), FCFP, Gail Macartney RN(NP), PhD, CON(C), Stephanie Welton MSc",
"institution": "University of Prince Edward Island",
"subject": "Personal and public health / health education, Writing and editing guides, , , , , , ,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/designing-the-infographic/#chapter-363-section-5
|
3 Design Phase
The design phase begins while working through early development phases, but doesn’t really get going until you start putting pen to paper. Table 2 summarizes basic infographic design considerations, starting with establishing a short list of a priori design principles specific to your project and ending with prototype testing. Once you finalize your design, go back to Chapter 1 for ideas about the distribution and maintenance phases.
Table 2. Infographic design phase considerations.
| Design Considerations | |
|---|---|
| Establish design principles | Develop design principles with the team and, ideally, end-users. Consider cultural diversity, language and readability. Expect to revisit the list and revise it as you work through the design phase. |
| Sketch general layout on paper with pen or pencil | One page or two? For printing on paper or electronic distribution or both? Whole pages, folding brochure or poster? Paper sizes vary across countries and for different printing purposes. Consider whether the infographic will be viewed on cellphones. Considering the storyline, draw boundaries for text blocks, images, and white spaces. Consider the balance and alignment of those blocks. The flow of those blocks helps to tell the story. Do not add any text or imagery at this point. |
| Chose the title | Chose a compelling title that attracts readers and sustains their attention. |
| Choose fonts | Consider font type, size and justification. |
| Choose colour palette | Pick limited complementary colours appropriate for the topic and audience. |
| Add text and graphics/images | Consult the guidelines you established to choose text and graphics/images to tell the story. |
| Ethical, privacy and copyright considerations | Brevity risks insufficient information, misinterpretation, misinformation and bias. Be careful about privacy issues using real people’s stories. Watch out for copyright if using others' content. |
| Cite sources | Tell the reader about the evidence base for the information in the infographic. Add institution logo if appropriate. |
| Draft prototype | Chose design software (Chapter 3): set document parameters for size and resolution appropriate for the planned distribution medium. Add content: consider readability, understandability and actionability. Balance text, imagery and white space appropriately for audience and topic. |
| Evaluate prototype | Test the prototype with the development team, end-user informants and content expert reviewers. |
| Revise design | Revise the layout, imagery, text and colours based on feedback from the team and reviewers. |
| Finalize design | Freeze the design. |
Basic Elements of an Infographic
Every infographic is different because there are so many variables, including differences in topics, intended outcomes, audiences and content. Nuances of fonts, colours and layout differ for various purposes. While there are no established standard templates, the basic elements of an infographic are:4
- Structure: a clear, logical layout.
- White space: meaningful use of white space.
- Color palette: colours are consistent, complementary, purposeful and meaningful, with sufficient contrast between text and background.
- Text: appropriate and accessible font types and sizes.
- Imagery: effective information visualization, including use of alt text for images posted online in HTML.
There are two broad areas to consider in telling the story: (1) content, meaning the information that will be conveyed in text and imagery, and (2) visual look, meaning the colours, text font, and layout of content, images and white space.
- Content is chosen to achieve a desired outcome. The content must be evidence-based, ethically correct, unbiased and accessible. It is crucial to use the content in ways that make sense to the intended audience. For example, patient informants who have lived for years with a health condition that the infographic is addressing need to think about how they would have understood the infographic back when they were first being diagnosed. 14 Consider content and design aspects for infographics for health professional audiences, as mentioned in other sections of this manual.
- Visual design requires understanding “visual literacy”, meaning how people interpret the way infographics look. 2,22 Consider accessibility factors, for example users with visual impairment might miss important context that you mean to convey by your colour choices. 21
Accessibility
Consider accessibility issues while designing your infographic. Accessibility design ensures that all users, including those with disabilities or impairments can access and understand the information. See sections below for accessibility tips.17,18,21
First Step: List Design Principles
Before you start on the design, consider the story you want to tell. Reflect on the information in this manual to draw up a list of principles that will guide design of your infographic. For example:
- State your objective with intended outcomes.
- Summarize your intended audience’s persona.
- Identify accessibility requirements.
- Describe the type of content you will use; focus on your objective, the evidence base, and your audience.
- Look through the rest of this chapter for ideas about principles regarding, for example, audience engagement, layout, text versus image content, and how text, imagery, colour and white space will work together for your audience.
Keep in mind differences and overlaps between the organization’s goals (what you want to achieve with the infographic) and the audience’s goals (what your audience wants from the infographic).
In addition to the overall storyline for the infographic, patient’s own stories can help readers to make sense of the information and understand why the infographic’s story is important to them.23
Clarify the Storyline
“Design is an opportunity to continue telling the story, not just to sum everything up” (Tate Linden)2
Good infographics tell a story that makes sense to the user.
- Infographics are very short stories, not novels.
- A story is a narrative about an emotional journey taken by characters. Stories allow people to share information in memorable way that enables deeper understanding. For example, simply telling someone to do something does not stick as well as telling someone about a person who had a good outcome if they did the thing. The first is merely a directive, while the second is a human story.
- The plot is the sequence of events that make up the story, from start to finish. The plot includes the beginning where the storyteller introduces the characters, setting and problem; then moves to the rise in action where tension escalates, then talks about the peak (climax) where a decision must be made, then provides answers during the fall in action and, finally, describes the happy ending where the problem is resolved.
- The storyline is a summary of the plot that describes the main thread of the story, summarizing main events around a problem that affects the characters, in a setting where the story takes place.
Sketch the Layout before Adding Content
A study of design students found that better infographics were designed by students who started by laying out all the content blocks on a piece of paper with pen or pencil before going to the computer or adding any content and there seems to be consensus on this approach.24 Stones and Gent (2015) and Kibar et al. (2017) show examples of the process:11,22
- Find some examples of infographics similar to yours in terms of content, intent or audience.
- With the storyline in mind, align blocks horizontally and vertically. Eye-tracking studies give insights into how readers scan blocks in infographics. Grid systems guided readers better than random block placements.11
- A good infographic tells a story.15 Lay out the blocks on the paper to achieve that end. Consider cues like headings, arrows, callouts, flow of text and images. Highlight main ideas in the story.
- Different people read infographics in different ways, so make drafts on paper to test different ways of positioning text and imagery blocks, considering reading flow in the storyline.25 Some, particularly some professionals, go straight to text from left to right and top down. Others look first at the headings or images then might go back to read something in more depth. Some just skim, and callouts might focus those readers.14 The trick is to design infographics for different reading styles and accessibility needs. For example, some users will use a screen reader and some will have other people interpret the infographic for them. Consider how the design works when it is read out loud.
- Use white space carefully. Place white space around blocks of text and graphics to highlight main storyline points. Don’t make text blocks too narrow or too wide.
- Consider the infographic medium. Layout will be influenced by whether the infographic will be printed on letterhead-sized paper in black and white or colour, made into a folded brochure, or distributed electronically in a PDF or HTML format for viewing on cellphones and tablets.26
One author suggests this:26
- Use informative titles and headings.
- Use a three-part introduction:
- Tell reader why the infographic is important to them.
- Tell them what it was designed to accomplish.
- Tell them what to expect when they read it.
- Organize the flow logically and make the flow apparent to the reader.
- Use appropriate text, imagery and colours that support the storyline.
Here is another way:23
- Get right to the point:
- Answer “Is this information for me?”
- Answer “What did you find out?”
- Answer “How did you find this information, where did it come from?”
- Answer “What should I do next?”
Choose the Title
Readers decide in a few seconds whether to read an infographic.15
- A few action-oriented, impactful words arouse interest better than an elaborate title.
- Use a more suggestive subtitle.
- Use words that speak directly to needs experienced by the target audience.
- But the title content must be true to the evidence and ethically sound, not misleading or sensational.11
Stones and Gent (2015) pointed out different approaches to titles:11
- Subject: “Vaccinations in Infants”
- Message: “Infant vaccination is available”
- Question: “What is the state of infant vaccination?”
- Fear: “Infants die when not vaccinated”
- Hopeful: “Infant vaccination can be increased”
- Call: “Be vaccinated not sick”
Text Content
These tips come from academic studies, design experts and expert advisors with lived experience:4,6,11,14,15,17,18,25
- The user needs to know, “Is this for me?”.
- Use headings and subheadings to organize the text and aid logical reading flow.
- Avoid large blocks of text. Keep a text block together, don’t wrap it around images, for example. Avoid dense text. Use left-aligned not justified text to prevent complex white spacing.
- Put important words first and keep sentences short.17 One idea per paragraph. Start the paragraph with a sentence giving the paragraph’s topic.
- Use plain language. Use short, familiar words and short sentences. Use common words and only use jargon or technical language when necessary and likely to be understood the audience.17 Use personal pronouns like “we” and “you”.27 Avoid acronyms or symbols.
- Use the present not past tense, and active not passive voice: “your doctor is going to _” is better than “Doctors would have_”.17
- Use realistic examples that the audience can relate to. Use concrete not abstract words and order events temporally.
- Arial or Calibri fonts seem to be easy to read, but don’t mix fonts, certainly no more than 3 types. The 10-point size generally is too small. Use much larger fonts for children and those with reading difficulty. Avoid fonts with serifs.17 Bolded font works better for emphasis than italics or underlining.
- Keep bulleted lists short and keep them together not across two pages.
- Be consistent in style features like headings and spelling out numbers versus showing regular numbers. Avoid capitalization, hyphens, semicolons and long sentences.
- Be cautious about how lay readers might interpret charts and statistics. Think carefully about how to use statistics. Write “half” instead of “49%”. This is the process of effective “data visualization” and there is lots published about it.2
- Be clear about evidence sources for the content in the infographic. Provide information about access to further resources for the audience. Refer (in an easy-to-understand way) to evidence sources: “How did you find this information?”.
- If tables are used, make them accessible: use informative headers for rows and columns, and a caption or summary to explain the table’s purpose.18 Keep tables simple: avoid merged and empty cells, and rotated text.17
Plain language is preferred. Plain language means wording, structure and design that is so simple and straightforward that everyone can understand it. Technical language often fails because only specialized readers can understand it, including even a narrow group of health care practitioners within a sub-specialty of their own specialty. Patient information leaflets can be laid out well but often exceed patient comprehension thresholds.27
- Readability refers to ease of reading and understanding text. You can test readability using Microsoft Word. Select the block of text. Click on “Home”, then “Editor”, then “Document Stats”. Word returns scores for Flesch Reading Ease and Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level. Health care providers can read technical language, while language for the general public needs to consider different reading abilities. Guidelines suggest that general public infographic readability should be grade 8 or less and grades 4-6 are sometimes preferred. 28,29
- Understandability refers to how easy it is for readers to understand the information. Actionability refers to how easy it is for readers to act on the information. Both can be assessed with, for example, the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT). 12
Imagery Content
Graphics (drawings) and images (photos) aid reader retention when used well.15 Here are some tips from the literature: 14,15,23,30
• Not all handouts need fancy graphics or images. In fact, there is some limited evidence that some
Designing the Infographic | 10 technical readers like health care providers can prefer text in certain circumstances. But even handouts for technical readers can benefit from graphics, and graphics aid engagement and retention for all audiences. 15
• Avoid distracting graphics like unnecessary grid lines or box outlines.
• Avoid mixing graphics and images with starkly different colours, contrast and dark/white space.
• Use images that seem real, relatable and sympathetic to the audience. Be aware that some people interpret images far differently than intended by the designer. 30 Avoid stock images using stereotypical representations of people because they look “phoney” to audiences and are not relatable.
• Use alt text (alternative text) to describe images in HTML infographics to improve accessibility for readers with different learning styles or accessibility needs. 17,21 Accessibility features can also be built into PDF versions.
• Use inclusive imagery. Avoid inadvertently reinforcing negative stereotypes of ethnicity, age or gender.
• The authoring organization’s logo can convey credibility as well as source. 23
Data visualization is the process of picking the right way to image data.
18
• Be careful with charts: they can be easily misinterpreted, even by technical readers. Pick the right chart type for the data type and audience, or even use a non-chart method to display the data.
• Arcia et al. (2015) provide details about general public preferences for graphics of statistics and other types of health information. 19
• Graphics that use curves are preferred over linear ones like standard bar charts. 31
Text and Imagery Used Together
There is evidence that information from infographics is more likely to be retained than from text alone.15 Three randomized controlled trials comparing infographics and plain language summaries of Cochrane systematic reviews found that while infographics were preferred in terms of reading experience and user-friendliness in both lay and professional audiences, there were no differences between the two modes in knowledge translation.32 That study has been criticized, but another (Canadian) study had similar findings.5,33 Nevertheless, both studies found that readers preferred infographics over text alone.
Here are tips from the literature for thinking about text and images together:15,25
- Keep together text and images that refer to the same topic.
- Imagery and text generally complement each other rather than convey the same information but sometimes can be used to repeat the same information for different reader styles.
- Repeat the most important points in different ways using text, fonts, callouts, or images.
- Don’t wrap a block of text around an image.
- Consider how to address varying beliefs held by audience members.
- For charts and graphs, label axes, data points and legends clearly with text rather than only colour and shape.18
If you want some insight into how design experts think of “visual literacy” in terms of infographics, check out Dunlap and Lowenthal (2016).2 They point out that visuals are powerful learning tools and that the overall look is important. To get technical, “Effective visuals apply visual organization and structure to reflect relationships, describe how parts of a whole interact, and/or reveal an underlying story.”
Colour Palette
Colours used in fonts, background and images must work together. They can have considerable affective impact, and they influence reader’s comprehension owing to the meanings readers attach to colours, and ease of readability due to contrast levels and other accessibility considerations.15,19,21,22,34,35
- There are many online tools for assisting with infographic colour palette choice, but they might not consider nuances like cultural meanings. “Stoplight” colours were found to convey value judgements to some audiences, for example.
- Experts advise restricting colour rather than over-using it, and restricting the palette to 3-5 colours.11
- The Piktochart website has a basic primer. 34 Canva can suggest colour palettes.36
- Don’t rely on colour alone to convey emphasis and meaning.17
- Consider colour vision impairments, which affect one in twenty people.4 There are online tools that can be used to ensure that the colour palette is accessible to people who perceive colour in different ways.18,21 Red/green and blue/yellow combinations can be problematic. Colour contrast is especially important for those with low vision. Online resources like the WebAIM Contrast Checker tool can be helpful (https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker).
Online Infographics
There are a number of accessibility design considerations for infographics that will be posted as HTML and even PDF formats.18,36,37 Here are a few basic examples but readers should review other sources for more detailed information if they are designing online interactive infographics:
- Use concise, informative “alt text” to convey the meaning of an infographic for readers with vision impairments.
- Allow users to navigate them with a keyboard alone so that all interactive elements like buttons and links are accessible by the tab key with clear focus indicators.
- Use HTML elements for tables that include headers, columns, and captions or summaries.
- Use “semantic HTML” such as headings that create a hierarchal outline, appropriately using lists and paragraphs.
- Provide alternative versions of the infographic for users who cannot access the visual content fully, for example a downloadable table or text-based summary.
- Software is available that can test an infographic for use with screen readers that speak content aloud.
Ethical, Privacy and Copyright Considerations
While brevity is a key goal in infographics design, it is important to carefully avoid causing ethical problems that lead to misinterpretation, misinformation and bias.37,38 It is also important to consider privacy issues around use of images and personal stories.10 Be cautious about using content like images that might be protected by someone’s copyright, including images generated by artificial intelligence software or online services.
Cite Sources
In a succinct and user-friendly way, tell the reader where the information you are giving them comes from. For health care providers, give them a sense of the strength of evidence and certainty of conclusions. If appropriate and with permissions, add logos of supporting institutions.
Prototype Development
Refine the design before finalizing it. Prototypes can be shown to health care expert advisors for content and to audience members to assess engagement, accessibility, comprehension and actionability.19,39 If intending to use a screen reader for HTML or PDF versions, pilot the implementation.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.764366
|
12-16-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/designing-the-infographic/#chapter-363-section-5",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Designing Infographics – A Manual for Health Care Provider Learners and Practitioners",
"author": "Jim Thompson MD, CCFP(EM), FCFP, Gail Macartney RN(NP), PhD, CON(C), Stephanie Welton MSc",
"institution": "University of Prince Edward Island",
"subject": "Personal and public health / health education, Writing and editing guides, , , , , , ,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/designing-the-infographic/#chapter-363-section-6
|
3 Design Phase
The design phase begins while working through early development phases, but doesn’t really get going until you start putting pen to paper. Table 2 summarizes basic infographic design considerations, starting with establishing a short list of a priori design principles specific to your project and ending with prototype testing. Once you finalize your design, go back to Chapter 1 for ideas about the distribution and maintenance phases.
Table 2. Infographic design phase considerations.
| Design Considerations | |
|---|---|
| Establish design principles | Develop design principles with the team and, ideally, end-users. Consider cultural diversity, language and readability. Expect to revisit the list and revise it as you work through the design phase. |
| Sketch general layout on paper with pen or pencil | One page or two? For printing on paper or electronic distribution or both? Whole pages, folding brochure or poster? Paper sizes vary across countries and for different printing purposes. Consider whether the infographic will be viewed on cellphones. Considering the storyline, draw boundaries for text blocks, images, and white spaces. Consider the balance and alignment of those blocks. The flow of those blocks helps to tell the story. Do not add any text or imagery at this point. |
| Chose the title | Chose a compelling title that attracts readers and sustains their attention. |
| Choose fonts | Consider font type, size and justification. |
| Choose colour palette | Pick limited complementary colours appropriate for the topic and audience. |
| Add text and graphics/images | Consult the guidelines you established to choose text and graphics/images to tell the story. |
| Ethical, privacy and copyright considerations | Brevity risks insufficient information, misinterpretation, misinformation and bias. Be careful about privacy issues using real people’s stories. Watch out for copyright if using others' content. |
| Cite sources | Tell the reader about the evidence base for the information in the infographic. Add institution logo if appropriate. |
| Draft prototype | Chose design software (Chapter 3): set document parameters for size and resolution appropriate for the planned distribution medium. Add content: consider readability, understandability and actionability. Balance text, imagery and white space appropriately for audience and topic. |
| Evaluate prototype | Test the prototype with the development team, end-user informants and content expert reviewers. |
| Revise design | Revise the layout, imagery, text and colours based on feedback from the team and reviewers. |
| Finalize design | Freeze the design. |
Basic Elements of an Infographic
Every infographic is different because there are so many variables, including differences in topics, intended outcomes, audiences and content. Nuances of fonts, colours and layout differ for various purposes. While there are no established standard templates, the basic elements of an infographic are:4
- Structure: a clear, logical layout.
- White space: meaningful use of white space.
- Color palette: colours are consistent, complementary, purposeful and meaningful, with sufficient contrast between text and background.
- Text: appropriate and accessible font types and sizes.
- Imagery: effective information visualization, including use of alt text for images posted online in HTML.
There are two broad areas to consider in telling the story: (1) content, meaning the information that will be conveyed in text and imagery, and (2) visual look, meaning the colours, text font, and layout of content, images and white space.
- Content is chosen to achieve a desired outcome. The content must be evidence-based, ethically correct, unbiased and accessible. It is crucial to use the content in ways that make sense to the intended audience. For example, patient informants who have lived for years with a health condition that the infographic is addressing need to think about how they would have understood the infographic back when they were first being diagnosed. 14 Consider content and design aspects for infographics for health professional audiences, as mentioned in other sections of this manual.
- Visual design requires understanding “visual literacy”, meaning how people interpret the way infographics look. 2,22 Consider accessibility factors, for example users with visual impairment might miss important context that you mean to convey by your colour choices. 21
Accessibility
Consider accessibility issues while designing your infographic. Accessibility design ensures that all users, including those with disabilities or impairments can access and understand the information. See sections below for accessibility tips.17,18,21
First Step: List Design Principles
Before you start on the design, consider the story you want to tell. Reflect on the information in this manual to draw up a list of principles that will guide design of your infographic. For example:
- State your objective with intended outcomes.
- Summarize your intended audience’s persona.
- Identify accessibility requirements.
- Describe the type of content you will use; focus on your objective, the evidence base, and your audience.
- Look through the rest of this chapter for ideas about principles regarding, for example, audience engagement, layout, text versus image content, and how text, imagery, colour and white space will work together for your audience.
Keep in mind differences and overlaps between the organization’s goals (what you want to achieve with the infographic) and the audience’s goals (what your audience wants from the infographic).
In addition to the overall storyline for the infographic, patient’s own stories can help readers to make sense of the information and understand why the infographic’s story is important to them.23
Clarify the Storyline
“Design is an opportunity to continue telling the story, not just to sum everything up” (Tate Linden)2
Good infographics tell a story that makes sense to the user.
- Infographics are very short stories, not novels.
- A story is a narrative about an emotional journey taken by characters. Stories allow people to share information in memorable way that enables deeper understanding. For example, simply telling someone to do something does not stick as well as telling someone about a person who had a good outcome if they did the thing. The first is merely a directive, while the second is a human story.
- The plot is the sequence of events that make up the story, from start to finish. The plot includes the beginning where the storyteller introduces the characters, setting and problem; then moves to the rise in action where tension escalates, then talks about the peak (climax) where a decision must be made, then provides answers during the fall in action and, finally, describes the happy ending where the problem is resolved.
- The storyline is a summary of the plot that describes the main thread of the story, summarizing main events around a problem that affects the characters, in a setting where the story takes place.
Sketch the Layout before Adding Content
A study of design students found that better infographics were designed by students who started by laying out all the content blocks on a piece of paper with pen or pencil before going to the computer or adding any content and there seems to be consensus on this approach.24 Stones and Gent (2015) and Kibar et al. (2017) show examples of the process:11,22
- Find some examples of infographics similar to yours in terms of content, intent or audience.
- With the storyline in mind, align blocks horizontally and vertically. Eye-tracking studies give insights into how readers scan blocks in infographics. Grid systems guided readers better than random block placements.11
- A good infographic tells a story.15 Lay out the blocks on the paper to achieve that end. Consider cues like headings, arrows, callouts, flow of text and images. Highlight main ideas in the story.
- Different people read infographics in different ways, so make drafts on paper to test different ways of positioning text and imagery blocks, considering reading flow in the storyline.25 Some, particularly some professionals, go straight to text from left to right and top down. Others look first at the headings or images then might go back to read something in more depth. Some just skim, and callouts might focus those readers.14 The trick is to design infographics for different reading styles and accessibility needs. For example, some users will use a screen reader and some will have other people interpret the infographic for them. Consider how the design works when it is read out loud.
- Use white space carefully. Place white space around blocks of text and graphics to highlight main storyline points. Don’t make text blocks too narrow or too wide.
- Consider the infographic medium. Layout will be influenced by whether the infographic will be printed on letterhead-sized paper in black and white or colour, made into a folded brochure, or distributed electronically in a PDF or HTML format for viewing on cellphones and tablets.26
One author suggests this:26
- Use informative titles and headings.
- Use a three-part introduction:
- Tell reader why the infographic is important to them.
- Tell them what it was designed to accomplish.
- Tell them what to expect when they read it.
- Organize the flow logically and make the flow apparent to the reader.
- Use appropriate text, imagery and colours that support the storyline.
Here is another way:23
- Get right to the point:
- Answer “Is this information for me?”
- Answer “What did you find out?”
- Answer “How did you find this information, where did it come from?”
- Answer “What should I do next?”
Choose the Title
Readers decide in a few seconds whether to read an infographic.15
- A few action-oriented, impactful words arouse interest better than an elaborate title.
- Use a more suggestive subtitle.
- Use words that speak directly to needs experienced by the target audience.
- But the title content must be true to the evidence and ethically sound, not misleading or sensational.11
Stones and Gent (2015) pointed out different approaches to titles:11
- Subject: “Vaccinations in Infants”
- Message: “Infant vaccination is available”
- Question: “What is the state of infant vaccination?”
- Fear: “Infants die when not vaccinated”
- Hopeful: “Infant vaccination can be increased”
- Call: “Be vaccinated not sick”
Text Content
These tips come from academic studies, design experts and expert advisors with lived experience:4,6,11,14,15,17,18,25
- The user needs to know, “Is this for me?”.
- Use headings and subheadings to organize the text and aid logical reading flow.
- Avoid large blocks of text. Keep a text block together, don’t wrap it around images, for example. Avoid dense text. Use left-aligned not justified text to prevent complex white spacing.
- Put important words first and keep sentences short.17 One idea per paragraph. Start the paragraph with a sentence giving the paragraph’s topic.
- Use plain language. Use short, familiar words and short sentences. Use common words and only use jargon or technical language when necessary and likely to be understood the audience.17 Use personal pronouns like “we” and “you”.27 Avoid acronyms or symbols.
- Use the present not past tense, and active not passive voice: “your doctor is going to _” is better than “Doctors would have_”.17
- Use realistic examples that the audience can relate to. Use concrete not abstract words and order events temporally.
- Arial or Calibri fonts seem to be easy to read, but don’t mix fonts, certainly no more than 3 types. The 10-point size generally is too small. Use much larger fonts for children and those with reading difficulty. Avoid fonts with serifs.17 Bolded font works better for emphasis than italics or underlining.
- Keep bulleted lists short and keep them together not across two pages.
- Be consistent in style features like headings and spelling out numbers versus showing regular numbers. Avoid capitalization, hyphens, semicolons and long sentences.
- Be cautious about how lay readers might interpret charts and statistics. Think carefully about how to use statistics. Write “half” instead of “49%”. This is the process of effective “data visualization” and there is lots published about it.2
- Be clear about evidence sources for the content in the infographic. Provide information about access to further resources for the audience. Refer (in an easy-to-understand way) to evidence sources: “How did you find this information?”.
- If tables are used, make them accessible: use informative headers for rows and columns, and a caption or summary to explain the table’s purpose.18 Keep tables simple: avoid merged and empty cells, and rotated text.17
Plain language is preferred. Plain language means wording, structure and design that is so simple and straightforward that everyone can understand it. Technical language often fails because only specialized readers can understand it, including even a narrow group of health care practitioners within a sub-specialty of their own specialty. Patient information leaflets can be laid out well but often exceed patient comprehension thresholds.27
- Readability refers to ease of reading and understanding text. You can test readability using Microsoft Word. Select the block of text. Click on “Home”, then “Editor”, then “Document Stats”. Word returns scores for Flesch Reading Ease and Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level. Health care providers can read technical language, while language for the general public needs to consider different reading abilities. Guidelines suggest that general public infographic readability should be grade 8 or less and grades 4-6 are sometimes preferred. 28,29
- Understandability refers to how easy it is for readers to understand the information. Actionability refers to how easy it is for readers to act on the information. Both can be assessed with, for example, the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT). 12
Imagery Content
Graphics (drawings) and images (photos) aid reader retention when used well.15 Here are some tips from the literature: 14,15,23,30
• Not all handouts need fancy graphics or images. In fact, there is some limited evidence that some
Designing the Infographic | 10 technical readers like health care providers can prefer text in certain circumstances. But even handouts for technical readers can benefit from graphics, and graphics aid engagement and retention for all audiences. 15
• Avoid distracting graphics like unnecessary grid lines or box outlines.
• Avoid mixing graphics and images with starkly different colours, contrast and dark/white space.
• Use images that seem real, relatable and sympathetic to the audience. Be aware that some people interpret images far differently than intended by the designer. 30 Avoid stock images using stereotypical representations of people because they look “phoney” to audiences and are not relatable.
• Use alt text (alternative text) to describe images in HTML infographics to improve accessibility for readers with different learning styles or accessibility needs. 17,21 Accessibility features can also be built into PDF versions.
• Use inclusive imagery. Avoid inadvertently reinforcing negative stereotypes of ethnicity, age or gender.
• The authoring organization’s logo can convey credibility as well as source. 23
Data visualization is the process of picking the right way to image data.
18
• Be careful with charts: they can be easily misinterpreted, even by technical readers. Pick the right chart type for the data type and audience, or even use a non-chart method to display the data.
• Arcia et al. (2015) provide details about general public preferences for graphics of statistics and other types of health information. 19
• Graphics that use curves are preferred over linear ones like standard bar charts. 31
Text and Imagery Used Together
There is evidence that information from infographics is more likely to be retained than from text alone.15 Three randomized controlled trials comparing infographics and plain language summaries of Cochrane systematic reviews found that while infographics were preferred in terms of reading experience and user-friendliness in both lay and professional audiences, there were no differences between the two modes in knowledge translation.32 That study has been criticized, but another (Canadian) study had similar findings.5,33 Nevertheless, both studies found that readers preferred infographics over text alone.
Here are tips from the literature for thinking about text and images together:15,25
- Keep together text and images that refer to the same topic.
- Imagery and text generally complement each other rather than convey the same information but sometimes can be used to repeat the same information for different reader styles.
- Repeat the most important points in different ways using text, fonts, callouts, or images.
- Don’t wrap a block of text around an image.
- Consider how to address varying beliefs held by audience members.
- For charts and graphs, label axes, data points and legends clearly with text rather than only colour and shape.18
If you want some insight into how design experts think of “visual literacy” in terms of infographics, check out Dunlap and Lowenthal (2016).2 They point out that visuals are powerful learning tools and that the overall look is important. To get technical, “Effective visuals apply visual organization and structure to reflect relationships, describe how parts of a whole interact, and/or reveal an underlying story.”
Colour Palette
Colours used in fonts, background and images must work together. They can have considerable affective impact, and they influence reader’s comprehension owing to the meanings readers attach to colours, and ease of readability due to contrast levels and other accessibility considerations.15,19,21,22,34,35
- There are many online tools for assisting with infographic colour palette choice, but they might not consider nuances like cultural meanings. “Stoplight” colours were found to convey value judgements to some audiences, for example.
- Experts advise restricting colour rather than over-using it, and restricting the palette to 3-5 colours.11
- The Piktochart website has a basic primer. 34 Canva can suggest colour palettes.36
- Don’t rely on colour alone to convey emphasis and meaning.17
- Consider colour vision impairments, which affect one in twenty people.4 There are online tools that can be used to ensure that the colour palette is accessible to people who perceive colour in different ways.18,21 Red/green and blue/yellow combinations can be problematic. Colour contrast is especially important for those with low vision. Online resources like the WebAIM Contrast Checker tool can be helpful (https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker).
Online Infographics
There are a number of accessibility design considerations for infographics that will be posted as HTML and even PDF formats.18,36,37 Here are a few basic examples but readers should review other sources for more detailed information if they are designing online interactive infographics:
- Use concise, informative “alt text” to convey the meaning of an infographic for readers with vision impairments.
- Allow users to navigate them with a keyboard alone so that all interactive elements like buttons and links are accessible by the tab key with clear focus indicators.
- Use HTML elements for tables that include headers, columns, and captions or summaries.
- Use “semantic HTML” such as headings that create a hierarchal outline, appropriately using lists and paragraphs.
- Provide alternative versions of the infographic for users who cannot access the visual content fully, for example a downloadable table or text-based summary.
- Software is available that can test an infographic for use with screen readers that speak content aloud.
Ethical, Privacy and Copyright Considerations
While brevity is a key goal in infographics design, it is important to carefully avoid causing ethical problems that lead to misinterpretation, misinformation and bias.37,38 It is also important to consider privacy issues around use of images and personal stories.10 Be cautious about using content like images that might be protected by someone’s copyright, including images generated by artificial intelligence software or online services.
Cite Sources
In a succinct and user-friendly way, tell the reader where the information you are giving them comes from. For health care providers, give them a sense of the strength of evidence and certainty of conclusions. If appropriate and with permissions, add logos of supporting institutions.
Prototype Development
Refine the design before finalizing it. Prototypes can be shown to health care expert advisors for content and to audience members to assess engagement, accessibility, comprehension and actionability.19,39 If intending to use a screen reader for HTML or PDF versions, pilot the implementation.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.794104
|
12-16-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/designing-the-infographic/#chapter-363-section-6",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Designing Infographics – A Manual for Health Care Provider Learners and Practitioners",
"author": "Jim Thompson MD, CCFP(EM), FCFP, Gail Macartney RN(NP), PhD, CON(C), Stephanie Welton MSc",
"institution": "University of Prince Edward Island",
"subject": "Personal and public health / health education, Writing and editing guides, , , , , , ,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/designing-the-infographic/#chapter-363-section-7
|
3 Design Phase
The design phase begins while working through early development phases, but doesn’t really get going until you start putting pen to paper. Table 2 summarizes basic infographic design considerations, starting with establishing a short list of a priori design principles specific to your project and ending with prototype testing. Once you finalize your design, go back to Chapter 1 for ideas about the distribution and maintenance phases.
Table 2. Infographic design phase considerations.
| Design Considerations | |
|---|---|
| Establish design principles | Develop design principles with the team and, ideally, end-users. Consider cultural diversity, language and readability. Expect to revisit the list and revise it as you work through the design phase. |
| Sketch general layout on paper with pen or pencil | One page or two? For printing on paper or electronic distribution or both? Whole pages, folding brochure or poster? Paper sizes vary across countries and for different printing purposes. Consider whether the infographic will be viewed on cellphones. Considering the storyline, draw boundaries for text blocks, images, and white spaces. Consider the balance and alignment of those blocks. The flow of those blocks helps to tell the story. Do not add any text or imagery at this point. |
| Chose the title | Chose a compelling title that attracts readers and sustains their attention. |
| Choose fonts | Consider font type, size and justification. |
| Choose colour palette | Pick limited complementary colours appropriate for the topic and audience. |
| Add text and graphics/images | Consult the guidelines you established to choose text and graphics/images to tell the story. |
| Ethical, privacy and copyright considerations | Brevity risks insufficient information, misinterpretation, misinformation and bias. Be careful about privacy issues using real people’s stories. Watch out for copyright if using others' content. |
| Cite sources | Tell the reader about the evidence base for the information in the infographic. Add institution logo if appropriate. |
| Draft prototype | Chose design software (Chapter 3): set document parameters for size and resolution appropriate for the planned distribution medium. Add content: consider readability, understandability and actionability. Balance text, imagery and white space appropriately for audience and topic. |
| Evaluate prototype | Test the prototype with the development team, end-user informants and content expert reviewers. |
| Revise design | Revise the layout, imagery, text and colours based on feedback from the team and reviewers. |
| Finalize design | Freeze the design. |
Basic Elements of an Infographic
Every infographic is different because there are so many variables, including differences in topics, intended outcomes, audiences and content. Nuances of fonts, colours and layout differ for various purposes. While there are no established standard templates, the basic elements of an infographic are:4
- Structure: a clear, logical layout.
- White space: meaningful use of white space.
- Color palette: colours are consistent, complementary, purposeful and meaningful, with sufficient contrast between text and background.
- Text: appropriate and accessible font types and sizes.
- Imagery: effective information visualization, including use of alt text for images posted online in HTML.
There are two broad areas to consider in telling the story: (1) content, meaning the information that will be conveyed in text and imagery, and (2) visual look, meaning the colours, text font, and layout of content, images and white space.
- Content is chosen to achieve a desired outcome. The content must be evidence-based, ethically correct, unbiased and accessible. It is crucial to use the content in ways that make sense to the intended audience. For example, patient informants who have lived for years with a health condition that the infographic is addressing need to think about how they would have understood the infographic back when they were first being diagnosed. 14 Consider content and design aspects for infographics for health professional audiences, as mentioned in other sections of this manual.
- Visual design requires understanding “visual literacy”, meaning how people interpret the way infographics look. 2,22 Consider accessibility factors, for example users with visual impairment might miss important context that you mean to convey by your colour choices. 21
Accessibility
Consider accessibility issues while designing your infographic. Accessibility design ensures that all users, including those with disabilities or impairments can access and understand the information. See sections below for accessibility tips.17,18,21
First Step: List Design Principles
Before you start on the design, consider the story you want to tell. Reflect on the information in this manual to draw up a list of principles that will guide design of your infographic. For example:
- State your objective with intended outcomes.
- Summarize your intended audience’s persona.
- Identify accessibility requirements.
- Describe the type of content you will use; focus on your objective, the evidence base, and your audience.
- Look through the rest of this chapter for ideas about principles regarding, for example, audience engagement, layout, text versus image content, and how text, imagery, colour and white space will work together for your audience.
Keep in mind differences and overlaps between the organization’s goals (what you want to achieve with the infographic) and the audience’s goals (what your audience wants from the infographic).
In addition to the overall storyline for the infographic, patient’s own stories can help readers to make sense of the information and understand why the infographic’s story is important to them.23
Clarify the Storyline
“Design is an opportunity to continue telling the story, not just to sum everything up” (Tate Linden)2
Good infographics tell a story that makes sense to the user.
- Infographics are very short stories, not novels.
- A story is a narrative about an emotional journey taken by characters. Stories allow people to share information in memorable way that enables deeper understanding. For example, simply telling someone to do something does not stick as well as telling someone about a person who had a good outcome if they did the thing. The first is merely a directive, while the second is a human story.
- The plot is the sequence of events that make up the story, from start to finish. The plot includes the beginning where the storyteller introduces the characters, setting and problem; then moves to the rise in action where tension escalates, then talks about the peak (climax) where a decision must be made, then provides answers during the fall in action and, finally, describes the happy ending where the problem is resolved.
- The storyline is a summary of the plot that describes the main thread of the story, summarizing main events around a problem that affects the characters, in a setting where the story takes place.
Sketch the Layout before Adding Content
A study of design students found that better infographics were designed by students who started by laying out all the content blocks on a piece of paper with pen or pencil before going to the computer or adding any content and there seems to be consensus on this approach.24 Stones and Gent (2015) and Kibar et al. (2017) show examples of the process:11,22
- Find some examples of infographics similar to yours in terms of content, intent or audience.
- With the storyline in mind, align blocks horizontally and vertically. Eye-tracking studies give insights into how readers scan blocks in infographics. Grid systems guided readers better than random block placements.11
- A good infographic tells a story.15 Lay out the blocks on the paper to achieve that end. Consider cues like headings, arrows, callouts, flow of text and images. Highlight main ideas in the story.
- Different people read infographics in different ways, so make drafts on paper to test different ways of positioning text and imagery blocks, considering reading flow in the storyline.25 Some, particularly some professionals, go straight to text from left to right and top down. Others look first at the headings or images then might go back to read something in more depth. Some just skim, and callouts might focus those readers.14 The trick is to design infographics for different reading styles and accessibility needs. For example, some users will use a screen reader and some will have other people interpret the infographic for them. Consider how the design works when it is read out loud.
- Use white space carefully. Place white space around blocks of text and graphics to highlight main storyline points. Don’t make text blocks too narrow or too wide.
- Consider the infographic medium. Layout will be influenced by whether the infographic will be printed on letterhead-sized paper in black and white or colour, made into a folded brochure, or distributed electronically in a PDF or HTML format for viewing on cellphones and tablets.26
One author suggests this:26
- Use informative titles and headings.
- Use a three-part introduction:
- Tell reader why the infographic is important to them.
- Tell them what it was designed to accomplish.
- Tell them what to expect when they read it.
- Organize the flow logically and make the flow apparent to the reader.
- Use appropriate text, imagery and colours that support the storyline.
Here is another way:23
- Get right to the point:
- Answer “Is this information for me?”
- Answer “What did you find out?”
- Answer “How did you find this information, where did it come from?”
- Answer “What should I do next?”
Choose the Title
Readers decide in a few seconds whether to read an infographic.15
- A few action-oriented, impactful words arouse interest better than an elaborate title.
- Use a more suggestive subtitle.
- Use words that speak directly to needs experienced by the target audience.
- But the title content must be true to the evidence and ethically sound, not misleading or sensational.11
Stones and Gent (2015) pointed out different approaches to titles:11
- Subject: “Vaccinations in Infants”
- Message: “Infant vaccination is available”
- Question: “What is the state of infant vaccination?”
- Fear: “Infants die when not vaccinated”
- Hopeful: “Infant vaccination can be increased”
- Call: “Be vaccinated not sick”
Text Content
These tips come from academic studies, design experts and expert advisors with lived experience:4,6,11,14,15,17,18,25
- The user needs to know, “Is this for me?”.
- Use headings and subheadings to organize the text and aid logical reading flow.
- Avoid large blocks of text. Keep a text block together, don’t wrap it around images, for example. Avoid dense text. Use left-aligned not justified text to prevent complex white spacing.
- Put important words first and keep sentences short.17 One idea per paragraph. Start the paragraph with a sentence giving the paragraph’s topic.
- Use plain language. Use short, familiar words and short sentences. Use common words and only use jargon or technical language when necessary and likely to be understood the audience.17 Use personal pronouns like “we” and “you”.27 Avoid acronyms or symbols.
- Use the present not past tense, and active not passive voice: “your doctor is going to _” is better than “Doctors would have_”.17
- Use realistic examples that the audience can relate to. Use concrete not abstract words and order events temporally.
- Arial or Calibri fonts seem to be easy to read, but don’t mix fonts, certainly no more than 3 types. The 10-point size generally is too small. Use much larger fonts for children and those with reading difficulty. Avoid fonts with serifs.17 Bolded font works better for emphasis than italics or underlining.
- Keep bulleted lists short and keep them together not across two pages.
- Be consistent in style features like headings and spelling out numbers versus showing regular numbers. Avoid capitalization, hyphens, semicolons and long sentences.
- Be cautious about how lay readers might interpret charts and statistics. Think carefully about how to use statistics. Write “half” instead of “49%”. This is the process of effective “data visualization” and there is lots published about it.2
- Be clear about evidence sources for the content in the infographic. Provide information about access to further resources for the audience. Refer (in an easy-to-understand way) to evidence sources: “How did you find this information?”.
- If tables are used, make them accessible: use informative headers for rows and columns, and a caption or summary to explain the table’s purpose.18 Keep tables simple: avoid merged and empty cells, and rotated text.17
Plain language is preferred. Plain language means wording, structure and design that is so simple and straightforward that everyone can understand it. Technical language often fails because only specialized readers can understand it, including even a narrow group of health care practitioners within a sub-specialty of their own specialty. Patient information leaflets can be laid out well but often exceed patient comprehension thresholds.27
- Readability refers to ease of reading and understanding text. You can test readability using Microsoft Word. Select the block of text. Click on “Home”, then “Editor”, then “Document Stats”. Word returns scores for Flesch Reading Ease and Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level. Health care providers can read technical language, while language for the general public needs to consider different reading abilities. Guidelines suggest that general public infographic readability should be grade 8 or less and grades 4-6 are sometimes preferred. 28,29
- Understandability refers to how easy it is for readers to understand the information. Actionability refers to how easy it is for readers to act on the information. Both can be assessed with, for example, the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT). 12
Imagery Content
Graphics (drawings) and images (photos) aid reader retention when used well.15 Here are some tips from the literature: 14,15,23,30
• Not all handouts need fancy graphics or images. In fact, there is some limited evidence that some
Designing the Infographic | 10 technical readers like health care providers can prefer text in certain circumstances. But even handouts for technical readers can benefit from graphics, and graphics aid engagement and retention for all audiences. 15
• Avoid distracting graphics like unnecessary grid lines or box outlines.
• Avoid mixing graphics and images with starkly different colours, contrast and dark/white space.
• Use images that seem real, relatable and sympathetic to the audience. Be aware that some people interpret images far differently than intended by the designer. 30 Avoid stock images using stereotypical representations of people because they look “phoney” to audiences and are not relatable.
• Use alt text (alternative text) to describe images in HTML infographics to improve accessibility for readers with different learning styles or accessibility needs. 17,21 Accessibility features can also be built into PDF versions.
• Use inclusive imagery. Avoid inadvertently reinforcing negative stereotypes of ethnicity, age or gender.
• The authoring organization’s logo can convey credibility as well as source. 23
Data visualization is the process of picking the right way to image data.
18
• Be careful with charts: they can be easily misinterpreted, even by technical readers. Pick the right chart type for the data type and audience, or even use a non-chart method to display the data.
• Arcia et al. (2015) provide details about general public preferences for graphics of statistics and other types of health information. 19
• Graphics that use curves are preferred over linear ones like standard bar charts. 31
Text and Imagery Used Together
There is evidence that information from infographics is more likely to be retained than from text alone.15 Three randomized controlled trials comparing infographics and plain language summaries of Cochrane systematic reviews found that while infographics were preferred in terms of reading experience and user-friendliness in both lay and professional audiences, there were no differences between the two modes in knowledge translation.32 That study has been criticized, but another (Canadian) study had similar findings.5,33 Nevertheless, both studies found that readers preferred infographics over text alone.
Here are tips from the literature for thinking about text and images together:15,25
- Keep together text and images that refer to the same topic.
- Imagery and text generally complement each other rather than convey the same information but sometimes can be used to repeat the same information for different reader styles.
- Repeat the most important points in different ways using text, fonts, callouts, or images.
- Don’t wrap a block of text around an image.
- Consider how to address varying beliefs held by audience members.
- For charts and graphs, label axes, data points and legends clearly with text rather than only colour and shape.18
If you want some insight into how design experts think of “visual literacy” in terms of infographics, check out Dunlap and Lowenthal (2016).2 They point out that visuals are powerful learning tools and that the overall look is important. To get technical, “Effective visuals apply visual organization and structure to reflect relationships, describe how parts of a whole interact, and/or reveal an underlying story.”
Colour Palette
Colours used in fonts, background and images must work together. They can have considerable affective impact, and they influence reader’s comprehension owing to the meanings readers attach to colours, and ease of readability due to contrast levels and other accessibility considerations.15,19,21,22,34,35
- There are many online tools for assisting with infographic colour palette choice, but they might not consider nuances like cultural meanings. “Stoplight” colours were found to convey value judgements to some audiences, for example.
- Experts advise restricting colour rather than over-using it, and restricting the palette to 3-5 colours.11
- The Piktochart website has a basic primer. 34 Canva can suggest colour palettes.36
- Don’t rely on colour alone to convey emphasis and meaning.17
- Consider colour vision impairments, which affect one in twenty people.4 There are online tools that can be used to ensure that the colour palette is accessible to people who perceive colour in different ways.18,21 Red/green and blue/yellow combinations can be problematic. Colour contrast is especially important for those with low vision. Online resources like the WebAIM Contrast Checker tool can be helpful (https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker).
Online Infographics
There are a number of accessibility design considerations for infographics that will be posted as HTML and even PDF formats.18,36,37 Here are a few basic examples but readers should review other sources for more detailed information if they are designing online interactive infographics:
- Use concise, informative “alt text” to convey the meaning of an infographic for readers with vision impairments.
- Allow users to navigate them with a keyboard alone so that all interactive elements like buttons and links are accessible by the tab key with clear focus indicators.
- Use HTML elements for tables that include headers, columns, and captions or summaries.
- Use “semantic HTML” such as headings that create a hierarchal outline, appropriately using lists and paragraphs.
- Provide alternative versions of the infographic for users who cannot access the visual content fully, for example a downloadable table or text-based summary.
- Software is available that can test an infographic for use with screen readers that speak content aloud.
Ethical, Privacy and Copyright Considerations
While brevity is a key goal in infographics design, it is important to carefully avoid causing ethical problems that lead to misinterpretation, misinformation and bias.37,38 It is also important to consider privacy issues around use of images and personal stories.10 Be cautious about using content like images that might be protected by someone’s copyright, including images generated by artificial intelligence software or online services.
Cite Sources
In a succinct and user-friendly way, tell the reader where the information you are giving them comes from. For health care providers, give them a sense of the strength of evidence and certainty of conclusions. If appropriate and with permissions, add logos of supporting institutions.
Prototype Development
Refine the design before finalizing it. Prototypes can be shown to health care expert advisors for content and to audience members to assess engagement, accessibility, comprehension and actionability.19,39 If intending to use a screen reader for HTML or PDF versions, pilot the implementation.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.823855
|
12-16-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/designing-the-infographic/#chapter-363-section-7",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Designing Infographics – A Manual for Health Care Provider Learners and Practitioners",
"author": "Jim Thompson MD, CCFP(EM), FCFP, Gail Macartney RN(NP), PhD, CON(C), Stephanie Welton MSc",
"institution": "University of Prince Edward Island",
"subject": "Personal and public health / health education, Writing and editing guides, , , , , , ,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/designing-the-infographic/#chapter-363-section-8
|
3 Design Phase
The design phase begins while working through early development phases, but doesn’t really get going until you start putting pen to paper. Table 2 summarizes basic infographic design considerations, starting with establishing a short list of a priori design principles specific to your project and ending with prototype testing. Once you finalize your design, go back to Chapter 1 for ideas about the distribution and maintenance phases.
Table 2. Infographic design phase considerations.
| Design Considerations | |
|---|---|
| Establish design principles | Develop design principles with the team and, ideally, end-users. Consider cultural diversity, language and readability. Expect to revisit the list and revise it as you work through the design phase. |
| Sketch general layout on paper with pen or pencil | One page or two? For printing on paper or electronic distribution or both? Whole pages, folding brochure or poster? Paper sizes vary across countries and for different printing purposes. Consider whether the infographic will be viewed on cellphones. Considering the storyline, draw boundaries for text blocks, images, and white spaces. Consider the balance and alignment of those blocks. The flow of those blocks helps to tell the story. Do not add any text or imagery at this point. |
| Chose the title | Chose a compelling title that attracts readers and sustains their attention. |
| Choose fonts | Consider font type, size and justification. |
| Choose colour palette | Pick limited complementary colours appropriate for the topic and audience. |
| Add text and graphics/images | Consult the guidelines you established to choose text and graphics/images to tell the story. |
| Ethical, privacy and copyright considerations | Brevity risks insufficient information, misinterpretation, misinformation and bias. Be careful about privacy issues using real people’s stories. Watch out for copyright if using others' content. |
| Cite sources | Tell the reader about the evidence base for the information in the infographic. Add institution logo if appropriate. |
| Draft prototype | Chose design software (Chapter 3): set document parameters for size and resolution appropriate for the planned distribution medium. Add content: consider readability, understandability and actionability. Balance text, imagery and white space appropriately for audience and topic. |
| Evaluate prototype | Test the prototype with the development team, end-user informants and content expert reviewers. |
| Revise design | Revise the layout, imagery, text and colours based on feedback from the team and reviewers. |
| Finalize design | Freeze the design. |
Basic Elements of an Infographic
Every infographic is different because there are so many variables, including differences in topics, intended outcomes, audiences and content. Nuances of fonts, colours and layout differ for various purposes. While there are no established standard templates, the basic elements of an infographic are:4
- Structure: a clear, logical layout.
- White space: meaningful use of white space.
- Color palette: colours are consistent, complementary, purposeful and meaningful, with sufficient contrast between text and background.
- Text: appropriate and accessible font types and sizes.
- Imagery: effective information visualization, including use of alt text for images posted online in HTML.
There are two broad areas to consider in telling the story: (1) content, meaning the information that will be conveyed in text and imagery, and (2) visual look, meaning the colours, text font, and layout of content, images and white space.
- Content is chosen to achieve a desired outcome. The content must be evidence-based, ethically correct, unbiased and accessible. It is crucial to use the content in ways that make sense to the intended audience. For example, patient informants who have lived for years with a health condition that the infographic is addressing need to think about how they would have understood the infographic back when they were first being diagnosed. 14 Consider content and design aspects for infographics for health professional audiences, as mentioned in other sections of this manual.
- Visual design requires understanding “visual literacy”, meaning how people interpret the way infographics look. 2,22 Consider accessibility factors, for example users with visual impairment might miss important context that you mean to convey by your colour choices. 21
Accessibility
Consider accessibility issues while designing your infographic. Accessibility design ensures that all users, including those with disabilities or impairments can access and understand the information. See sections below for accessibility tips.17,18,21
First Step: List Design Principles
Before you start on the design, consider the story you want to tell. Reflect on the information in this manual to draw up a list of principles that will guide design of your infographic. For example:
- State your objective with intended outcomes.
- Summarize your intended audience’s persona.
- Identify accessibility requirements.
- Describe the type of content you will use; focus on your objective, the evidence base, and your audience.
- Look through the rest of this chapter for ideas about principles regarding, for example, audience engagement, layout, text versus image content, and how text, imagery, colour and white space will work together for your audience.
Keep in mind differences and overlaps between the organization’s goals (what you want to achieve with the infographic) and the audience’s goals (what your audience wants from the infographic).
In addition to the overall storyline for the infographic, patient’s own stories can help readers to make sense of the information and understand why the infographic’s story is important to them.23
Clarify the Storyline
“Design is an opportunity to continue telling the story, not just to sum everything up” (Tate Linden)2
Good infographics tell a story that makes sense to the user.
- Infographics are very short stories, not novels.
- A story is a narrative about an emotional journey taken by characters. Stories allow people to share information in memorable way that enables deeper understanding. For example, simply telling someone to do something does not stick as well as telling someone about a person who had a good outcome if they did the thing. The first is merely a directive, while the second is a human story.
- The plot is the sequence of events that make up the story, from start to finish. The plot includes the beginning where the storyteller introduces the characters, setting and problem; then moves to the rise in action where tension escalates, then talks about the peak (climax) where a decision must be made, then provides answers during the fall in action and, finally, describes the happy ending where the problem is resolved.
- The storyline is a summary of the plot that describes the main thread of the story, summarizing main events around a problem that affects the characters, in a setting where the story takes place.
Sketch the Layout before Adding Content
A study of design students found that better infographics were designed by students who started by laying out all the content blocks on a piece of paper with pen or pencil before going to the computer or adding any content and there seems to be consensus on this approach.24 Stones and Gent (2015) and Kibar et al. (2017) show examples of the process:11,22
- Find some examples of infographics similar to yours in terms of content, intent or audience.
- With the storyline in mind, align blocks horizontally and vertically. Eye-tracking studies give insights into how readers scan blocks in infographics. Grid systems guided readers better than random block placements.11
- A good infographic tells a story.15 Lay out the blocks on the paper to achieve that end. Consider cues like headings, arrows, callouts, flow of text and images. Highlight main ideas in the story.
- Different people read infographics in different ways, so make drafts on paper to test different ways of positioning text and imagery blocks, considering reading flow in the storyline.25 Some, particularly some professionals, go straight to text from left to right and top down. Others look first at the headings or images then might go back to read something in more depth. Some just skim, and callouts might focus those readers.14 The trick is to design infographics for different reading styles and accessibility needs. For example, some users will use a screen reader and some will have other people interpret the infographic for them. Consider how the design works when it is read out loud.
- Use white space carefully. Place white space around blocks of text and graphics to highlight main storyline points. Don’t make text blocks too narrow or too wide.
- Consider the infographic medium. Layout will be influenced by whether the infographic will be printed on letterhead-sized paper in black and white or colour, made into a folded brochure, or distributed electronically in a PDF or HTML format for viewing on cellphones and tablets.26
One author suggests this:26
- Use informative titles and headings.
- Use a three-part introduction:
- Tell reader why the infographic is important to them.
- Tell them what it was designed to accomplish.
- Tell them what to expect when they read it.
- Organize the flow logically and make the flow apparent to the reader.
- Use appropriate text, imagery and colours that support the storyline.
Here is another way:23
- Get right to the point:
- Answer “Is this information for me?”
- Answer “What did you find out?”
- Answer “How did you find this information, where did it come from?”
- Answer “What should I do next?”
Choose the Title
Readers decide in a few seconds whether to read an infographic.15
- A few action-oriented, impactful words arouse interest better than an elaborate title.
- Use a more suggestive subtitle.
- Use words that speak directly to needs experienced by the target audience.
- But the title content must be true to the evidence and ethically sound, not misleading or sensational.11
Stones and Gent (2015) pointed out different approaches to titles:11
- Subject: “Vaccinations in Infants”
- Message: “Infant vaccination is available”
- Question: “What is the state of infant vaccination?”
- Fear: “Infants die when not vaccinated”
- Hopeful: “Infant vaccination can be increased”
- Call: “Be vaccinated not sick”
Text Content
These tips come from academic studies, design experts and expert advisors with lived experience:4,6,11,14,15,17,18,25
- The user needs to know, “Is this for me?”.
- Use headings and subheadings to organize the text and aid logical reading flow.
- Avoid large blocks of text. Keep a text block together, don’t wrap it around images, for example. Avoid dense text. Use left-aligned not justified text to prevent complex white spacing.
- Put important words first and keep sentences short.17 One idea per paragraph. Start the paragraph with a sentence giving the paragraph’s topic.
- Use plain language. Use short, familiar words and short sentences. Use common words and only use jargon or technical language when necessary and likely to be understood the audience.17 Use personal pronouns like “we” and “you”.27 Avoid acronyms or symbols.
- Use the present not past tense, and active not passive voice: “your doctor is going to _” is better than “Doctors would have_”.17
- Use realistic examples that the audience can relate to. Use concrete not abstract words and order events temporally.
- Arial or Calibri fonts seem to be easy to read, but don’t mix fonts, certainly no more than 3 types. The 10-point size generally is too small. Use much larger fonts for children and those with reading difficulty. Avoid fonts with serifs.17 Bolded font works better for emphasis than italics or underlining.
- Keep bulleted lists short and keep them together not across two pages.
- Be consistent in style features like headings and spelling out numbers versus showing regular numbers. Avoid capitalization, hyphens, semicolons and long sentences.
- Be cautious about how lay readers might interpret charts and statistics. Think carefully about how to use statistics. Write “half” instead of “49%”. This is the process of effective “data visualization” and there is lots published about it.2
- Be clear about evidence sources for the content in the infographic. Provide information about access to further resources for the audience. Refer (in an easy-to-understand way) to evidence sources: “How did you find this information?”.
- If tables are used, make them accessible: use informative headers for rows and columns, and a caption or summary to explain the table’s purpose.18 Keep tables simple: avoid merged and empty cells, and rotated text.17
Plain language is preferred. Plain language means wording, structure and design that is so simple and straightforward that everyone can understand it. Technical language often fails because only specialized readers can understand it, including even a narrow group of health care practitioners within a sub-specialty of their own specialty. Patient information leaflets can be laid out well but often exceed patient comprehension thresholds.27
- Readability refers to ease of reading and understanding text. You can test readability using Microsoft Word. Select the block of text. Click on “Home”, then “Editor”, then “Document Stats”. Word returns scores for Flesch Reading Ease and Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level. Health care providers can read technical language, while language for the general public needs to consider different reading abilities. Guidelines suggest that general public infographic readability should be grade 8 or less and grades 4-6 are sometimes preferred. 28,29
- Understandability refers to how easy it is for readers to understand the information. Actionability refers to how easy it is for readers to act on the information. Both can be assessed with, for example, the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT). 12
Imagery Content
Graphics (drawings) and images (photos) aid reader retention when used well.15 Here are some tips from the literature: 14,15,23,30
• Not all handouts need fancy graphics or images. In fact, there is some limited evidence that some
Designing the Infographic | 10 technical readers like health care providers can prefer text in certain circumstances. But even handouts for technical readers can benefit from graphics, and graphics aid engagement and retention for all audiences. 15
• Avoid distracting graphics like unnecessary grid lines or box outlines.
• Avoid mixing graphics and images with starkly different colours, contrast and dark/white space.
• Use images that seem real, relatable and sympathetic to the audience. Be aware that some people interpret images far differently than intended by the designer. 30 Avoid stock images using stereotypical representations of people because they look “phoney” to audiences and are not relatable.
• Use alt text (alternative text) to describe images in HTML infographics to improve accessibility for readers with different learning styles or accessibility needs. 17,21 Accessibility features can also be built into PDF versions.
• Use inclusive imagery. Avoid inadvertently reinforcing negative stereotypes of ethnicity, age or gender.
• The authoring organization’s logo can convey credibility as well as source. 23
Data visualization is the process of picking the right way to image data.
18
• Be careful with charts: they can be easily misinterpreted, even by technical readers. Pick the right chart type for the data type and audience, or even use a non-chart method to display the data.
• Arcia et al. (2015) provide details about general public preferences for graphics of statistics and other types of health information. 19
• Graphics that use curves are preferred over linear ones like standard bar charts. 31
Text and Imagery Used Together
There is evidence that information from infographics is more likely to be retained than from text alone.15 Three randomized controlled trials comparing infographics and plain language summaries of Cochrane systematic reviews found that while infographics were preferred in terms of reading experience and user-friendliness in both lay and professional audiences, there were no differences between the two modes in knowledge translation.32 That study has been criticized, but another (Canadian) study had similar findings.5,33 Nevertheless, both studies found that readers preferred infographics over text alone.
Here are tips from the literature for thinking about text and images together:15,25
- Keep together text and images that refer to the same topic.
- Imagery and text generally complement each other rather than convey the same information but sometimes can be used to repeat the same information for different reader styles.
- Repeat the most important points in different ways using text, fonts, callouts, or images.
- Don’t wrap a block of text around an image.
- Consider how to address varying beliefs held by audience members.
- For charts and graphs, label axes, data points and legends clearly with text rather than only colour and shape.18
If you want some insight into how design experts think of “visual literacy” in terms of infographics, check out Dunlap and Lowenthal (2016).2 They point out that visuals are powerful learning tools and that the overall look is important. To get technical, “Effective visuals apply visual organization and structure to reflect relationships, describe how parts of a whole interact, and/or reveal an underlying story.”
Colour Palette
Colours used in fonts, background and images must work together. They can have considerable affective impact, and they influence reader’s comprehension owing to the meanings readers attach to colours, and ease of readability due to contrast levels and other accessibility considerations.15,19,21,22,34,35
- There are many online tools for assisting with infographic colour palette choice, but they might not consider nuances like cultural meanings. “Stoplight” colours were found to convey value judgements to some audiences, for example.
- Experts advise restricting colour rather than over-using it, and restricting the palette to 3-5 colours.11
- The Piktochart website has a basic primer. 34 Canva can suggest colour palettes.36
- Don’t rely on colour alone to convey emphasis and meaning.17
- Consider colour vision impairments, which affect one in twenty people.4 There are online tools that can be used to ensure that the colour palette is accessible to people who perceive colour in different ways.18,21 Red/green and blue/yellow combinations can be problematic. Colour contrast is especially important for those with low vision. Online resources like the WebAIM Contrast Checker tool can be helpful (https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker).
Online Infographics
There are a number of accessibility design considerations for infographics that will be posted as HTML and even PDF formats.18,36,37 Here are a few basic examples but readers should review other sources for more detailed information if they are designing online interactive infographics:
- Use concise, informative “alt text” to convey the meaning of an infographic for readers with vision impairments.
- Allow users to navigate them with a keyboard alone so that all interactive elements like buttons and links are accessible by the tab key with clear focus indicators.
- Use HTML elements for tables that include headers, columns, and captions or summaries.
- Use “semantic HTML” such as headings that create a hierarchal outline, appropriately using lists and paragraphs.
- Provide alternative versions of the infographic for users who cannot access the visual content fully, for example a downloadable table or text-based summary.
- Software is available that can test an infographic for use with screen readers that speak content aloud.
Ethical, Privacy and Copyright Considerations
While brevity is a key goal in infographics design, it is important to carefully avoid causing ethical problems that lead to misinterpretation, misinformation and bias.37,38 It is also important to consider privacy issues around use of images and personal stories.10 Be cautious about using content like images that might be protected by someone’s copyright, including images generated by artificial intelligence software or online services.
Cite Sources
In a succinct and user-friendly way, tell the reader where the information you are giving them comes from. For health care providers, give them a sense of the strength of evidence and certainty of conclusions. If appropriate and with permissions, add logos of supporting institutions.
Prototype Development
Refine the design before finalizing it. Prototypes can be shown to health care expert advisors for content and to audience members to assess engagement, accessibility, comprehension and actionability.19,39 If intending to use a screen reader for HTML or PDF versions, pilot the implementation.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.853970
|
12-16-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/designing-the-infographic/#chapter-363-section-8",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Designing Infographics – A Manual for Health Care Provider Learners and Practitioners",
"author": "Jim Thompson MD, CCFP(EM), FCFP, Gail Macartney RN(NP), PhD, CON(C), Stephanie Welton MSc",
"institution": "University of Prince Edward Island",
"subject": "Personal and public health / health education, Writing and editing guides, , , , , , ,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/designing-the-infographic/#chapter-363-section-9
|
3 Design Phase
The design phase begins while working through early development phases, but doesn’t really get going until you start putting pen to paper. Table 2 summarizes basic infographic design considerations, starting with establishing a short list of a priori design principles specific to your project and ending with prototype testing. Once you finalize your design, go back to Chapter 1 for ideas about the distribution and maintenance phases.
Table 2. Infographic design phase considerations.
| Design Considerations | |
|---|---|
| Establish design principles | Develop design principles with the team and, ideally, end-users. Consider cultural diversity, language and readability. Expect to revisit the list and revise it as you work through the design phase. |
| Sketch general layout on paper with pen or pencil | One page or two? For printing on paper or electronic distribution or both? Whole pages, folding brochure or poster? Paper sizes vary across countries and for different printing purposes. Consider whether the infographic will be viewed on cellphones. Considering the storyline, draw boundaries for text blocks, images, and white spaces. Consider the balance and alignment of those blocks. The flow of those blocks helps to tell the story. Do not add any text or imagery at this point. |
| Chose the title | Chose a compelling title that attracts readers and sustains their attention. |
| Choose fonts | Consider font type, size and justification. |
| Choose colour palette | Pick limited complementary colours appropriate for the topic and audience. |
| Add text and graphics/images | Consult the guidelines you established to choose text and graphics/images to tell the story. |
| Ethical, privacy and copyright considerations | Brevity risks insufficient information, misinterpretation, misinformation and bias. Be careful about privacy issues using real people’s stories. Watch out for copyright if using others' content. |
| Cite sources | Tell the reader about the evidence base for the information in the infographic. Add institution logo if appropriate. |
| Draft prototype | Chose design software (Chapter 3): set document parameters for size and resolution appropriate for the planned distribution medium. Add content: consider readability, understandability and actionability. Balance text, imagery and white space appropriately for audience and topic. |
| Evaluate prototype | Test the prototype with the development team, end-user informants and content expert reviewers. |
| Revise design | Revise the layout, imagery, text and colours based on feedback from the team and reviewers. |
| Finalize design | Freeze the design. |
Basic Elements of an Infographic
Every infographic is different because there are so many variables, including differences in topics, intended outcomes, audiences and content. Nuances of fonts, colours and layout differ for various purposes. While there are no established standard templates, the basic elements of an infographic are:4
- Structure: a clear, logical layout.
- White space: meaningful use of white space.
- Color palette: colours are consistent, complementary, purposeful and meaningful, with sufficient contrast between text and background.
- Text: appropriate and accessible font types and sizes.
- Imagery: effective information visualization, including use of alt text for images posted online in HTML.
There are two broad areas to consider in telling the story: (1) content, meaning the information that will be conveyed in text and imagery, and (2) visual look, meaning the colours, text font, and layout of content, images and white space.
- Content is chosen to achieve a desired outcome. The content must be evidence-based, ethically correct, unbiased and accessible. It is crucial to use the content in ways that make sense to the intended audience. For example, patient informants who have lived for years with a health condition that the infographic is addressing need to think about how they would have understood the infographic back when they were first being diagnosed. 14 Consider content and design aspects for infographics for health professional audiences, as mentioned in other sections of this manual.
- Visual design requires understanding “visual literacy”, meaning how people interpret the way infographics look. 2,22 Consider accessibility factors, for example users with visual impairment might miss important context that you mean to convey by your colour choices. 21
Accessibility
Consider accessibility issues while designing your infographic. Accessibility design ensures that all users, including those with disabilities or impairments can access and understand the information. See sections below for accessibility tips.17,18,21
First Step: List Design Principles
Before you start on the design, consider the story you want to tell. Reflect on the information in this manual to draw up a list of principles that will guide design of your infographic. For example:
- State your objective with intended outcomes.
- Summarize your intended audience’s persona.
- Identify accessibility requirements.
- Describe the type of content you will use; focus on your objective, the evidence base, and your audience.
- Look through the rest of this chapter for ideas about principles regarding, for example, audience engagement, layout, text versus image content, and how text, imagery, colour and white space will work together for your audience.
Keep in mind differences and overlaps between the organization’s goals (what you want to achieve with the infographic) and the audience’s goals (what your audience wants from the infographic).
In addition to the overall storyline for the infographic, patient’s own stories can help readers to make sense of the information and understand why the infographic’s story is important to them.23
Clarify the Storyline
“Design is an opportunity to continue telling the story, not just to sum everything up” (Tate Linden)2
Good infographics tell a story that makes sense to the user.
- Infographics are very short stories, not novels.
- A story is a narrative about an emotional journey taken by characters. Stories allow people to share information in memorable way that enables deeper understanding. For example, simply telling someone to do something does not stick as well as telling someone about a person who had a good outcome if they did the thing. The first is merely a directive, while the second is a human story.
- The plot is the sequence of events that make up the story, from start to finish. The plot includes the beginning where the storyteller introduces the characters, setting and problem; then moves to the rise in action where tension escalates, then talks about the peak (climax) where a decision must be made, then provides answers during the fall in action and, finally, describes the happy ending where the problem is resolved.
- The storyline is a summary of the plot that describes the main thread of the story, summarizing main events around a problem that affects the characters, in a setting where the story takes place.
Sketch the Layout before Adding Content
A study of design students found that better infographics were designed by students who started by laying out all the content blocks on a piece of paper with pen or pencil before going to the computer or adding any content and there seems to be consensus on this approach.24 Stones and Gent (2015) and Kibar et al. (2017) show examples of the process:11,22
- Find some examples of infographics similar to yours in terms of content, intent or audience.
- With the storyline in mind, align blocks horizontally and vertically. Eye-tracking studies give insights into how readers scan blocks in infographics. Grid systems guided readers better than random block placements.11
- A good infographic tells a story.15 Lay out the blocks on the paper to achieve that end. Consider cues like headings, arrows, callouts, flow of text and images. Highlight main ideas in the story.
- Different people read infographics in different ways, so make drafts on paper to test different ways of positioning text and imagery blocks, considering reading flow in the storyline.25 Some, particularly some professionals, go straight to text from left to right and top down. Others look first at the headings or images then might go back to read something in more depth. Some just skim, and callouts might focus those readers.14 The trick is to design infographics for different reading styles and accessibility needs. For example, some users will use a screen reader and some will have other people interpret the infographic for them. Consider how the design works when it is read out loud.
- Use white space carefully. Place white space around blocks of text and graphics to highlight main storyline points. Don’t make text blocks too narrow or too wide.
- Consider the infographic medium. Layout will be influenced by whether the infographic will be printed on letterhead-sized paper in black and white or colour, made into a folded brochure, or distributed electronically in a PDF or HTML format for viewing on cellphones and tablets.26
One author suggests this:26
- Use informative titles and headings.
- Use a three-part introduction:
- Tell reader why the infographic is important to them.
- Tell them what it was designed to accomplish.
- Tell them what to expect when they read it.
- Organize the flow logically and make the flow apparent to the reader.
- Use appropriate text, imagery and colours that support the storyline.
Here is another way:23
- Get right to the point:
- Answer “Is this information for me?”
- Answer “What did you find out?”
- Answer “How did you find this information, where did it come from?”
- Answer “What should I do next?”
Choose the Title
Readers decide in a few seconds whether to read an infographic.15
- A few action-oriented, impactful words arouse interest better than an elaborate title.
- Use a more suggestive subtitle.
- Use words that speak directly to needs experienced by the target audience.
- But the title content must be true to the evidence and ethically sound, not misleading or sensational.11
Stones and Gent (2015) pointed out different approaches to titles:11
- Subject: “Vaccinations in Infants”
- Message: “Infant vaccination is available”
- Question: “What is the state of infant vaccination?”
- Fear: “Infants die when not vaccinated”
- Hopeful: “Infant vaccination can be increased”
- Call: “Be vaccinated not sick”
Text Content
These tips come from academic studies, design experts and expert advisors with lived experience:4,6,11,14,15,17,18,25
- The user needs to know, “Is this for me?”.
- Use headings and subheadings to organize the text and aid logical reading flow.
- Avoid large blocks of text. Keep a text block together, don’t wrap it around images, for example. Avoid dense text. Use left-aligned not justified text to prevent complex white spacing.
- Put important words first and keep sentences short.17 One idea per paragraph. Start the paragraph with a sentence giving the paragraph’s topic.
- Use plain language. Use short, familiar words and short sentences. Use common words and only use jargon or technical language when necessary and likely to be understood the audience.17 Use personal pronouns like “we” and “you”.27 Avoid acronyms or symbols.
- Use the present not past tense, and active not passive voice: “your doctor is going to _” is better than “Doctors would have_”.17
- Use realistic examples that the audience can relate to. Use concrete not abstract words and order events temporally.
- Arial or Calibri fonts seem to be easy to read, but don’t mix fonts, certainly no more than 3 types. The 10-point size generally is too small. Use much larger fonts for children and those with reading difficulty. Avoid fonts with serifs.17 Bolded font works better for emphasis than italics or underlining.
- Keep bulleted lists short and keep them together not across two pages.
- Be consistent in style features like headings and spelling out numbers versus showing regular numbers. Avoid capitalization, hyphens, semicolons and long sentences.
- Be cautious about how lay readers might interpret charts and statistics. Think carefully about how to use statistics. Write “half” instead of “49%”. This is the process of effective “data visualization” and there is lots published about it.2
- Be clear about evidence sources for the content in the infographic. Provide information about access to further resources for the audience. Refer (in an easy-to-understand way) to evidence sources: “How did you find this information?”.
- If tables are used, make them accessible: use informative headers for rows and columns, and a caption or summary to explain the table’s purpose.18 Keep tables simple: avoid merged and empty cells, and rotated text.17
Plain language is preferred. Plain language means wording, structure and design that is so simple and straightforward that everyone can understand it. Technical language often fails because only specialized readers can understand it, including even a narrow group of health care practitioners within a sub-specialty of their own specialty. Patient information leaflets can be laid out well but often exceed patient comprehension thresholds.27
- Readability refers to ease of reading and understanding text. You can test readability using Microsoft Word. Select the block of text. Click on “Home”, then “Editor”, then “Document Stats”. Word returns scores for Flesch Reading Ease and Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level. Health care providers can read technical language, while language for the general public needs to consider different reading abilities. Guidelines suggest that general public infographic readability should be grade 8 or less and grades 4-6 are sometimes preferred. 28,29
- Understandability refers to how easy it is for readers to understand the information. Actionability refers to how easy it is for readers to act on the information. Both can be assessed with, for example, the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT). 12
Imagery Content
Graphics (drawings) and images (photos) aid reader retention when used well.15 Here are some tips from the literature: 14,15,23,30
• Not all handouts need fancy graphics or images. In fact, there is some limited evidence that some
Designing the Infographic | 10 technical readers like health care providers can prefer text in certain circumstances. But even handouts for technical readers can benefit from graphics, and graphics aid engagement and retention for all audiences. 15
• Avoid distracting graphics like unnecessary grid lines or box outlines.
• Avoid mixing graphics and images with starkly different colours, contrast and dark/white space.
• Use images that seem real, relatable and sympathetic to the audience. Be aware that some people interpret images far differently than intended by the designer. 30 Avoid stock images using stereotypical representations of people because they look “phoney” to audiences and are not relatable.
• Use alt text (alternative text) to describe images in HTML infographics to improve accessibility for readers with different learning styles or accessibility needs. 17,21 Accessibility features can also be built into PDF versions.
• Use inclusive imagery. Avoid inadvertently reinforcing negative stereotypes of ethnicity, age or gender.
• The authoring organization’s logo can convey credibility as well as source. 23
Data visualization is the process of picking the right way to image data.
18
• Be careful with charts: they can be easily misinterpreted, even by technical readers. Pick the right chart type for the data type and audience, or even use a non-chart method to display the data.
• Arcia et al. (2015) provide details about general public preferences for graphics of statistics and other types of health information. 19
• Graphics that use curves are preferred over linear ones like standard bar charts. 31
Text and Imagery Used Together
There is evidence that information from infographics is more likely to be retained than from text alone.15 Three randomized controlled trials comparing infographics and plain language summaries of Cochrane systematic reviews found that while infographics were preferred in terms of reading experience and user-friendliness in both lay and professional audiences, there were no differences between the two modes in knowledge translation.32 That study has been criticized, but another (Canadian) study had similar findings.5,33 Nevertheless, both studies found that readers preferred infographics over text alone.
Here are tips from the literature for thinking about text and images together:15,25
- Keep together text and images that refer to the same topic.
- Imagery and text generally complement each other rather than convey the same information but sometimes can be used to repeat the same information for different reader styles.
- Repeat the most important points in different ways using text, fonts, callouts, or images.
- Don’t wrap a block of text around an image.
- Consider how to address varying beliefs held by audience members.
- For charts and graphs, label axes, data points and legends clearly with text rather than only colour and shape.18
If you want some insight into how design experts think of “visual literacy” in terms of infographics, check out Dunlap and Lowenthal (2016).2 They point out that visuals are powerful learning tools and that the overall look is important. To get technical, “Effective visuals apply visual organization and structure to reflect relationships, describe how parts of a whole interact, and/or reveal an underlying story.”
Colour Palette
Colours used in fonts, background and images must work together. They can have considerable affective impact, and they influence reader’s comprehension owing to the meanings readers attach to colours, and ease of readability due to contrast levels and other accessibility considerations.15,19,21,22,34,35
- There are many online tools for assisting with infographic colour palette choice, but they might not consider nuances like cultural meanings. “Stoplight” colours were found to convey value judgements to some audiences, for example.
- Experts advise restricting colour rather than over-using it, and restricting the palette to 3-5 colours.11
- The Piktochart website has a basic primer. 34 Canva can suggest colour palettes.36
- Don’t rely on colour alone to convey emphasis and meaning.17
- Consider colour vision impairments, which affect one in twenty people.4 There are online tools that can be used to ensure that the colour palette is accessible to people who perceive colour in different ways.18,21 Red/green and blue/yellow combinations can be problematic. Colour contrast is especially important for those with low vision. Online resources like the WebAIM Contrast Checker tool can be helpful (https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker).
Online Infographics
There are a number of accessibility design considerations for infographics that will be posted as HTML and even PDF formats.18,36,37 Here are a few basic examples but readers should review other sources for more detailed information if they are designing online interactive infographics:
- Use concise, informative “alt text” to convey the meaning of an infographic for readers with vision impairments.
- Allow users to navigate them with a keyboard alone so that all interactive elements like buttons and links are accessible by the tab key with clear focus indicators.
- Use HTML elements for tables that include headers, columns, and captions or summaries.
- Use “semantic HTML” such as headings that create a hierarchal outline, appropriately using lists and paragraphs.
- Provide alternative versions of the infographic for users who cannot access the visual content fully, for example a downloadable table or text-based summary.
- Software is available that can test an infographic for use with screen readers that speak content aloud.
Ethical, Privacy and Copyright Considerations
While brevity is a key goal in infographics design, it is important to carefully avoid causing ethical problems that lead to misinterpretation, misinformation and bias.37,38 It is also important to consider privacy issues around use of images and personal stories.10 Be cautious about using content like images that might be protected by someone’s copyright, including images generated by artificial intelligence software or online services.
Cite Sources
In a succinct and user-friendly way, tell the reader where the information you are giving them comes from. For health care providers, give them a sense of the strength of evidence and certainty of conclusions. If appropriate and with permissions, add logos of supporting institutions.
Prototype Development
Refine the design before finalizing it. Prototypes can be shown to health care expert advisors for content and to audience members to assess engagement, accessibility, comprehension and actionability.19,39 If intending to use a screen reader for HTML or PDF versions, pilot the implementation.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.883137
|
12-16-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/designing-the-infographic/#chapter-363-section-9",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Designing Infographics – A Manual for Health Care Provider Learners and Practitioners",
"author": "Jim Thompson MD, CCFP(EM), FCFP, Gail Macartney RN(NP), PhD, CON(C), Stephanie Welton MSc",
"institution": "University of Prince Edward Island",
"subject": "Personal and public health / health education, Writing and editing guides, , , , , , ,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/designing-the-infographic/#chapter-363-section-10
|
3 Design Phase
The design phase begins while working through early development phases, but doesn’t really get going until you start putting pen to paper. Table 2 summarizes basic infographic design considerations, starting with establishing a short list of a priori design principles specific to your project and ending with prototype testing. Once you finalize your design, go back to Chapter 1 for ideas about the distribution and maintenance phases.
Table 2. Infographic design phase considerations.
| Design Considerations | |
|---|---|
| Establish design principles | Develop design principles with the team and, ideally, end-users. Consider cultural diversity, language and readability. Expect to revisit the list and revise it as you work through the design phase. |
| Sketch general layout on paper with pen or pencil | One page or two? For printing on paper or electronic distribution or both? Whole pages, folding brochure or poster? Paper sizes vary across countries and for different printing purposes. Consider whether the infographic will be viewed on cellphones. Considering the storyline, draw boundaries for text blocks, images, and white spaces. Consider the balance and alignment of those blocks. The flow of those blocks helps to tell the story. Do not add any text or imagery at this point. |
| Chose the title | Chose a compelling title that attracts readers and sustains their attention. |
| Choose fonts | Consider font type, size and justification. |
| Choose colour palette | Pick limited complementary colours appropriate for the topic and audience. |
| Add text and graphics/images | Consult the guidelines you established to choose text and graphics/images to tell the story. |
| Ethical, privacy and copyright considerations | Brevity risks insufficient information, misinterpretation, misinformation and bias. Be careful about privacy issues using real people’s stories. Watch out for copyright if using others' content. |
| Cite sources | Tell the reader about the evidence base for the information in the infographic. Add institution logo if appropriate. |
| Draft prototype | Chose design software (Chapter 3): set document parameters for size and resolution appropriate for the planned distribution medium. Add content: consider readability, understandability and actionability. Balance text, imagery and white space appropriately for audience and topic. |
| Evaluate prototype | Test the prototype with the development team, end-user informants and content expert reviewers. |
| Revise design | Revise the layout, imagery, text and colours based on feedback from the team and reviewers. |
| Finalize design | Freeze the design. |
Basic Elements of an Infographic
Every infographic is different because there are so many variables, including differences in topics, intended outcomes, audiences and content. Nuances of fonts, colours and layout differ for various purposes. While there are no established standard templates, the basic elements of an infographic are:4
- Structure: a clear, logical layout.
- White space: meaningful use of white space.
- Color palette: colours are consistent, complementary, purposeful and meaningful, with sufficient contrast between text and background.
- Text: appropriate and accessible font types and sizes.
- Imagery: effective information visualization, including use of alt text for images posted online in HTML.
There are two broad areas to consider in telling the story: (1) content, meaning the information that will be conveyed in text and imagery, and (2) visual look, meaning the colours, text font, and layout of content, images and white space.
- Content is chosen to achieve a desired outcome. The content must be evidence-based, ethically correct, unbiased and accessible. It is crucial to use the content in ways that make sense to the intended audience. For example, patient informants who have lived for years with a health condition that the infographic is addressing need to think about how they would have understood the infographic back when they were first being diagnosed. 14 Consider content and design aspects for infographics for health professional audiences, as mentioned in other sections of this manual.
- Visual design requires understanding “visual literacy”, meaning how people interpret the way infographics look. 2,22 Consider accessibility factors, for example users with visual impairment might miss important context that you mean to convey by your colour choices. 21
Accessibility
Consider accessibility issues while designing your infographic. Accessibility design ensures that all users, including those with disabilities or impairments can access and understand the information. See sections below for accessibility tips.17,18,21
First Step: List Design Principles
Before you start on the design, consider the story you want to tell. Reflect on the information in this manual to draw up a list of principles that will guide design of your infographic. For example:
- State your objective with intended outcomes.
- Summarize your intended audience’s persona.
- Identify accessibility requirements.
- Describe the type of content you will use; focus on your objective, the evidence base, and your audience.
- Look through the rest of this chapter for ideas about principles regarding, for example, audience engagement, layout, text versus image content, and how text, imagery, colour and white space will work together for your audience.
Keep in mind differences and overlaps between the organization’s goals (what you want to achieve with the infographic) and the audience’s goals (what your audience wants from the infographic).
In addition to the overall storyline for the infographic, patient’s own stories can help readers to make sense of the information and understand why the infographic’s story is important to them.23
Clarify the Storyline
“Design is an opportunity to continue telling the story, not just to sum everything up” (Tate Linden)2
Good infographics tell a story that makes sense to the user.
- Infographics are very short stories, not novels.
- A story is a narrative about an emotional journey taken by characters. Stories allow people to share information in memorable way that enables deeper understanding. For example, simply telling someone to do something does not stick as well as telling someone about a person who had a good outcome if they did the thing. The first is merely a directive, while the second is a human story.
- The plot is the sequence of events that make up the story, from start to finish. The plot includes the beginning where the storyteller introduces the characters, setting and problem; then moves to the rise in action where tension escalates, then talks about the peak (climax) where a decision must be made, then provides answers during the fall in action and, finally, describes the happy ending where the problem is resolved.
- The storyline is a summary of the plot that describes the main thread of the story, summarizing main events around a problem that affects the characters, in a setting where the story takes place.
Sketch the Layout before Adding Content
A study of design students found that better infographics were designed by students who started by laying out all the content blocks on a piece of paper with pen or pencil before going to the computer or adding any content and there seems to be consensus on this approach.24 Stones and Gent (2015) and Kibar et al. (2017) show examples of the process:11,22
- Find some examples of infographics similar to yours in terms of content, intent or audience.
- With the storyline in mind, align blocks horizontally and vertically. Eye-tracking studies give insights into how readers scan blocks in infographics. Grid systems guided readers better than random block placements.11
- A good infographic tells a story.15 Lay out the blocks on the paper to achieve that end. Consider cues like headings, arrows, callouts, flow of text and images. Highlight main ideas in the story.
- Different people read infographics in different ways, so make drafts on paper to test different ways of positioning text and imagery blocks, considering reading flow in the storyline.25 Some, particularly some professionals, go straight to text from left to right and top down. Others look first at the headings or images then might go back to read something in more depth. Some just skim, and callouts might focus those readers.14 The trick is to design infographics for different reading styles and accessibility needs. For example, some users will use a screen reader and some will have other people interpret the infographic for them. Consider how the design works when it is read out loud.
- Use white space carefully. Place white space around blocks of text and graphics to highlight main storyline points. Don’t make text blocks too narrow or too wide.
- Consider the infographic medium. Layout will be influenced by whether the infographic will be printed on letterhead-sized paper in black and white or colour, made into a folded brochure, or distributed electronically in a PDF or HTML format for viewing on cellphones and tablets.26
One author suggests this:26
- Use informative titles and headings.
- Use a three-part introduction:
- Tell reader why the infographic is important to them.
- Tell them what it was designed to accomplish.
- Tell them what to expect when they read it.
- Organize the flow logically and make the flow apparent to the reader.
- Use appropriate text, imagery and colours that support the storyline.
Here is another way:23
- Get right to the point:
- Answer “Is this information for me?”
- Answer “What did you find out?”
- Answer “How did you find this information, where did it come from?”
- Answer “What should I do next?”
Choose the Title
Readers decide in a few seconds whether to read an infographic.15
- A few action-oriented, impactful words arouse interest better than an elaborate title.
- Use a more suggestive subtitle.
- Use words that speak directly to needs experienced by the target audience.
- But the title content must be true to the evidence and ethically sound, not misleading or sensational.11
Stones and Gent (2015) pointed out different approaches to titles:11
- Subject: “Vaccinations in Infants”
- Message: “Infant vaccination is available”
- Question: “What is the state of infant vaccination?”
- Fear: “Infants die when not vaccinated”
- Hopeful: “Infant vaccination can be increased”
- Call: “Be vaccinated not sick”
Text Content
These tips come from academic studies, design experts and expert advisors with lived experience:4,6,11,14,15,17,18,25
- The user needs to know, “Is this for me?”.
- Use headings and subheadings to organize the text and aid logical reading flow.
- Avoid large blocks of text. Keep a text block together, don’t wrap it around images, for example. Avoid dense text. Use left-aligned not justified text to prevent complex white spacing.
- Put important words first and keep sentences short.17 One idea per paragraph. Start the paragraph with a sentence giving the paragraph’s topic.
- Use plain language. Use short, familiar words and short sentences. Use common words and only use jargon or technical language when necessary and likely to be understood the audience.17 Use personal pronouns like “we” and “you”.27 Avoid acronyms or symbols.
- Use the present not past tense, and active not passive voice: “your doctor is going to _” is better than “Doctors would have_”.17
- Use realistic examples that the audience can relate to. Use concrete not abstract words and order events temporally.
- Arial or Calibri fonts seem to be easy to read, but don’t mix fonts, certainly no more than 3 types. The 10-point size generally is too small. Use much larger fonts for children and those with reading difficulty. Avoid fonts with serifs.17 Bolded font works better for emphasis than italics or underlining.
- Keep bulleted lists short and keep them together not across two pages.
- Be consistent in style features like headings and spelling out numbers versus showing regular numbers. Avoid capitalization, hyphens, semicolons and long sentences.
- Be cautious about how lay readers might interpret charts and statistics. Think carefully about how to use statistics. Write “half” instead of “49%”. This is the process of effective “data visualization” and there is lots published about it.2
- Be clear about evidence sources for the content in the infographic. Provide information about access to further resources for the audience. Refer (in an easy-to-understand way) to evidence sources: “How did you find this information?”.
- If tables are used, make them accessible: use informative headers for rows and columns, and a caption or summary to explain the table’s purpose.18 Keep tables simple: avoid merged and empty cells, and rotated text.17
Plain language is preferred. Plain language means wording, structure and design that is so simple and straightforward that everyone can understand it. Technical language often fails because only specialized readers can understand it, including even a narrow group of health care practitioners within a sub-specialty of their own specialty. Patient information leaflets can be laid out well but often exceed patient comprehension thresholds.27
- Readability refers to ease of reading and understanding text. You can test readability using Microsoft Word. Select the block of text. Click on “Home”, then “Editor”, then “Document Stats”. Word returns scores for Flesch Reading Ease and Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level. Health care providers can read technical language, while language for the general public needs to consider different reading abilities. Guidelines suggest that general public infographic readability should be grade 8 or less and grades 4-6 are sometimes preferred. 28,29
- Understandability refers to how easy it is for readers to understand the information. Actionability refers to how easy it is for readers to act on the information. Both can be assessed with, for example, the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT). 12
Imagery Content
Graphics (drawings) and images (photos) aid reader retention when used well.15 Here are some tips from the literature: 14,15,23,30
• Not all handouts need fancy graphics or images. In fact, there is some limited evidence that some
Designing the Infographic | 10 technical readers like health care providers can prefer text in certain circumstances. But even handouts for technical readers can benefit from graphics, and graphics aid engagement and retention for all audiences. 15
• Avoid distracting graphics like unnecessary grid lines or box outlines.
• Avoid mixing graphics and images with starkly different colours, contrast and dark/white space.
• Use images that seem real, relatable and sympathetic to the audience. Be aware that some people interpret images far differently than intended by the designer. 30 Avoid stock images using stereotypical representations of people because they look “phoney” to audiences and are not relatable.
• Use alt text (alternative text) to describe images in HTML infographics to improve accessibility for readers with different learning styles or accessibility needs. 17,21 Accessibility features can also be built into PDF versions.
• Use inclusive imagery. Avoid inadvertently reinforcing negative stereotypes of ethnicity, age or gender.
• The authoring organization’s logo can convey credibility as well as source. 23
Data visualization is the process of picking the right way to image data.
18
• Be careful with charts: they can be easily misinterpreted, even by technical readers. Pick the right chart type for the data type and audience, or even use a non-chart method to display the data.
• Arcia et al. (2015) provide details about general public preferences for graphics of statistics and other types of health information. 19
• Graphics that use curves are preferred over linear ones like standard bar charts. 31
Text and Imagery Used Together
There is evidence that information from infographics is more likely to be retained than from text alone.15 Three randomized controlled trials comparing infographics and plain language summaries of Cochrane systematic reviews found that while infographics were preferred in terms of reading experience and user-friendliness in both lay and professional audiences, there were no differences between the two modes in knowledge translation.32 That study has been criticized, but another (Canadian) study had similar findings.5,33 Nevertheless, both studies found that readers preferred infographics over text alone.
Here are tips from the literature for thinking about text and images together:15,25
- Keep together text and images that refer to the same topic.
- Imagery and text generally complement each other rather than convey the same information but sometimes can be used to repeat the same information for different reader styles.
- Repeat the most important points in different ways using text, fonts, callouts, or images.
- Don’t wrap a block of text around an image.
- Consider how to address varying beliefs held by audience members.
- For charts and graphs, label axes, data points and legends clearly with text rather than only colour and shape.18
If you want some insight into how design experts think of “visual literacy” in terms of infographics, check out Dunlap and Lowenthal (2016).2 They point out that visuals are powerful learning tools and that the overall look is important. To get technical, “Effective visuals apply visual organization and structure to reflect relationships, describe how parts of a whole interact, and/or reveal an underlying story.”
Colour Palette
Colours used in fonts, background and images must work together. They can have considerable affective impact, and they influence reader’s comprehension owing to the meanings readers attach to colours, and ease of readability due to contrast levels and other accessibility considerations.15,19,21,22,34,35
- There are many online tools for assisting with infographic colour palette choice, but they might not consider nuances like cultural meanings. “Stoplight” colours were found to convey value judgements to some audiences, for example.
- Experts advise restricting colour rather than over-using it, and restricting the palette to 3-5 colours.11
- The Piktochart website has a basic primer. 34 Canva can suggest colour palettes.36
- Don’t rely on colour alone to convey emphasis and meaning.17
- Consider colour vision impairments, which affect one in twenty people.4 There are online tools that can be used to ensure that the colour palette is accessible to people who perceive colour in different ways.18,21 Red/green and blue/yellow combinations can be problematic. Colour contrast is especially important for those with low vision. Online resources like the WebAIM Contrast Checker tool can be helpful (https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker).
Online Infographics
There are a number of accessibility design considerations for infographics that will be posted as HTML and even PDF formats.18,36,37 Here are a few basic examples but readers should review other sources for more detailed information if they are designing online interactive infographics:
- Use concise, informative “alt text” to convey the meaning of an infographic for readers with vision impairments.
- Allow users to navigate them with a keyboard alone so that all interactive elements like buttons and links are accessible by the tab key with clear focus indicators.
- Use HTML elements for tables that include headers, columns, and captions or summaries.
- Use “semantic HTML” such as headings that create a hierarchal outline, appropriately using lists and paragraphs.
- Provide alternative versions of the infographic for users who cannot access the visual content fully, for example a downloadable table or text-based summary.
- Software is available that can test an infographic for use with screen readers that speak content aloud.
Ethical, Privacy and Copyright Considerations
While brevity is a key goal in infographics design, it is important to carefully avoid causing ethical problems that lead to misinterpretation, misinformation and bias.37,38 It is also important to consider privacy issues around use of images and personal stories.10 Be cautious about using content like images that might be protected by someone’s copyright, including images generated by artificial intelligence software or online services.
Cite Sources
In a succinct and user-friendly way, tell the reader where the information you are giving them comes from. For health care providers, give them a sense of the strength of evidence and certainty of conclusions. If appropriate and with permissions, add logos of supporting institutions.
Prototype Development
Refine the design before finalizing it. Prototypes can be shown to health care expert advisors for content and to audience members to assess engagement, accessibility, comprehension and actionability.19,39 If intending to use a screen reader for HTML or PDF versions, pilot the implementation.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.912053
|
12-16-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/designing-the-infographic/#chapter-363-section-10",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Designing Infographics – A Manual for Health Care Provider Learners and Practitioners",
"author": "Jim Thompson MD, CCFP(EM), FCFP, Gail Macartney RN(NP), PhD, CON(C), Stephanie Welton MSc",
"institution": "University of Prince Edward Island",
"subject": "Personal and public health / health education, Writing and editing guides, , , , , , ,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/designing-the-infographic/#chapter-363-section-11
|
3 Design Phase
The design phase begins while working through early development phases, but doesn’t really get going until you start putting pen to paper. Table 2 summarizes basic infographic design considerations, starting with establishing a short list of a priori design principles specific to your project and ending with prototype testing. Once you finalize your design, go back to Chapter 1 for ideas about the distribution and maintenance phases.
Table 2. Infographic design phase considerations.
| Design Considerations | |
|---|---|
| Establish design principles | Develop design principles with the team and, ideally, end-users. Consider cultural diversity, language and readability. Expect to revisit the list and revise it as you work through the design phase. |
| Sketch general layout on paper with pen or pencil | One page or two? For printing on paper or electronic distribution or both? Whole pages, folding brochure or poster? Paper sizes vary across countries and for different printing purposes. Consider whether the infographic will be viewed on cellphones. Considering the storyline, draw boundaries for text blocks, images, and white spaces. Consider the balance and alignment of those blocks. The flow of those blocks helps to tell the story. Do not add any text or imagery at this point. |
| Chose the title | Chose a compelling title that attracts readers and sustains their attention. |
| Choose fonts | Consider font type, size and justification. |
| Choose colour palette | Pick limited complementary colours appropriate for the topic and audience. |
| Add text and graphics/images | Consult the guidelines you established to choose text and graphics/images to tell the story. |
| Ethical, privacy and copyright considerations | Brevity risks insufficient information, misinterpretation, misinformation and bias. Be careful about privacy issues using real people’s stories. Watch out for copyright if using others' content. |
| Cite sources | Tell the reader about the evidence base for the information in the infographic. Add institution logo if appropriate. |
| Draft prototype | Chose design software (Chapter 3): set document parameters for size and resolution appropriate for the planned distribution medium. Add content: consider readability, understandability and actionability. Balance text, imagery and white space appropriately for audience and topic. |
| Evaluate prototype | Test the prototype with the development team, end-user informants and content expert reviewers. |
| Revise design | Revise the layout, imagery, text and colours based on feedback from the team and reviewers. |
| Finalize design | Freeze the design. |
Basic Elements of an Infographic
Every infographic is different because there are so many variables, including differences in topics, intended outcomes, audiences and content. Nuances of fonts, colours and layout differ for various purposes. While there are no established standard templates, the basic elements of an infographic are:4
- Structure: a clear, logical layout.
- White space: meaningful use of white space.
- Color palette: colours are consistent, complementary, purposeful and meaningful, with sufficient contrast between text and background.
- Text: appropriate and accessible font types and sizes.
- Imagery: effective information visualization, including use of alt text for images posted online in HTML.
There are two broad areas to consider in telling the story: (1) content, meaning the information that will be conveyed in text and imagery, and (2) visual look, meaning the colours, text font, and layout of content, images and white space.
- Content is chosen to achieve a desired outcome. The content must be evidence-based, ethically correct, unbiased and accessible. It is crucial to use the content in ways that make sense to the intended audience. For example, patient informants who have lived for years with a health condition that the infographic is addressing need to think about how they would have understood the infographic back when they were first being diagnosed. 14 Consider content and design aspects for infographics for health professional audiences, as mentioned in other sections of this manual.
- Visual design requires understanding “visual literacy”, meaning how people interpret the way infographics look. 2,22 Consider accessibility factors, for example users with visual impairment might miss important context that you mean to convey by your colour choices. 21
Accessibility
Consider accessibility issues while designing your infographic. Accessibility design ensures that all users, including those with disabilities or impairments can access and understand the information. See sections below for accessibility tips.17,18,21
First Step: List Design Principles
Before you start on the design, consider the story you want to tell. Reflect on the information in this manual to draw up a list of principles that will guide design of your infographic. For example:
- State your objective with intended outcomes.
- Summarize your intended audience’s persona.
- Identify accessibility requirements.
- Describe the type of content you will use; focus on your objective, the evidence base, and your audience.
- Look through the rest of this chapter for ideas about principles regarding, for example, audience engagement, layout, text versus image content, and how text, imagery, colour and white space will work together for your audience.
Keep in mind differences and overlaps between the organization’s goals (what you want to achieve with the infographic) and the audience’s goals (what your audience wants from the infographic).
In addition to the overall storyline for the infographic, patient’s own stories can help readers to make sense of the information and understand why the infographic’s story is important to them.23
Clarify the Storyline
“Design is an opportunity to continue telling the story, not just to sum everything up” (Tate Linden)2
Good infographics tell a story that makes sense to the user.
- Infographics are very short stories, not novels.
- A story is a narrative about an emotional journey taken by characters. Stories allow people to share information in memorable way that enables deeper understanding. For example, simply telling someone to do something does not stick as well as telling someone about a person who had a good outcome if they did the thing. The first is merely a directive, while the second is a human story.
- The plot is the sequence of events that make up the story, from start to finish. The plot includes the beginning where the storyteller introduces the characters, setting and problem; then moves to the rise in action where tension escalates, then talks about the peak (climax) where a decision must be made, then provides answers during the fall in action and, finally, describes the happy ending where the problem is resolved.
- The storyline is a summary of the plot that describes the main thread of the story, summarizing main events around a problem that affects the characters, in a setting where the story takes place.
Sketch the Layout before Adding Content
A study of design students found that better infographics were designed by students who started by laying out all the content blocks on a piece of paper with pen or pencil before going to the computer or adding any content and there seems to be consensus on this approach.24 Stones and Gent (2015) and Kibar et al. (2017) show examples of the process:11,22
- Find some examples of infographics similar to yours in terms of content, intent or audience.
- With the storyline in mind, align blocks horizontally and vertically. Eye-tracking studies give insights into how readers scan blocks in infographics. Grid systems guided readers better than random block placements.11
- A good infographic tells a story.15 Lay out the blocks on the paper to achieve that end. Consider cues like headings, arrows, callouts, flow of text and images. Highlight main ideas in the story.
- Different people read infographics in different ways, so make drafts on paper to test different ways of positioning text and imagery blocks, considering reading flow in the storyline.25 Some, particularly some professionals, go straight to text from left to right and top down. Others look first at the headings or images then might go back to read something in more depth. Some just skim, and callouts might focus those readers.14 The trick is to design infographics for different reading styles and accessibility needs. For example, some users will use a screen reader and some will have other people interpret the infographic for them. Consider how the design works when it is read out loud.
- Use white space carefully. Place white space around blocks of text and graphics to highlight main storyline points. Don’t make text blocks too narrow or too wide.
- Consider the infographic medium. Layout will be influenced by whether the infographic will be printed on letterhead-sized paper in black and white or colour, made into a folded brochure, or distributed electronically in a PDF or HTML format for viewing on cellphones and tablets.26
One author suggests this:26
- Use informative titles and headings.
- Use a three-part introduction:
- Tell reader why the infographic is important to them.
- Tell them what it was designed to accomplish.
- Tell them what to expect when they read it.
- Organize the flow logically and make the flow apparent to the reader.
- Use appropriate text, imagery and colours that support the storyline.
Here is another way:23
- Get right to the point:
- Answer “Is this information for me?”
- Answer “What did you find out?”
- Answer “How did you find this information, where did it come from?”
- Answer “What should I do next?”
Choose the Title
Readers decide in a few seconds whether to read an infographic.15
- A few action-oriented, impactful words arouse interest better than an elaborate title.
- Use a more suggestive subtitle.
- Use words that speak directly to needs experienced by the target audience.
- But the title content must be true to the evidence and ethically sound, not misleading or sensational.11
Stones and Gent (2015) pointed out different approaches to titles:11
- Subject: “Vaccinations in Infants”
- Message: “Infant vaccination is available”
- Question: “What is the state of infant vaccination?”
- Fear: “Infants die when not vaccinated”
- Hopeful: “Infant vaccination can be increased”
- Call: “Be vaccinated not sick”
Text Content
These tips come from academic studies, design experts and expert advisors with lived experience:4,6,11,14,15,17,18,25
- The user needs to know, “Is this for me?”.
- Use headings and subheadings to organize the text and aid logical reading flow.
- Avoid large blocks of text. Keep a text block together, don’t wrap it around images, for example. Avoid dense text. Use left-aligned not justified text to prevent complex white spacing.
- Put important words first and keep sentences short.17 One idea per paragraph. Start the paragraph with a sentence giving the paragraph’s topic.
- Use plain language. Use short, familiar words and short sentences. Use common words and only use jargon or technical language when necessary and likely to be understood the audience.17 Use personal pronouns like “we” and “you”.27 Avoid acronyms or symbols.
- Use the present not past tense, and active not passive voice: “your doctor is going to _” is better than “Doctors would have_”.17
- Use realistic examples that the audience can relate to. Use concrete not abstract words and order events temporally.
- Arial or Calibri fonts seem to be easy to read, but don’t mix fonts, certainly no more than 3 types. The 10-point size generally is too small. Use much larger fonts for children and those with reading difficulty. Avoid fonts with serifs.17 Bolded font works better for emphasis than italics or underlining.
- Keep bulleted lists short and keep them together not across two pages.
- Be consistent in style features like headings and spelling out numbers versus showing regular numbers. Avoid capitalization, hyphens, semicolons and long sentences.
- Be cautious about how lay readers might interpret charts and statistics. Think carefully about how to use statistics. Write “half” instead of “49%”. This is the process of effective “data visualization” and there is lots published about it.2
- Be clear about evidence sources for the content in the infographic. Provide information about access to further resources for the audience. Refer (in an easy-to-understand way) to evidence sources: “How did you find this information?”.
- If tables are used, make them accessible: use informative headers for rows and columns, and a caption or summary to explain the table’s purpose.18 Keep tables simple: avoid merged and empty cells, and rotated text.17
Plain language is preferred. Plain language means wording, structure and design that is so simple and straightforward that everyone can understand it. Technical language often fails because only specialized readers can understand it, including even a narrow group of health care practitioners within a sub-specialty of their own specialty. Patient information leaflets can be laid out well but often exceed patient comprehension thresholds.27
- Readability refers to ease of reading and understanding text. You can test readability using Microsoft Word. Select the block of text. Click on “Home”, then “Editor”, then “Document Stats”. Word returns scores for Flesch Reading Ease and Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level. Health care providers can read technical language, while language for the general public needs to consider different reading abilities. Guidelines suggest that general public infographic readability should be grade 8 or less and grades 4-6 are sometimes preferred. 28,29
- Understandability refers to how easy it is for readers to understand the information. Actionability refers to how easy it is for readers to act on the information. Both can be assessed with, for example, the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT). 12
Imagery Content
Graphics (drawings) and images (photos) aid reader retention when used well.15 Here are some tips from the literature: 14,15,23,30
• Not all handouts need fancy graphics or images. In fact, there is some limited evidence that some
Designing the Infographic | 10 technical readers like health care providers can prefer text in certain circumstances. But even handouts for technical readers can benefit from graphics, and graphics aid engagement and retention for all audiences. 15
• Avoid distracting graphics like unnecessary grid lines or box outlines.
• Avoid mixing graphics and images with starkly different colours, contrast and dark/white space.
• Use images that seem real, relatable and sympathetic to the audience. Be aware that some people interpret images far differently than intended by the designer. 30 Avoid stock images using stereotypical representations of people because they look “phoney” to audiences and are not relatable.
• Use alt text (alternative text) to describe images in HTML infographics to improve accessibility for readers with different learning styles or accessibility needs. 17,21 Accessibility features can also be built into PDF versions.
• Use inclusive imagery. Avoid inadvertently reinforcing negative stereotypes of ethnicity, age or gender.
• The authoring organization’s logo can convey credibility as well as source. 23
Data visualization is the process of picking the right way to image data.
18
• Be careful with charts: they can be easily misinterpreted, even by technical readers. Pick the right chart type for the data type and audience, or even use a non-chart method to display the data.
• Arcia et al. (2015) provide details about general public preferences for graphics of statistics and other types of health information. 19
• Graphics that use curves are preferred over linear ones like standard bar charts. 31
Text and Imagery Used Together
There is evidence that information from infographics is more likely to be retained than from text alone.15 Three randomized controlled trials comparing infographics and plain language summaries of Cochrane systematic reviews found that while infographics were preferred in terms of reading experience and user-friendliness in both lay and professional audiences, there were no differences between the two modes in knowledge translation.32 That study has been criticized, but another (Canadian) study had similar findings.5,33 Nevertheless, both studies found that readers preferred infographics over text alone.
Here are tips from the literature for thinking about text and images together:15,25
- Keep together text and images that refer to the same topic.
- Imagery and text generally complement each other rather than convey the same information but sometimes can be used to repeat the same information for different reader styles.
- Repeat the most important points in different ways using text, fonts, callouts, or images.
- Don’t wrap a block of text around an image.
- Consider how to address varying beliefs held by audience members.
- For charts and graphs, label axes, data points and legends clearly with text rather than only colour and shape.18
If you want some insight into how design experts think of “visual literacy” in terms of infographics, check out Dunlap and Lowenthal (2016).2 They point out that visuals are powerful learning tools and that the overall look is important. To get technical, “Effective visuals apply visual organization and structure to reflect relationships, describe how parts of a whole interact, and/or reveal an underlying story.”
Colour Palette
Colours used in fonts, background and images must work together. They can have considerable affective impact, and they influence reader’s comprehension owing to the meanings readers attach to colours, and ease of readability due to contrast levels and other accessibility considerations.15,19,21,22,34,35
- There are many online tools for assisting with infographic colour palette choice, but they might not consider nuances like cultural meanings. “Stoplight” colours were found to convey value judgements to some audiences, for example.
- Experts advise restricting colour rather than over-using it, and restricting the palette to 3-5 colours.11
- The Piktochart website has a basic primer. 34 Canva can suggest colour palettes.36
- Don’t rely on colour alone to convey emphasis and meaning.17
- Consider colour vision impairments, which affect one in twenty people.4 There are online tools that can be used to ensure that the colour palette is accessible to people who perceive colour in different ways.18,21 Red/green and blue/yellow combinations can be problematic. Colour contrast is especially important for those with low vision. Online resources like the WebAIM Contrast Checker tool can be helpful (https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker).
Online Infographics
There are a number of accessibility design considerations for infographics that will be posted as HTML and even PDF formats.18,36,37 Here are a few basic examples but readers should review other sources for more detailed information if they are designing online interactive infographics:
- Use concise, informative “alt text” to convey the meaning of an infographic for readers with vision impairments.
- Allow users to navigate them with a keyboard alone so that all interactive elements like buttons and links are accessible by the tab key with clear focus indicators.
- Use HTML elements for tables that include headers, columns, and captions or summaries.
- Use “semantic HTML” such as headings that create a hierarchal outline, appropriately using lists and paragraphs.
- Provide alternative versions of the infographic for users who cannot access the visual content fully, for example a downloadable table or text-based summary.
- Software is available that can test an infographic for use with screen readers that speak content aloud.
Ethical, Privacy and Copyright Considerations
While brevity is a key goal in infographics design, it is important to carefully avoid causing ethical problems that lead to misinterpretation, misinformation and bias.37,38 It is also important to consider privacy issues around use of images and personal stories.10 Be cautious about using content like images that might be protected by someone’s copyright, including images generated by artificial intelligence software or online services.
Cite Sources
In a succinct and user-friendly way, tell the reader where the information you are giving them comes from. For health care providers, give them a sense of the strength of evidence and certainty of conclusions. If appropriate and with permissions, add logos of supporting institutions.
Prototype Development
Refine the design before finalizing it. Prototypes can be shown to health care expert advisors for content and to audience members to assess engagement, accessibility, comprehension and actionability.19,39 If intending to use a screen reader for HTML or PDF versions, pilot the implementation.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.941041
|
12-16-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/designing-the-infographic/#chapter-363-section-11",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Designing Infographics – A Manual for Health Care Provider Learners and Practitioners",
"author": "Jim Thompson MD, CCFP(EM), FCFP, Gail Macartney RN(NP), PhD, CON(C), Stephanie Welton MSc",
"institution": "University of Prince Edward Island",
"subject": "Personal and public health / health education, Writing and editing guides, , , , , , ,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/designing-the-infographic/#chapter-363-section-12
|
3 Design Phase
The design phase begins while working through early development phases, but doesn’t really get going until you start putting pen to paper. Table 2 summarizes basic infographic design considerations, starting with establishing a short list of a priori design principles specific to your project and ending with prototype testing. Once you finalize your design, go back to Chapter 1 for ideas about the distribution and maintenance phases.
Table 2. Infographic design phase considerations.
| Design Considerations | |
|---|---|
| Establish design principles | Develop design principles with the team and, ideally, end-users. Consider cultural diversity, language and readability. Expect to revisit the list and revise it as you work through the design phase. |
| Sketch general layout on paper with pen or pencil | One page or two? For printing on paper or electronic distribution or both? Whole pages, folding brochure or poster? Paper sizes vary across countries and for different printing purposes. Consider whether the infographic will be viewed on cellphones. Considering the storyline, draw boundaries for text blocks, images, and white spaces. Consider the balance and alignment of those blocks. The flow of those blocks helps to tell the story. Do not add any text or imagery at this point. |
| Chose the title | Chose a compelling title that attracts readers and sustains their attention. |
| Choose fonts | Consider font type, size and justification. |
| Choose colour palette | Pick limited complementary colours appropriate for the topic and audience. |
| Add text and graphics/images | Consult the guidelines you established to choose text and graphics/images to tell the story. |
| Ethical, privacy and copyright considerations | Brevity risks insufficient information, misinterpretation, misinformation and bias. Be careful about privacy issues using real people’s stories. Watch out for copyright if using others' content. |
| Cite sources | Tell the reader about the evidence base for the information in the infographic. Add institution logo if appropriate. |
| Draft prototype | Chose design software (Chapter 3): set document parameters for size and resolution appropriate for the planned distribution medium. Add content: consider readability, understandability and actionability. Balance text, imagery and white space appropriately for audience and topic. |
| Evaluate prototype | Test the prototype with the development team, end-user informants and content expert reviewers. |
| Revise design | Revise the layout, imagery, text and colours based on feedback from the team and reviewers. |
| Finalize design | Freeze the design. |
Basic Elements of an Infographic
Every infographic is different because there are so many variables, including differences in topics, intended outcomes, audiences and content. Nuances of fonts, colours and layout differ for various purposes. While there are no established standard templates, the basic elements of an infographic are:4
- Structure: a clear, logical layout.
- White space: meaningful use of white space.
- Color palette: colours are consistent, complementary, purposeful and meaningful, with sufficient contrast between text and background.
- Text: appropriate and accessible font types and sizes.
- Imagery: effective information visualization, including use of alt text for images posted online in HTML.
There are two broad areas to consider in telling the story: (1) content, meaning the information that will be conveyed in text and imagery, and (2) visual look, meaning the colours, text font, and layout of content, images and white space.
- Content is chosen to achieve a desired outcome. The content must be evidence-based, ethically correct, unbiased and accessible. It is crucial to use the content in ways that make sense to the intended audience. For example, patient informants who have lived for years with a health condition that the infographic is addressing need to think about how they would have understood the infographic back when they were first being diagnosed. 14 Consider content and design aspects for infographics for health professional audiences, as mentioned in other sections of this manual.
- Visual design requires understanding “visual literacy”, meaning how people interpret the way infographics look. 2,22 Consider accessibility factors, for example users with visual impairment might miss important context that you mean to convey by your colour choices. 21
Accessibility
Consider accessibility issues while designing your infographic. Accessibility design ensures that all users, including those with disabilities or impairments can access and understand the information. See sections below for accessibility tips.17,18,21
First Step: List Design Principles
Before you start on the design, consider the story you want to tell. Reflect on the information in this manual to draw up a list of principles that will guide design of your infographic. For example:
- State your objective with intended outcomes.
- Summarize your intended audience’s persona.
- Identify accessibility requirements.
- Describe the type of content you will use; focus on your objective, the evidence base, and your audience.
- Look through the rest of this chapter for ideas about principles regarding, for example, audience engagement, layout, text versus image content, and how text, imagery, colour and white space will work together for your audience.
Keep in mind differences and overlaps between the organization’s goals (what you want to achieve with the infographic) and the audience’s goals (what your audience wants from the infographic).
In addition to the overall storyline for the infographic, patient’s own stories can help readers to make sense of the information and understand why the infographic’s story is important to them.23
Clarify the Storyline
“Design is an opportunity to continue telling the story, not just to sum everything up” (Tate Linden)2
Good infographics tell a story that makes sense to the user.
- Infographics are very short stories, not novels.
- A story is a narrative about an emotional journey taken by characters. Stories allow people to share information in memorable way that enables deeper understanding. For example, simply telling someone to do something does not stick as well as telling someone about a person who had a good outcome if they did the thing. The first is merely a directive, while the second is a human story.
- The plot is the sequence of events that make up the story, from start to finish. The plot includes the beginning where the storyteller introduces the characters, setting and problem; then moves to the rise in action where tension escalates, then talks about the peak (climax) where a decision must be made, then provides answers during the fall in action and, finally, describes the happy ending where the problem is resolved.
- The storyline is a summary of the plot that describes the main thread of the story, summarizing main events around a problem that affects the characters, in a setting where the story takes place.
Sketch the Layout before Adding Content
A study of design students found that better infographics were designed by students who started by laying out all the content blocks on a piece of paper with pen or pencil before going to the computer or adding any content and there seems to be consensus on this approach.24 Stones and Gent (2015) and Kibar et al. (2017) show examples of the process:11,22
- Find some examples of infographics similar to yours in terms of content, intent or audience.
- With the storyline in mind, align blocks horizontally and vertically. Eye-tracking studies give insights into how readers scan blocks in infographics. Grid systems guided readers better than random block placements.11
- A good infographic tells a story.15 Lay out the blocks on the paper to achieve that end. Consider cues like headings, arrows, callouts, flow of text and images. Highlight main ideas in the story.
- Different people read infographics in different ways, so make drafts on paper to test different ways of positioning text and imagery blocks, considering reading flow in the storyline.25 Some, particularly some professionals, go straight to text from left to right and top down. Others look first at the headings or images then might go back to read something in more depth. Some just skim, and callouts might focus those readers.14 The trick is to design infographics for different reading styles and accessibility needs. For example, some users will use a screen reader and some will have other people interpret the infographic for them. Consider how the design works when it is read out loud.
- Use white space carefully. Place white space around blocks of text and graphics to highlight main storyline points. Don’t make text blocks too narrow or too wide.
- Consider the infographic medium. Layout will be influenced by whether the infographic will be printed on letterhead-sized paper in black and white or colour, made into a folded brochure, or distributed electronically in a PDF or HTML format for viewing on cellphones and tablets.26
One author suggests this:26
- Use informative titles and headings.
- Use a three-part introduction:
- Tell reader why the infographic is important to them.
- Tell them what it was designed to accomplish.
- Tell them what to expect when they read it.
- Organize the flow logically and make the flow apparent to the reader.
- Use appropriate text, imagery and colours that support the storyline.
Here is another way:23
- Get right to the point:
- Answer “Is this information for me?”
- Answer “What did you find out?”
- Answer “How did you find this information, where did it come from?”
- Answer “What should I do next?”
Choose the Title
Readers decide in a few seconds whether to read an infographic.15
- A few action-oriented, impactful words arouse interest better than an elaborate title.
- Use a more suggestive subtitle.
- Use words that speak directly to needs experienced by the target audience.
- But the title content must be true to the evidence and ethically sound, not misleading or sensational.11
Stones and Gent (2015) pointed out different approaches to titles:11
- Subject: “Vaccinations in Infants”
- Message: “Infant vaccination is available”
- Question: “What is the state of infant vaccination?”
- Fear: “Infants die when not vaccinated”
- Hopeful: “Infant vaccination can be increased”
- Call: “Be vaccinated not sick”
Text Content
These tips come from academic studies, design experts and expert advisors with lived experience:4,6,11,14,15,17,18,25
- The user needs to know, “Is this for me?”.
- Use headings and subheadings to organize the text and aid logical reading flow.
- Avoid large blocks of text. Keep a text block together, don’t wrap it around images, for example. Avoid dense text. Use left-aligned not justified text to prevent complex white spacing.
- Put important words first and keep sentences short.17 One idea per paragraph. Start the paragraph with a sentence giving the paragraph’s topic.
- Use plain language. Use short, familiar words and short sentences. Use common words and only use jargon or technical language when necessary and likely to be understood the audience.17 Use personal pronouns like “we” and “you”.27 Avoid acronyms or symbols.
- Use the present not past tense, and active not passive voice: “your doctor is going to _” is better than “Doctors would have_”.17
- Use realistic examples that the audience can relate to. Use concrete not abstract words and order events temporally.
- Arial or Calibri fonts seem to be easy to read, but don’t mix fonts, certainly no more than 3 types. The 10-point size generally is too small. Use much larger fonts for children and those with reading difficulty. Avoid fonts with serifs.17 Bolded font works better for emphasis than italics or underlining.
- Keep bulleted lists short and keep them together not across two pages.
- Be consistent in style features like headings and spelling out numbers versus showing regular numbers. Avoid capitalization, hyphens, semicolons and long sentences.
- Be cautious about how lay readers might interpret charts and statistics. Think carefully about how to use statistics. Write “half” instead of “49%”. This is the process of effective “data visualization” and there is lots published about it.2
- Be clear about evidence sources for the content in the infographic. Provide information about access to further resources for the audience. Refer (in an easy-to-understand way) to evidence sources: “How did you find this information?”.
- If tables are used, make them accessible: use informative headers for rows and columns, and a caption or summary to explain the table’s purpose.18 Keep tables simple: avoid merged and empty cells, and rotated text.17
Plain language is preferred. Plain language means wording, structure and design that is so simple and straightforward that everyone can understand it. Technical language often fails because only specialized readers can understand it, including even a narrow group of health care practitioners within a sub-specialty of their own specialty. Patient information leaflets can be laid out well but often exceed patient comprehension thresholds.27
- Readability refers to ease of reading and understanding text. You can test readability using Microsoft Word. Select the block of text. Click on “Home”, then “Editor”, then “Document Stats”. Word returns scores for Flesch Reading Ease and Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level. Health care providers can read technical language, while language for the general public needs to consider different reading abilities. Guidelines suggest that general public infographic readability should be grade 8 or less and grades 4-6 are sometimes preferred. 28,29
- Understandability refers to how easy it is for readers to understand the information. Actionability refers to how easy it is for readers to act on the information. Both can be assessed with, for example, the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT). 12
Imagery Content
Graphics (drawings) and images (photos) aid reader retention when used well.15 Here are some tips from the literature: 14,15,23,30
• Not all handouts need fancy graphics or images. In fact, there is some limited evidence that some
Designing the Infographic | 10 technical readers like health care providers can prefer text in certain circumstances. But even handouts for technical readers can benefit from graphics, and graphics aid engagement and retention for all audiences. 15
• Avoid distracting graphics like unnecessary grid lines or box outlines.
• Avoid mixing graphics and images with starkly different colours, contrast and dark/white space.
• Use images that seem real, relatable and sympathetic to the audience. Be aware that some people interpret images far differently than intended by the designer. 30 Avoid stock images using stereotypical representations of people because they look “phoney” to audiences and are not relatable.
• Use alt text (alternative text) to describe images in HTML infographics to improve accessibility for readers with different learning styles or accessibility needs. 17,21 Accessibility features can also be built into PDF versions.
• Use inclusive imagery. Avoid inadvertently reinforcing negative stereotypes of ethnicity, age or gender.
• The authoring organization’s logo can convey credibility as well as source. 23
Data visualization is the process of picking the right way to image data.
18
• Be careful with charts: they can be easily misinterpreted, even by technical readers. Pick the right chart type for the data type and audience, or even use a non-chart method to display the data.
• Arcia et al. (2015) provide details about general public preferences for graphics of statistics and other types of health information. 19
• Graphics that use curves are preferred over linear ones like standard bar charts. 31
Text and Imagery Used Together
There is evidence that information from infographics is more likely to be retained than from text alone.15 Three randomized controlled trials comparing infographics and plain language summaries of Cochrane systematic reviews found that while infographics were preferred in terms of reading experience and user-friendliness in both lay and professional audiences, there were no differences between the two modes in knowledge translation.32 That study has been criticized, but another (Canadian) study had similar findings.5,33 Nevertheless, both studies found that readers preferred infographics over text alone.
Here are tips from the literature for thinking about text and images together:15,25
- Keep together text and images that refer to the same topic.
- Imagery and text generally complement each other rather than convey the same information but sometimes can be used to repeat the same information for different reader styles.
- Repeat the most important points in different ways using text, fonts, callouts, or images.
- Don’t wrap a block of text around an image.
- Consider how to address varying beliefs held by audience members.
- For charts and graphs, label axes, data points and legends clearly with text rather than only colour and shape.18
If you want some insight into how design experts think of “visual literacy” in terms of infographics, check out Dunlap and Lowenthal (2016).2 They point out that visuals are powerful learning tools and that the overall look is important. To get technical, “Effective visuals apply visual organization and structure to reflect relationships, describe how parts of a whole interact, and/or reveal an underlying story.”
Colour Palette
Colours used in fonts, background and images must work together. They can have considerable affective impact, and they influence reader’s comprehension owing to the meanings readers attach to colours, and ease of readability due to contrast levels and other accessibility considerations.15,19,21,22,34,35
- There are many online tools for assisting with infographic colour palette choice, but they might not consider nuances like cultural meanings. “Stoplight” colours were found to convey value judgements to some audiences, for example.
- Experts advise restricting colour rather than over-using it, and restricting the palette to 3-5 colours.11
- The Piktochart website has a basic primer. 34 Canva can suggest colour palettes.36
- Don’t rely on colour alone to convey emphasis and meaning.17
- Consider colour vision impairments, which affect one in twenty people.4 There are online tools that can be used to ensure that the colour palette is accessible to people who perceive colour in different ways.18,21 Red/green and blue/yellow combinations can be problematic. Colour contrast is especially important for those with low vision. Online resources like the WebAIM Contrast Checker tool can be helpful (https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker).
Online Infographics
There are a number of accessibility design considerations for infographics that will be posted as HTML and even PDF formats.18,36,37 Here are a few basic examples but readers should review other sources for more detailed information if they are designing online interactive infographics:
- Use concise, informative “alt text” to convey the meaning of an infographic for readers with vision impairments.
- Allow users to navigate them with a keyboard alone so that all interactive elements like buttons and links are accessible by the tab key with clear focus indicators.
- Use HTML elements for tables that include headers, columns, and captions or summaries.
- Use “semantic HTML” such as headings that create a hierarchal outline, appropriately using lists and paragraphs.
- Provide alternative versions of the infographic for users who cannot access the visual content fully, for example a downloadable table or text-based summary.
- Software is available that can test an infographic for use with screen readers that speak content aloud.
Ethical, Privacy and Copyright Considerations
While brevity is a key goal in infographics design, it is important to carefully avoid causing ethical problems that lead to misinterpretation, misinformation and bias.37,38 It is also important to consider privacy issues around use of images and personal stories.10 Be cautious about using content like images that might be protected by someone’s copyright, including images generated by artificial intelligence software or online services.
Cite Sources
In a succinct and user-friendly way, tell the reader where the information you are giving them comes from. For health care providers, give them a sense of the strength of evidence and certainty of conclusions. If appropriate and with permissions, add logos of supporting institutions.
Prototype Development
Refine the design before finalizing it. Prototypes can be shown to health care expert advisors for content and to audience members to assess engagement, accessibility, comprehension and actionability.19,39 If intending to use a screen reader for HTML or PDF versions, pilot the implementation.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.969807
|
12-16-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/designing-the-infographic/#chapter-363-section-12",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Designing Infographics – A Manual for Health Care Provider Learners and Practitioners",
"author": "Jim Thompson MD, CCFP(EM), FCFP, Gail Macartney RN(NP), PhD, CON(C), Stephanie Welton MSc",
"institution": "University of Prince Edward Island",
"subject": "Personal and public health / health education, Writing and editing guides, , , , , , ,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/designing-the-infographic/#chapter-363-section-13
|
3 Design Phase
The design phase begins while working through early development phases, but doesn’t really get going until you start putting pen to paper. Table 2 summarizes basic infographic design considerations, starting with establishing a short list of a priori design principles specific to your project and ending with prototype testing. Once you finalize your design, go back to Chapter 1 for ideas about the distribution and maintenance phases.
Table 2. Infographic design phase considerations.
| Design Considerations | |
|---|---|
| Establish design principles | Develop design principles with the team and, ideally, end-users. Consider cultural diversity, language and readability. Expect to revisit the list and revise it as you work through the design phase. |
| Sketch general layout on paper with pen or pencil | One page or two? For printing on paper or electronic distribution or both? Whole pages, folding brochure or poster? Paper sizes vary across countries and for different printing purposes. Consider whether the infographic will be viewed on cellphones. Considering the storyline, draw boundaries for text blocks, images, and white spaces. Consider the balance and alignment of those blocks. The flow of those blocks helps to tell the story. Do not add any text or imagery at this point. |
| Chose the title | Chose a compelling title that attracts readers and sustains their attention. |
| Choose fonts | Consider font type, size and justification. |
| Choose colour palette | Pick limited complementary colours appropriate for the topic and audience. |
| Add text and graphics/images | Consult the guidelines you established to choose text and graphics/images to tell the story. |
| Ethical, privacy and copyright considerations | Brevity risks insufficient information, misinterpretation, misinformation and bias. Be careful about privacy issues using real people’s stories. Watch out for copyright if using others' content. |
| Cite sources | Tell the reader about the evidence base for the information in the infographic. Add institution logo if appropriate. |
| Draft prototype | Chose design software (Chapter 3): set document parameters for size and resolution appropriate for the planned distribution medium. Add content: consider readability, understandability and actionability. Balance text, imagery and white space appropriately for audience and topic. |
| Evaluate prototype | Test the prototype with the development team, end-user informants and content expert reviewers. |
| Revise design | Revise the layout, imagery, text and colours based on feedback from the team and reviewers. |
| Finalize design | Freeze the design. |
Basic Elements of an Infographic
Every infographic is different because there are so many variables, including differences in topics, intended outcomes, audiences and content. Nuances of fonts, colours and layout differ for various purposes. While there are no established standard templates, the basic elements of an infographic are:4
- Structure: a clear, logical layout.
- White space: meaningful use of white space.
- Color palette: colours are consistent, complementary, purposeful and meaningful, with sufficient contrast between text and background.
- Text: appropriate and accessible font types and sizes.
- Imagery: effective information visualization, including use of alt text for images posted online in HTML.
There are two broad areas to consider in telling the story: (1) content, meaning the information that will be conveyed in text and imagery, and (2) visual look, meaning the colours, text font, and layout of content, images and white space.
- Content is chosen to achieve a desired outcome. The content must be evidence-based, ethically correct, unbiased and accessible. It is crucial to use the content in ways that make sense to the intended audience. For example, patient informants who have lived for years with a health condition that the infographic is addressing need to think about how they would have understood the infographic back when they were first being diagnosed. 14 Consider content and design aspects for infographics for health professional audiences, as mentioned in other sections of this manual.
- Visual design requires understanding “visual literacy”, meaning how people interpret the way infographics look. 2,22 Consider accessibility factors, for example users with visual impairment might miss important context that you mean to convey by your colour choices. 21
Accessibility
Consider accessibility issues while designing your infographic. Accessibility design ensures that all users, including those with disabilities or impairments can access and understand the information. See sections below for accessibility tips.17,18,21
First Step: List Design Principles
Before you start on the design, consider the story you want to tell. Reflect on the information in this manual to draw up a list of principles that will guide design of your infographic. For example:
- State your objective with intended outcomes.
- Summarize your intended audience’s persona.
- Identify accessibility requirements.
- Describe the type of content you will use; focus on your objective, the evidence base, and your audience.
- Look through the rest of this chapter for ideas about principles regarding, for example, audience engagement, layout, text versus image content, and how text, imagery, colour and white space will work together for your audience.
Keep in mind differences and overlaps between the organization’s goals (what you want to achieve with the infographic) and the audience’s goals (what your audience wants from the infographic).
In addition to the overall storyline for the infographic, patient’s own stories can help readers to make sense of the information and understand why the infographic’s story is important to them.23
Clarify the Storyline
“Design is an opportunity to continue telling the story, not just to sum everything up” (Tate Linden)2
Good infographics tell a story that makes sense to the user.
- Infographics are very short stories, not novels.
- A story is a narrative about an emotional journey taken by characters. Stories allow people to share information in memorable way that enables deeper understanding. For example, simply telling someone to do something does not stick as well as telling someone about a person who had a good outcome if they did the thing. The first is merely a directive, while the second is a human story.
- The plot is the sequence of events that make up the story, from start to finish. The plot includes the beginning where the storyteller introduces the characters, setting and problem; then moves to the rise in action where tension escalates, then talks about the peak (climax) where a decision must be made, then provides answers during the fall in action and, finally, describes the happy ending where the problem is resolved.
- The storyline is a summary of the plot that describes the main thread of the story, summarizing main events around a problem that affects the characters, in a setting where the story takes place.
Sketch the Layout before Adding Content
A study of design students found that better infographics were designed by students who started by laying out all the content blocks on a piece of paper with pen or pencil before going to the computer or adding any content and there seems to be consensus on this approach.24 Stones and Gent (2015) and Kibar et al. (2017) show examples of the process:11,22
- Find some examples of infographics similar to yours in terms of content, intent or audience.
- With the storyline in mind, align blocks horizontally and vertically. Eye-tracking studies give insights into how readers scan blocks in infographics. Grid systems guided readers better than random block placements.11
- A good infographic tells a story.15 Lay out the blocks on the paper to achieve that end. Consider cues like headings, arrows, callouts, flow of text and images. Highlight main ideas in the story.
- Different people read infographics in different ways, so make drafts on paper to test different ways of positioning text and imagery blocks, considering reading flow in the storyline.25 Some, particularly some professionals, go straight to text from left to right and top down. Others look first at the headings or images then might go back to read something in more depth. Some just skim, and callouts might focus those readers.14 The trick is to design infographics for different reading styles and accessibility needs. For example, some users will use a screen reader and some will have other people interpret the infographic for them. Consider how the design works when it is read out loud.
- Use white space carefully. Place white space around blocks of text and graphics to highlight main storyline points. Don’t make text blocks too narrow or too wide.
- Consider the infographic medium. Layout will be influenced by whether the infographic will be printed on letterhead-sized paper in black and white or colour, made into a folded brochure, or distributed electronically in a PDF or HTML format for viewing on cellphones and tablets.26
One author suggests this:26
- Use informative titles and headings.
- Use a three-part introduction:
- Tell reader why the infographic is important to them.
- Tell them what it was designed to accomplish.
- Tell them what to expect when they read it.
- Organize the flow logically and make the flow apparent to the reader.
- Use appropriate text, imagery and colours that support the storyline.
Here is another way:23
- Get right to the point:
- Answer “Is this information for me?”
- Answer “What did you find out?”
- Answer “How did you find this information, where did it come from?”
- Answer “What should I do next?”
Choose the Title
Readers decide in a few seconds whether to read an infographic.15
- A few action-oriented, impactful words arouse interest better than an elaborate title.
- Use a more suggestive subtitle.
- Use words that speak directly to needs experienced by the target audience.
- But the title content must be true to the evidence and ethically sound, not misleading or sensational.11
Stones and Gent (2015) pointed out different approaches to titles:11
- Subject: “Vaccinations in Infants”
- Message: “Infant vaccination is available”
- Question: “What is the state of infant vaccination?”
- Fear: “Infants die when not vaccinated”
- Hopeful: “Infant vaccination can be increased”
- Call: “Be vaccinated not sick”
Text Content
These tips come from academic studies, design experts and expert advisors with lived experience:4,6,11,14,15,17,18,25
- The user needs to know, “Is this for me?”.
- Use headings and subheadings to organize the text and aid logical reading flow.
- Avoid large blocks of text. Keep a text block together, don’t wrap it around images, for example. Avoid dense text. Use left-aligned not justified text to prevent complex white spacing.
- Put important words first and keep sentences short.17 One idea per paragraph. Start the paragraph with a sentence giving the paragraph’s topic.
- Use plain language. Use short, familiar words and short sentences. Use common words and only use jargon or technical language when necessary and likely to be understood the audience.17 Use personal pronouns like “we” and “you”.27 Avoid acronyms or symbols.
- Use the present not past tense, and active not passive voice: “your doctor is going to _” is better than “Doctors would have_”.17
- Use realistic examples that the audience can relate to. Use concrete not abstract words and order events temporally.
- Arial or Calibri fonts seem to be easy to read, but don’t mix fonts, certainly no more than 3 types. The 10-point size generally is too small. Use much larger fonts for children and those with reading difficulty. Avoid fonts with serifs.17 Bolded font works better for emphasis than italics or underlining.
- Keep bulleted lists short and keep them together not across two pages.
- Be consistent in style features like headings and spelling out numbers versus showing regular numbers. Avoid capitalization, hyphens, semicolons and long sentences.
- Be cautious about how lay readers might interpret charts and statistics. Think carefully about how to use statistics. Write “half” instead of “49%”. This is the process of effective “data visualization” and there is lots published about it.2
- Be clear about evidence sources for the content in the infographic. Provide information about access to further resources for the audience. Refer (in an easy-to-understand way) to evidence sources: “How did you find this information?”.
- If tables are used, make them accessible: use informative headers for rows and columns, and a caption or summary to explain the table’s purpose.18 Keep tables simple: avoid merged and empty cells, and rotated text.17
Plain language is preferred. Plain language means wording, structure and design that is so simple and straightforward that everyone can understand it. Technical language often fails because only specialized readers can understand it, including even a narrow group of health care practitioners within a sub-specialty of their own specialty. Patient information leaflets can be laid out well but often exceed patient comprehension thresholds.27
- Readability refers to ease of reading and understanding text. You can test readability using Microsoft Word. Select the block of text. Click on “Home”, then “Editor”, then “Document Stats”. Word returns scores for Flesch Reading Ease and Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level. Health care providers can read technical language, while language for the general public needs to consider different reading abilities. Guidelines suggest that general public infographic readability should be grade 8 or less and grades 4-6 are sometimes preferred. 28,29
- Understandability refers to how easy it is for readers to understand the information. Actionability refers to how easy it is for readers to act on the information. Both can be assessed with, for example, the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT). 12
Imagery Content
Graphics (drawings) and images (photos) aid reader retention when used well.15 Here are some tips from the literature: 14,15,23,30
• Not all handouts need fancy graphics or images. In fact, there is some limited evidence that some
Designing the Infographic | 10 technical readers like health care providers can prefer text in certain circumstances. But even handouts for technical readers can benefit from graphics, and graphics aid engagement and retention for all audiences. 15
• Avoid distracting graphics like unnecessary grid lines or box outlines.
• Avoid mixing graphics and images with starkly different colours, contrast and dark/white space.
• Use images that seem real, relatable and sympathetic to the audience. Be aware that some people interpret images far differently than intended by the designer. 30 Avoid stock images using stereotypical representations of people because they look “phoney” to audiences and are not relatable.
• Use alt text (alternative text) to describe images in HTML infographics to improve accessibility for readers with different learning styles or accessibility needs. 17,21 Accessibility features can also be built into PDF versions.
• Use inclusive imagery. Avoid inadvertently reinforcing negative stereotypes of ethnicity, age or gender.
• The authoring organization’s logo can convey credibility as well as source. 23
Data visualization is the process of picking the right way to image data.
18
• Be careful with charts: they can be easily misinterpreted, even by technical readers. Pick the right chart type for the data type and audience, or even use a non-chart method to display the data.
• Arcia et al. (2015) provide details about general public preferences for graphics of statistics and other types of health information. 19
• Graphics that use curves are preferred over linear ones like standard bar charts. 31
Text and Imagery Used Together
There is evidence that information from infographics is more likely to be retained than from text alone.15 Three randomized controlled trials comparing infographics and plain language summaries of Cochrane systematic reviews found that while infographics were preferred in terms of reading experience and user-friendliness in both lay and professional audiences, there were no differences between the two modes in knowledge translation.32 That study has been criticized, but another (Canadian) study had similar findings.5,33 Nevertheless, both studies found that readers preferred infographics over text alone.
Here are tips from the literature for thinking about text and images together:15,25
- Keep together text and images that refer to the same topic.
- Imagery and text generally complement each other rather than convey the same information but sometimes can be used to repeat the same information for different reader styles.
- Repeat the most important points in different ways using text, fonts, callouts, or images.
- Don’t wrap a block of text around an image.
- Consider how to address varying beliefs held by audience members.
- For charts and graphs, label axes, data points and legends clearly with text rather than only colour and shape.18
If you want some insight into how design experts think of “visual literacy” in terms of infographics, check out Dunlap and Lowenthal (2016).2 They point out that visuals are powerful learning tools and that the overall look is important. To get technical, “Effective visuals apply visual organization and structure to reflect relationships, describe how parts of a whole interact, and/or reveal an underlying story.”
Colour Palette
Colours used in fonts, background and images must work together. They can have considerable affective impact, and they influence reader’s comprehension owing to the meanings readers attach to colours, and ease of readability due to contrast levels and other accessibility considerations.15,19,21,22,34,35
- There are many online tools for assisting with infographic colour palette choice, but they might not consider nuances like cultural meanings. “Stoplight” colours were found to convey value judgements to some audiences, for example.
- Experts advise restricting colour rather than over-using it, and restricting the palette to 3-5 colours.11
- The Piktochart website has a basic primer. 34 Canva can suggest colour palettes.36
- Don’t rely on colour alone to convey emphasis and meaning.17
- Consider colour vision impairments, which affect one in twenty people.4 There are online tools that can be used to ensure that the colour palette is accessible to people who perceive colour in different ways.18,21 Red/green and blue/yellow combinations can be problematic. Colour contrast is especially important for those with low vision. Online resources like the WebAIM Contrast Checker tool can be helpful (https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker).
Online Infographics
There are a number of accessibility design considerations for infographics that will be posted as HTML and even PDF formats.18,36,37 Here are a few basic examples but readers should review other sources for more detailed information if they are designing online interactive infographics:
- Use concise, informative “alt text” to convey the meaning of an infographic for readers with vision impairments.
- Allow users to navigate them with a keyboard alone so that all interactive elements like buttons and links are accessible by the tab key with clear focus indicators.
- Use HTML elements for tables that include headers, columns, and captions or summaries.
- Use “semantic HTML” such as headings that create a hierarchal outline, appropriately using lists and paragraphs.
- Provide alternative versions of the infographic for users who cannot access the visual content fully, for example a downloadable table or text-based summary.
- Software is available that can test an infographic for use with screen readers that speak content aloud.
Ethical, Privacy and Copyright Considerations
While brevity is a key goal in infographics design, it is important to carefully avoid causing ethical problems that lead to misinterpretation, misinformation and bias.37,38 It is also important to consider privacy issues around use of images and personal stories.10 Be cautious about using content like images that might be protected by someone’s copyright, including images generated by artificial intelligence software or online services.
Cite Sources
In a succinct and user-friendly way, tell the reader where the information you are giving them comes from. For health care providers, give them a sense of the strength of evidence and certainty of conclusions. If appropriate and with permissions, add logos of supporting institutions.
Prototype Development
Refine the design before finalizing it. Prototypes can be shown to health care expert advisors for content and to audience members to assess engagement, accessibility, comprehension and actionability.19,39 If intending to use a screen reader for HTML or PDF versions, pilot the implementation.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:56.998335
|
12-16-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/designing-the-infographic/#chapter-363-section-13",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Designing Infographics – A Manual for Health Care Provider Learners and Practitioners",
"author": "Jim Thompson MD, CCFP(EM), FCFP, Gail Macartney RN(NP), PhD, CON(C), Stephanie Welton MSc",
"institution": "University of Prince Edward Island",
"subject": "Personal and public health / health education, Writing and editing guides, , , , , , ,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/designing-the-infographic/#chapter-363-section-14
|
3 Design Phase
The design phase begins while working through early development phases, but doesn’t really get going until you start putting pen to paper. Table 2 summarizes basic infographic design considerations, starting with establishing a short list of a priori design principles specific to your project and ending with prototype testing. Once you finalize your design, go back to Chapter 1 for ideas about the distribution and maintenance phases.
Table 2. Infographic design phase considerations.
| Design Considerations | |
|---|---|
| Establish design principles | Develop design principles with the team and, ideally, end-users. Consider cultural diversity, language and readability. Expect to revisit the list and revise it as you work through the design phase. |
| Sketch general layout on paper with pen or pencil | One page or two? For printing on paper or electronic distribution or both? Whole pages, folding brochure or poster? Paper sizes vary across countries and for different printing purposes. Consider whether the infographic will be viewed on cellphones. Considering the storyline, draw boundaries for text blocks, images, and white spaces. Consider the balance and alignment of those blocks. The flow of those blocks helps to tell the story. Do not add any text or imagery at this point. |
| Chose the title | Chose a compelling title that attracts readers and sustains their attention. |
| Choose fonts | Consider font type, size and justification. |
| Choose colour palette | Pick limited complementary colours appropriate for the topic and audience. |
| Add text and graphics/images | Consult the guidelines you established to choose text and graphics/images to tell the story. |
| Ethical, privacy and copyright considerations | Brevity risks insufficient information, misinterpretation, misinformation and bias. Be careful about privacy issues using real people’s stories. Watch out for copyright if using others' content. |
| Cite sources | Tell the reader about the evidence base for the information in the infographic. Add institution logo if appropriate. |
| Draft prototype | Chose design software (Chapter 3): set document parameters for size and resolution appropriate for the planned distribution medium. Add content: consider readability, understandability and actionability. Balance text, imagery and white space appropriately for audience and topic. |
| Evaluate prototype | Test the prototype with the development team, end-user informants and content expert reviewers. |
| Revise design | Revise the layout, imagery, text and colours based on feedback from the team and reviewers. |
| Finalize design | Freeze the design. |
Basic Elements of an Infographic
Every infographic is different because there are so many variables, including differences in topics, intended outcomes, audiences and content. Nuances of fonts, colours and layout differ for various purposes. While there are no established standard templates, the basic elements of an infographic are:4
- Structure: a clear, logical layout.
- White space: meaningful use of white space.
- Color palette: colours are consistent, complementary, purposeful and meaningful, with sufficient contrast between text and background.
- Text: appropriate and accessible font types and sizes.
- Imagery: effective information visualization, including use of alt text for images posted online in HTML.
There are two broad areas to consider in telling the story: (1) content, meaning the information that will be conveyed in text and imagery, and (2) visual look, meaning the colours, text font, and layout of content, images and white space.
- Content is chosen to achieve a desired outcome. The content must be evidence-based, ethically correct, unbiased and accessible. It is crucial to use the content in ways that make sense to the intended audience. For example, patient informants who have lived for years with a health condition that the infographic is addressing need to think about how they would have understood the infographic back when they were first being diagnosed. 14 Consider content and design aspects for infographics for health professional audiences, as mentioned in other sections of this manual.
- Visual design requires understanding “visual literacy”, meaning how people interpret the way infographics look. 2,22 Consider accessibility factors, for example users with visual impairment might miss important context that you mean to convey by your colour choices. 21
Accessibility
Consider accessibility issues while designing your infographic. Accessibility design ensures that all users, including those with disabilities or impairments can access and understand the information. See sections below for accessibility tips.17,18,21
First Step: List Design Principles
Before you start on the design, consider the story you want to tell. Reflect on the information in this manual to draw up a list of principles that will guide design of your infographic. For example:
- State your objective with intended outcomes.
- Summarize your intended audience’s persona.
- Identify accessibility requirements.
- Describe the type of content you will use; focus on your objective, the evidence base, and your audience.
- Look through the rest of this chapter for ideas about principles regarding, for example, audience engagement, layout, text versus image content, and how text, imagery, colour and white space will work together for your audience.
Keep in mind differences and overlaps between the organization’s goals (what you want to achieve with the infographic) and the audience’s goals (what your audience wants from the infographic).
In addition to the overall storyline for the infographic, patient’s own stories can help readers to make sense of the information and understand why the infographic’s story is important to them.23
Clarify the Storyline
“Design is an opportunity to continue telling the story, not just to sum everything up” (Tate Linden)2
Good infographics tell a story that makes sense to the user.
- Infographics are very short stories, not novels.
- A story is a narrative about an emotional journey taken by characters. Stories allow people to share information in memorable way that enables deeper understanding. For example, simply telling someone to do something does not stick as well as telling someone about a person who had a good outcome if they did the thing. The first is merely a directive, while the second is a human story.
- The plot is the sequence of events that make up the story, from start to finish. The plot includes the beginning where the storyteller introduces the characters, setting and problem; then moves to the rise in action where tension escalates, then talks about the peak (climax) where a decision must be made, then provides answers during the fall in action and, finally, describes the happy ending where the problem is resolved.
- The storyline is a summary of the plot that describes the main thread of the story, summarizing main events around a problem that affects the characters, in a setting where the story takes place.
Sketch the Layout before Adding Content
A study of design students found that better infographics were designed by students who started by laying out all the content blocks on a piece of paper with pen or pencil before going to the computer or adding any content and there seems to be consensus on this approach.24 Stones and Gent (2015) and Kibar et al. (2017) show examples of the process:11,22
- Find some examples of infographics similar to yours in terms of content, intent or audience.
- With the storyline in mind, align blocks horizontally and vertically. Eye-tracking studies give insights into how readers scan blocks in infographics. Grid systems guided readers better than random block placements.11
- A good infographic tells a story.15 Lay out the blocks on the paper to achieve that end. Consider cues like headings, arrows, callouts, flow of text and images. Highlight main ideas in the story.
- Different people read infographics in different ways, so make drafts on paper to test different ways of positioning text and imagery blocks, considering reading flow in the storyline.25 Some, particularly some professionals, go straight to text from left to right and top down. Others look first at the headings or images then might go back to read something in more depth. Some just skim, and callouts might focus those readers.14 The trick is to design infographics for different reading styles and accessibility needs. For example, some users will use a screen reader and some will have other people interpret the infographic for them. Consider how the design works when it is read out loud.
- Use white space carefully. Place white space around blocks of text and graphics to highlight main storyline points. Don’t make text blocks too narrow or too wide.
- Consider the infographic medium. Layout will be influenced by whether the infographic will be printed on letterhead-sized paper in black and white or colour, made into a folded brochure, or distributed electronically in a PDF or HTML format for viewing on cellphones and tablets.26
One author suggests this:26
- Use informative titles and headings.
- Use a three-part introduction:
- Tell reader why the infographic is important to them.
- Tell them what it was designed to accomplish.
- Tell them what to expect when they read it.
- Organize the flow logically and make the flow apparent to the reader.
- Use appropriate text, imagery and colours that support the storyline.
Here is another way:23
- Get right to the point:
- Answer “Is this information for me?”
- Answer “What did you find out?”
- Answer “How did you find this information, where did it come from?”
- Answer “What should I do next?”
Choose the Title
Readers decide in a few seconds whether to read an infographic.15
- A few action-oriented, impactful words arouse interest better than an elaborate title.
- Use a more suggestive subtitle.
- Use words that speak directly to needs experienced by the target audience.
- But the title content must be true to the evidence and ethically sound, not misleading or sensational.11
Stones and Gent (2015) pointed out different approaches to titles:11
- Subject: “Vaccinations in Infants”
- Message: “Infant vaccination is available”
- Question: “What is the state of infant vaccination?”
- Fear: “Infants die when not vaccinated”
- Hopeful: “Infant vaccination can be increased”
- Call: “Be vaccinated not sick”
Text Content
These tips come from academic studies, design experts and expert advisors with lived experience:4,6,11,14,15,17,18,25
- The user needs to know, “Is this for me?”.
- Use headings and subheadings to organize the text and aid logical reading flow.
- Avoid large blocks of text. Keep a text block together, don’t wrap it around images, for example. Avoid dense text. Use left-aligned not justified text to prevent complex white spacing.
- Put important words first and keep sentences short.17 One idea per paragraph. Start the paragraph with a sentence giving the paragraph’s topic.
- Use plain language. Use short, familiar words and short sentences. Use common words and only use jargon or technical language when necessary and likely to be understood the audience.17 Use personal pronouns like “we” and “you”.27 Avoid acronyms or symbols.
- Use the present not past tense, and active not passive voice: “your doctor is going to _” is better than “Doctors would have_”.17
- Use realistic examples that the audience can relate to. Use concrete not abstract words and order events temporally.
- Arial or Calibri fonts seem to be easy to read, but don’t mix fonts, certainly no more than 3 types. The 10-point size generally is too small. Use much larger fonts for children and those with reading difficulty. Avoid fonts with serifs.17 Bolded font works better for emphasis than italics or underlining.
- Keep bulleted lists short and keep them together not across two pages.
- Be consistent in style features like headings and spelling out numbers versus showing regular numbers. Avoid capitalization, hyphens, semicolons and long sentences.
- Be cautious about how lay readers might interpret charts and statistics. Think carefully about how to use statistics. Write “half” instead of “49%”. This is the process of effective “data visualization” and there is lots published about it.2
- Be clear about evidence sources for the content in the infographic. Provide information about access to further resources for the audience. Refer (in an easy-to-understand way) to evidence sources: “How did you find this information?”.
- If tables are used, make them accessible: use informative headers for rows and columns, and a caption or summary to explain the table’s purpose.18 Keep tables simple: avoid merged and empty cells, and rotated text.17
Plain language is preferred. Plain language means wording, structure and design that is so simple and straightforward that everyone can understand it. Technical language often fails because only specialized readers can understand it, including even a narrow group of health care practitioners within a sub-specialty of their own specialty. Patient information leaflets can be laid out well but often exceed patient comprehension thresholds.27
- Readability refers to ease of reading and understanding text. You can test readability using Microsoft Word. Select the block of text. Click on “Home”, then “Editor”, then “Document Stats”. Word returns scores for Flesch Reading Ease and Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level. Health care providers can read technical language, while language for the general public needs to consider different reading abilities. Guidelines suggest that general public infographic readability should be grade 8 or less and grades 4-6 are sometimes preferred. 28,29
- Understandability refers to how easy it is for readers to understand the information. Actionability refers to how easy it is for readers to act on the information. Both can be assessed with, for example, the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT). 12
Imagery Content
Graphics (drawings) and images (photos) aid reader retention when used well.15 Here are some tips from the literature: 14,15,23,30
• Not all handouts need fancy graphics or images. In fact, there is some limited evidence that some
Designing the Infographic | 10 technical readers like health care providers can prefer text in certain circumstances. But even handouts for technical readers can benefit from graphics, and graphics aid engagement and retention for all audiences. 15
• Avoid distracting graphics like unnecessary grid lines or box outlines.
• Avoid mixing graphics and images with starkly different colours, contrast and dark/white space.
• Use images that seem real, relatable and sympathetic to the audience. Be aware that some people interpret images far differently than intended by the designer. 30 Avoid stock images using stereotypical representations of people because they look “phoney” to audiences and are not relatable.
• Use alt text (alternative text) to describe images in HTML infographics to improve accessibility for readers with different learning styles or accessibility needs. 17,21 Accessibility features can also be built into PDF versions.
• Use inclusive imagery. Avoid inadvertently reinforcing negative stereotypes of ethnicity, age or gender.
• The authoring organization’s logo can convey credibility as well as source. 23
Data visualization is the process of picking the right way to image data.
18
• Be careful with charts: they can be easily misinterpreted, even by technical readers. Pick the right chart type for the data type and audience, or even use a non-chart method to display the data.
• Arcia et al. (2015) provide details about general public preferences for graphics of statistics and other types of health information. 19
• Graphics that use curves are preferred over linear ones like standard bar charts. 31
Text and Imagery Used Together
There is evidence that information from infographics is more likely to be retained than from text alone.15 Three randomized controlled trials comparing infographics and plain language summaries of Cochrane systematic reviews found that while infographics were preferred in terms of reading experience and user-friendliness in both lay and professional audiences, there were no differences between the two modes in knowledge translation.32 That study has been criticized, but another (Canadian) study had similar findings.5,33 Nevertheless, both studies found that readers preferred infographics over text alone.
Here are tips from the literature for thinking about text and images together:15,25
- Keep together text and images that refer to the same topic.
- Imagery and text generally complement each other rather than convey the same information but sometimes can be used to repeat the same information for different reader styles.
- Repeat the most important points in different ways using text, fonts, callouts, or images.
- Don’t wrap a block of text around an image.
- Consider how to address varying beliefs held by audience members.
- For charts and graphs, label axes, data points and legends clearly with text rather than only colour and shape.18
If you want some insight into how design experts think of “visual literacy” in terms of infographics, check out Dunlap and Lowenthal (2016).2 They point out that visuals are powerful learning tools and that the overall look is important. To get technical, “Effective visuals apply visual organization and structure to reflect relationships, describe how parts of a whole interact, and/or reveal an underlying story.”
Colour Palette
Colours used in fonts, background and images must work together. They can have considerable affective impact, and they influence reader’s comprehension owing to the meanings readers attach to colours, and ease of readability due to contrast levels and other accessibility considerations.15,19,21,22,34,35
- There are many online tools for assisting with infographic colour palette choice, but they might not consider nuances like cultural meanings. “Stoplight” colours were found to convey value judgements to some audiences, for example.
- Experts advise restricting colour rather than over-using it, and restricting the palette to 3-5 colours.11
- The Piktochart website has a basic primer. 34 Canva can suggest colour palettes.36
- Don’t rely on colour alone to convey emphasis and meaning.17
- Consider colour vision impairments, which affect one in twenty people.4 There are online tools that can be used to ensure that the colour palette is accessible to people who perceive colour in different ways.18,21 Red/green and blue/yellow combinations can be problematic. Colour contrast is especially important for those with low vision. Online resources like the WebAIM Contrast Checker tool can be helpful (https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker).
Online Infographics
There are a number of accessibility design considerations for infographics that will be posted as HTML and even PDF formats.18,36,37 Here are a few basic examples but readers should review other sources for more detailed information if they are designing online interactive infographics:
- Use concise, informative “alt text” to convey the meaning of an infographic for readers with vision impairments.
- Allow users to navigate them with a keyboard alone so that all interactive elements like buttons and links are accessible by the tab key with clear focus indicators.
- Use HTML elements for tables that include headers, columns, and captions or summaries.
- Use “semantic HTML” such as headings that create a hierarchal outline, appropriately using lists and paragraphs.
- Provide alternative versions of the infographic for users who cannot access the visual content fully, for example a downloadable table or text-based summary.
- Software is available that can test an infographic for use with screen readers that speak content aloud.
Ethical, Privacy and Copyright Considerations
While brevity is a key goal in infographics design, it is important to carefully avoid causing ethical problems that lead to misinterpretation, misinformation and bias.37,38 It is also important to consider privacy issues around use of images and personal stories.10 Be cautious about using content like images that might be protected by someone’s copyright, including images generated by artificial intelligence software or online services.
Cite Sources
In a succinct and user-friendly way, tell the reader where the information you are giving them comes from. For health care providers, give them a sense of the strength of evidence and certainty of conclusions. If appropriate and with permissions, add logos of supporting institutions.
Prototype Development
Refine the design before finalizing it. Prototypes can be shown to health care expert advisors for content and to audience members to assess engagement, accessibility, comprehension and actionability.19,39 If intending to use a screen reader for HTML or PDF versions, pilot the implementation.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.026724
|
12-16-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/designing-the-infographic/#chapter-363-section-14",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Designing Infographics – A Manual for Health Care Provider Learners and Practitioners",
"author": "Jim Thompson MD, CCFP(EM), FCFP, Gail Macartney RN(NP), PhD, CON(C), Stephanie Welton MSc",
"institution": "University of Prince Edward Island",
"subject": "Personal and public health / health education, Writing and editing guides, , , , , , ,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/design-software/
|
4 Design Software
Table 3 lists some software that can be used to design infographics.4,10,15,39 These tools continue to evolve rapidly. A group developed a web tool for making public health infographics.39 One of us (JT) used Microsoft PowerPoint to make the infographic at the start of this manual. Beware copyright issues if you use an online service or other software to generate images and other content.
Accessibility. In addition to the suggestions we offer in Table 3, see Roussey (2024) for a list of software designed to help make infographics accessible (indicated in Table 3 with an asterisk).18
Artificial intelligence (AI). Be careful using artificial intelligence. It can be useful to help think about a topic, but the technology is still very early in development, as are guidelines about its use. Check with your educational institution or organization regarding their policies. Some authorities do not allow A.I. to be cited as a primary source or used as a co-author. Authors are responsible for the accuracy and biases of content in products they produce, regardless of their sources.40
Table 3. Examples of design software.
| Software | |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Word* | Word processor. Use gridlines, text boxes paragraph marks and text wrap to lay out the elements before entering content. Insert images from MS Designer. Tricky to line up elements on the screen: MS PowerPoint is easier. MS Word has accessibility features. |
| Microsoft Designer* | https://designer.microsoft.com/home Online tool works with MS Copilot to help user make images. Free version has some limitations. |
| Microsoft PowerPoint* | Common presentation software that can provide basic infographic structure to which text and graphics can be added. Third party templates are available, but it is easy to lay out the elements manually for custom designs. Set paper size to letterhead, turn on gridlines and snap to grid, make text boxes and paste images, then drag them around to set them in place. Much easier for infographics design than MS Word. See extensive online self-help information. |
| Canva* | https://www.canva.com Popular online website that can be used to design infographics from templates. Free and paid versions. |
| Florence | Public health informatics tool for communicating information to the public. |
| Piktochart* | https://piktochart.com Online infographic design software. |
| Venngage* | https://venngage.com Infographics software. |
| Genial.ly | https://genially.com/create/infographics/ Animated and interactive infographics. |
| Adobe Suite* | Professional software, expensive, steep learning curve. Includes Photoshop, InDesign and Adobe Spark. |
| Figma | https://www.figma.com/ Low cost, steep learning curve. |
| Infogram* | https://infogram.com Free and paid versions. |
| Affinity Designer, Affinity Photo, and Affinity Publisher | Relatively inexpensive and easy to use software packages for designing on Apple computers. |
*Software identified by Roussey (2024) as having accessibility design features. Other software in this table might also have accessibility features.18
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.038098
|
12-16-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/design-software/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Designing Infographics – A Manual for Health Care Provider Learners and Practitioners",
"author": "Jim Thompson MD, CCFP(EM), FCFP, Gail Macartney RN(NP), PhD, CON(C), Stephanie Welton MSc",
"institution": "University of Prince Edward Island",
"subject": "Personal and public health / health education, Writing and editing guides, , , , , , ,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/41/
|
5 Characteristics of Good Infographics
Experts emphasize the importance of simplicity.15 Baxter et al. (2021) found that reviewers used these words to describe good infographics: “clear, clean, easy to use, calm and straightforward”; these for average ones: “effective, clear, straightforward, accessible and easy to use”; and these for poor ones: “dated, overwhelming, hard to use, confusing and ineffective”.42
Dunlap and Lowenthal (2016), writing for design expert learners, wrote that visuals are powerful for human learning when they effectively use visual organization and structure to reflect relationships, describe how parts of the whole interact, and reveal the storyline.2 They noted that infographic effectiveness is influenced by how pleasing it is to view, how easy it is to read, and how well it achieves the objectives. They wrote that an infographic succeeds when it “efficiently, precisely, and clearly conveys abstract ideas and complex and dense content that would otherwise require a lengthy narrative”.
Butdisuwan et al. (2024) identified key design elements for successful dissemination of research infographics among health professionals, from most to least frequent:6
- Clear and concise content.
- Engaging visuals and graphics.
- Effective data visualisation techniques.
- Use of appropriate colour schemes and fonts.
- Incorporation of relevant charts, graphs, or diagrams.
- Attention to design principles and aesthetics.
- Alignment with the target audience’s preferences and needs.
- Proper use of hierarchy and visual organisation to guide the viewer’s attention.
- The consistent and cohesive visual style throughout the infographic.
- Incorporation of storytelling elements to make the information more relatable and memorable.
- Easily accessible.
- Appropriate for patients’ needs.
- Easily understood.
- Compatible with patients’ values and lifestyles.
- Compatible with other information give to patient.
- Easily remembered.
- Easily referenced.
- Visually appealing.
- Efficiently and economically prepared.
A study of infographics used to disseminate research findings found that many did not provide sufficient information for readers to fully interpret study findings.43 Most described the population, intervention, comparator and outcomes, but many did not provide enough information on those issues. Bias risks and conflicts of interest were rarely disclosed in the infographics.
A study of the design of infographics for clinical practice guidelines found that general practitioners considered them useful.44 However, the study also found problematic use of complex scales and technical terminology in evidence appraisal. They recommended that infographics designers use clearer messaging for statistics and evidence appraisal.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.048645
|
12-16-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/chapter/41/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.library.upei.ca/infographicsmanual/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Designing Infographics – A Manual for Health Care Provider Learners and Practitioners",
"author": "Jim Thompson MD, CCFP(EM), FCFP, Gail Macartney RN(NP), PhD, CON(C), Stephanie Welton MSc",
"institution": "University of Prince Edward Island",
"subject": "Personal and public health / health education, Writing and editing guides, , , , , , ,"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/pbtips/chapter/footnotes-smaller/
|
Making Footnotes a Smaller Font in the Web Book
Pressbooks provides a footnotes functionality that enables you to include footnotes in your text for citations, references, definitions, or additional contextual information. In the web version of your text, the footnote marker will link to the footnote at the bottom of the page.
Resourcces
To learn how to use the footnotes functionality in Pressbooks, review the following guide:
Issue
Although you have the flexibility to adjust the size of the body text and header text through Theme Options, the size of footnotes remains consistent with the body text and cannot be independently modified.
Solution
The solution involves adding CSS to the Custom Styles that will allow you to enter a separate font size for footnotes.
- On the Dashboard, select Appearance then Custom Styles
- In the Your Web Styles box, add the CSS shown below
- Save changes
- If you would like a larger or smaller font size for your footnotes, adjust the size of the font-size number in the CSS accordingly
Custom CSS:
.footnotes ol {
font-size: 0.8em;
}
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a style sheet language used for describing the presentation of a document written in a markup language such as HTML or XML. (Wikipedia, CC BY SA 4.0)
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.060797
|
11-27-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/pbtips/chapter/footnotes-smaller/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/pbtips/front-matter/licensing-info/",
"title": "Digging Deeper into Pressbooks Visual Design",
"author": "Erin Fields, Leila Malkin",
"institution": "",
"subject": "Writing and editing guides"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/pbtips/chapter/reducing-padding-around-headings/
|
Reducing Padding Around Headings
Using pre-designed themes in Pressbooks provides consistent and visually appealing spacing around headings to improve readability and aesthetics. The default padding for headings in Pressbooks will vary depending on the chosen theme.
Resourcces
To learn more about Appearance settings and Themes, review the following guide:
Issue
The amount of spacing around headings is dictated by the Pressbooks theme you have chosen, and may contain more padding than you would like.
Solution
The amount of padding around a heading can be adjusted using Custom Styles. Changes will remain consistent throughout the text.
- On the Dashboard, select Appearance then Custom Styles
- In the Your Web Styles box, add the CSS shown below
- Adjust the padding size by increasing or decreasing the number after margin-bottom: and margin-top:
Custom CSS H3
NOTE: This particular code adjusts heading 3. Change the heading number to adjust a different heading (.chapter h1, .chapter h2 etc.). If you would like to change the spacing around every heading, use the code below.
Custom CSS H1-H4
.chapter h1, .chapter h2, .chapter h3, .chapter h4 {
Margin-bottom: 1em ;
}
main *+p {
margin-top: 0em;
}
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.072314
|
11-27-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/pbtips/chapter/reducing-padding-around-headings/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/pbtips/front-matter/licensing-info/",
"title": "Digging Deeper into Pressbooks Visual Design",
"author": "Erin Fields, Leila Malkin",
"institution": "",
"subject": "Writing and editing guides"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/pbtips/chapter/correcting-font-size-discrepancy-in-table/
|
Correcting Font Size Discrepancy in Table
Pressbooks themes provide a set of predefined font sizes for different elements such as body text, headings, footnotes and captions. These presets help maintain a cohesive and visually appealing design throughout the book while ensuring optimal readability on different devices.
Resourcces
To learn more about Appearance settings in Pressbooks, review the following guide:
Issue
The text within a table is displaying as different font sizes, despite all text being formatted as Paragraph.
Solution
Add CSS to the Custom Style Sheet that will set the font size within a table to 1.125rem (the standard for size for Paragraph text).
- On the Dashboard, select Appearance then Custom Styles
- At the top of the page, select Web on the dropdown menu labelled – You are currently editing styles for:
- In the Your Web Styles box, add the CSS shown below.
Custom CSS:
.chapter table{
font-size:1.125rem;
}
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.082833
|
11-27-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/pbtips/chapter/correcting-font-size-discrepancy-in-table/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/pbtips/front-matter/licensing-info/",
"title": "Digging Deeper into Pressbooks Visual Design",
"author": "Erin Fields, Leila Malkin",
"institution": "",
"subject": "Writing and editing guides"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/pbtips/chapter/resizing-oversized-images-in-exports/
|
Resizing Oversized Images in Exports
Pressbooks allows you to either upload or import images to your Media Library, and provides some simple, built-in editing tools which allow you to resize, crop, or scale your image.
Resourcces
To learn more about inserting and editing images Pressbooks, review the following guides:
Issue
Larger images may display well in the web book, but cause layout and formatting issues in the PDF export. You man also want an image smaller in the import to keep the PDF file size down and create a print-friendly layout.
Solution
By adding CSS to Custom styles you can force the image to resize in the PDF exports only.
- On the Dashboard, select Appearance then Custom Styles
- At the top of the page, select PDF on the dropdown menu labelled You are currently editing styles for:
- In the Your PDF Styles box, add the CSS shown below and save
- Go to the image in your text and click edit. Under Advanced Options enter “highresimage” into the Image Class CSS field.
- You can then adjust the height and width in pixels in the custom CSS to resize the image in the PDF.
Custom CSS:
.highresimage {
width:475px!important;
height:837px!important;
}
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.093472
|
11-27-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/pbtips/chapter/resizing-oversized-images-in-exports/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/pbtips/front-matter/licensing-info/",
"title": "Digging Deeper into Pressbooks Visual Design",
"author": "Erin Fields, Leila Malkin",
"institution": "",
"subject": "Writing and editing guides"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/pbtips/chapter/display-landscape-table-in-print-version/
|
Display Landscape Table in Print Version
Theme Options allow you to adjust the display options for the web, PDF, and eBook version of your text individually. The amount of customization available for each format will vary depending on the theme you have chosen.
Resourcces
To learn more about adjusting export Appearance settings, review the following guide:
Issue
A wider table may display well in the web version of your text, but get cut off in the PDF export.
Solution
To prevent the table from getting cut off, you can add CSS to the Custom Styles Sheet that will force the table to display in landscape format in your PDF export.
- On the Dashboard, select Appearance then Custom Styles
- At the top of the page, select PDF on the dropdown menu labelled – You are currently editing styles for:
- In the Your PDF Styles box, add the CSS shown below
Custom CSS:
prince-rotate-body: landscape;
prince-shrink-to-fit: auto; }
table.big {
page: big_table }
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.104335
|
11-27-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/pbtips/chapter/display-landscape-table-in-print-version/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/pbtips/front-matter/licensing-info/",
"title": "Digging Deeper into Pressbooks Visual Design",
"author": "Erin Fields, Leila Malkin",
"institution": "",
"subject": "Writing and editing guides"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/pbtips/chapter/uploading-book-to-canvas/
|
Uploading Book to Canvas
Exporting in Pressbooks enables authors, educators, and publishers to share their content in versatile formats. This includes sharing in learning management systems (LMS) including, Canvas; however, there are some limitations to this integration for UBC using the BCcampus Pressbooks system.
Resourcces
To learn more about Pressbooks exports, review the following guide:
Issue
Integrating your book with Canvas via Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) is not available through BCcampus’s Pressbooks server.
Solution
By downloading your text as a Common Cartridge 1.1 (Web Links) file and uploading it to Canvas, you can provide a more integrated experience with your text within the Canvas platform. With this method, a smaller window within the Canvas page is created where students can view the text content without external linking.
Step 1 – Publish the Pressbook
- Go to Organize in the Pressbooks Dashboard
- The top of the page will contain the Global Privacy setting. Select Public.
Step 2- Export your book as a Common Cartridge file
- Click on Export in the menu bar to go to your book’s export options.
- Select Common Cartridge 1.1 (Web Links) in the Export Options panel
- Click Export Your Book
- When you see the file appear in your list of Latest Exports, download the file to your device
Step 3 – Import the CC file to Canvas
- Click on Settings in the course’s menu bar
- Select Import Course Content on the right sidebar menu
- Select Common Cartridge 1.x Package from the Content Type menu
- Click Choose File and choose the CC file you previously downloaded to your device
- Select either All content or Select specific content to import into your course page
- Click Import
- Go to Modules
- Select the publish icon for the Pressbook content you want to be made available
The Pressbook will be loaded in the Modules section of your Canvas course. Each chapter will have a separate page. When a student clicks on a chapter, a live version of that chapter in the public web book will display within the LMS interface. Users can use LMS navigation tools to move to other content or activities within the module or the course.
A learning management system (LMS) is a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, automation, and delivery of educational courses, training programs, materials or learning and development programs. (Wikipedia, CC BY SA 4.0)
BCcampus is a publicly funded service that has turned to open concepts and methods to create a sustainable approach to online learning for the public post-secondary institutions of British Columbia (BC). (BCcampus)
Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) is an education technology specification that specifies a method for a learning system to invoke and to communicate with external systems (Wikipedia, CC BY SA 4.0).
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.118956
|
11-27-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/pbtips/chapter/uploading-book-to-canvas/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/pbtips/front-matter/licensing-info/",
"title": "Digging Deeper into Pressbooks Visual Design",
"author": "Erin Fields, Leila Malkin",
"institution": "",
"subject": "Writing and editing guides"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/pbtips/chapter/adding-ubc-h5p/
|
Adding H5P from UBC’s H5P Hub
The Pressbooks H5P plugin allows you to embed interactive activities, quizzes and multimedia elements into your text to enhance user engagement.
Resourcces
To learn more about UBC H5P, review the following guides:
Issue
The UBC Open H5P Hub is a place where UBC community members can create, share, and access interactive content created using H5P technology. H5P created in the Open H5P Hub, however, can not be directly embedded in a Pressbooks chapter. If you copy the paste code from the Hub into a Pressbooks chapter, the embed code will be stripped out and the H5P will not display.
Solution
To include H5P created in the Open H5P Hub into your text, you will have to first download if from the hub, and then upload it to Pressbooks.
- Locate the H5P activity you want to download in the Open UBC Hub and click the Reuse button in the bottom left corner. Select Download as an .h5p file
- On the dashboard of your Pressbooks site, navigate to the H5P Content tab and select Add New.
- Instead of Create Content, select Upload and upload the .h5p file. you can now embed this H5P into your text using the Pressbooks H5P embed code.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.128816
|
11-27-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/pbtips/chapter/adding-ubc-h5p/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/pbtips/front-matter/licensing-info/",
"title": "Digging Deeper into Pressbooks Visual Design",
"author": "Erin Fields, Leila Malkin",
"institution": "",
"subject": "Writing and editing guides"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/pbtips/chapter/multimedia-podcast/
|
Adding Media to the Glossary
Pressbooks allows you to create and display glossary terms throughout your book content and to display an automatically generated alphabetized list of all selected glossary terms in your book.
Resourcces
To learn how to use the glossary functionality in Pressbooks, review the following guides:
Issue
The glossary functionality in Pressbooks allows for the automatic generation of a Glossary at the end of the book; however, the glossary list is limited to textual content only. Images, audio, and video are not compatible with the glossary functionality. This has some limits for users who wish to provide audio-visual descriptions of glossary terms For example, language learning texts may want to include an audio file of the pronunciation of a glossary term.
Solution
A solution to develop a glossary with media files is to manually develop the glossary using anchor links and the Media Library.
Example – Let’s Read French
Somayeh Kamranian, a sessional instructor of the French language arts in the Department of French, Hispanic and Italian Studies at British Columbia University, developed the Let’s Read French Books reader. The book aims to make reading literary books easier for students by creating an open textbook reader using Public Domain 19th-century French literature.
The text uses the glossary to provide students with the definition of the term and pronunciation using audio files.
To experience the multimedia glossary in action, go to the Let’s Read French Books example – https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/letsreadfrenchbooks/
The process below is working with audio files.
Step 1 – Upload Files to the Media Library
- Go to the Dashboard, select Media from the menu, and Add New.
- Drag and drop all the files you will be using for your glossary or use the upload button.
- Select the Edit Media link to rename the image if needed and add attribution details including licensing.
Step 2 – Create a Glossary Page
- Go to the Dashboard Menu, select Add Part from the Organize menu, and Title the part Glossary
- Add the glossary term to the page. Consider putting the term under an H1 accordion heading to limit the issue of long page scrolling, To turn an H1 heading into an accordion, review the Web Options section of the Appearance guide.
- Place your cursor next to the glossary term.
- Create an Anchor link by selecting the ribbon image on the menu. Name the anchor the same as the glossary term without spaces.
- Add the textual glossary definition and audio file underneath the term using the Add Media button.
- Save
Step 3 – Add Glossary Term to Text
- Highlight the glossary term where you want it to appear in the text and select the GL function.
- Add the definition of the term in the Glossary Terms box that appears
- Some code will appear on the page once you have done this. Leave the code as is.
- Save
Step 4 – Edit the Glossary Term
- Go to the Dashboard, and select Glossary Terms under the Organize menu
- Highlight the term and click the Insert/Edit Link button
- Add the full URL of the glossary chapter, followed by /#anchorname (the anchor name you created), or scroll through the list to find the anchor link.
- Save
A glossary is an alphabetical list of terms in a particular domain of knowledge with the definitions for those terms. (Wikipedia, CC BY SA 4.0)
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.144380
|
11-27-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/pbtips/chapter/multimedia-podcast/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/pbtips/front-matter/licensing-info/",
"title": "Digging Deeper into Pressbooks Visual Design",
"author": "Erin Fields, Leila Malkin",
"institution": "",
"subject": "Writing and editing guides"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/pbtips/chapter/embedding-an-instagram-post-in-your-chapter/
|
Embedding an Instagram Post in Your Chapter
By embedding posts directly, you can share relevant updates, images, or videos from Instagram seamlessly within your text, without having to link out.
Resources
To learn more about H5P in Pressbooks, review the following guide:
Issue
Instagram posts cannot be directly embedded into a Pressbooks chapter using standard methods. If you copy the embed code provided by Instagram and paste it into a Pressbooks chapter, the code will be stripped out, and the post will not display.
Solution
Instagram posts can be embedded directly into a Pressbooks chapter using the H5P iframe embedder option. Follow these steps to integrate an Instagram post seamlessly:
- In your Pressbooks dashboard, go to the H5P Content tab and click Add New.
- Select Iframe Embedder as the content type. If you have not used it before, you may need to search for it in the H5P content type library and click Get to install it.
- Copy the URL of the Instagram post you want to embed. Edit the URL by removing the user name and adding “/embed” to the end. For example:
Original: https://www.instagram.com/ubclibrary/p/Cw3loO7uYL7/
Modified: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cw3loO7uYL7/embed/ - Paste the modified Instagram URL into the Source URL field.
- Make sure Resize supported is selected
- Click Create to save your H5P
- To add your H5P to the chapter, place your cursor where you want the H5P to appear and click the Add H5P button (next to the Add Media button) and save your work.
- Preview the chapter to ensure the H5P is displaying correctly.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.155421
|
11-27-2024
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/pbtips/chapter/embedding-an-instagram-post-in-your-chapter/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/pbtips/front-matter/licensing-info/",
"title": "Digging Deeper into Pressbooks Visual Design",
"author": "Erin Fields, Leila Malkin",
"institution": "",
"subject": "Writing and editing guides"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/viznotes/chapter/introduction/
|
Getting Situated
Introduction
This book is about drawing to emerge ideas and communicate them to yourself and to others. Just as writing something down is part of thinking and not just an end product of thought, the act of drawing things that can and cannot be seen generates new ideas and reveals unseen connections. Drawing for thinking can be more closely compared to a feverishly written note, than to a work of art. Communicating visually, through drawing, is a core practice to many fields and endeavors. However, in the world of post-secondary educators, it can be seen as fraught with peril. The barrier of one’s perceived drawing ability, on top of managing a lecture or facilitating a discussion, often means educators are hesitant to take advantage of a visual thinking practice. This is a missed opportunity, but the situation is changing. More and more people are realizing the power of drawing as an extension of thinking, taking advantage of how the act of drawing generates new ideas and reveals unseen connections.
Quite simply, Drawing in the Classroom generates learning.
This book has two sections, Lines to Things, and Things to Actions. From a creative and artistic background, we begin drawing from a place of play. In the second half we dive into interactive activities that provide new ways to achieve your pedagogical goals.
Each of the following activities will examine a specific skill and give you the opportunity to practice it. Each activity is worthwhile as a standalone, but by following the provided sequence (either from start to finish or in a mini cluster) will help to develop your visual vocabulary.
Each activity is broken down into the following four sections:
Set up – The list of materials needed and any special considerations for the space.
Instructions – A step by step of how the activity should be facilitated. We have tried to be brief so some adaptations and improvisations may be required.
Methods – Any tips that may be considered for how this plays out in a classroom. It may include some pedagogical goals, suggestions on how to adapt activities to your learning objects, or alternative ways of running the activity.
Add-on – Where can you go from here? There are many variations of these activities out there and we have tried to find them and share them here.
We recommend you skim through the book and get a feel for how all the activities build upon one another, but you can use them in any order and adapt them to your own needs.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.164163
|
10-29-2020
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/viznotes/chapter/introduction/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/viznotes/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Drawing in Class",
"author": "Jason Toal, Susan Clements-Vivian",
"institution": "",
"subject": "The Arts, Drawing and drawings"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/viznotes/chapter/squiggles/
|
Lines to Things
Squiggles to Birds
Squiggle birds are an excellent warm-up and confidence booster. Once you start drawing these little birds, you will find them cropping up in the margins of your notebooks, shopping lists, etc. Squiggle birds work due to the principle of pareidolia, “the tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful image in a random or ambiguous visual pattern.” We most commonly play with pareidolia by searching for animals in clouds. This principle applies equally well to squiggles, and once students see that they can draw birds, they start to become forgiving of their own drawing abilities. Drawing squiggles into things is open to immense variations. Our take is derived from David Greys’, author of the book Game Storming.
Setup
- 8½ x 11” paper
- Thick markers 2 colours (1 dark, 1 highlight)
Instructions
- Using the dark pen, fill the page with squiggles.
- Using the highlight pen, add a triangle to each squiggle (pointing out)
- Add a 2nd triangle (pointing in)
- Add a dot to each (or 2)
- Add 2 forks
- Revel in your flock of squiggle birds
Lesson Plan
This activity can be done individually or as a team. One person can start the drawing and then pass it along to the next, each adding new details as they go. These can be simple birds in a flock minding their own business or by adding accessories, such as hats or handguns, they can become characters in a story.
You may try using a photo reference and loosely squiggling in the shape of the bird.
Bonus points
Do monster activity from Lynda Barry next.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.173665
|
10-29-2020
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/viznotes/chapter/squiggles/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/viznotes/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Drawing in Class",
"author": "Jason Toal, Susan Clements-Vivian",
"institution": "",
"subject": "The Arts, Drawing and drawings"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/viznotes/chapter/chapter-2/
|
Lines to Things
Marks to Meaning
Lines are a powerful tool as a visual communicator. Drawing lines that express ideas are a great way to hone your communication skills. Lines that are bold and decisive communicate something very different than a line that is light and wanders across the page. For examples of this in action, leaf through a few comic books or graphic novels, where lines are put into action to communicate everything from terror to joy.
It is recommended that you warmup for this activity by filling a page with lines of different weights. Practice getting different results by varying the pressure and angle of your pen. Try tilting your pen so that is is almost perpendicular to the page, this will help you achieve different line widths. Practice by having a line start out at its absolute boldest and be almost disappearing by the time you reach the other side of the page. Being able to achieve thicker and thinner lines and to vary thickness as you are drawing, will improve your overall quality and expressiveness of line.
Set up
Materials:
8½ x 11” paper,
thick markers or any implement
Instructions:
Brainstorm a list of emotion words
Draw abstract lines and shapes that capture the spirit of each word.
Tag: Lines, Play,Warm-up, easy
Methods: To extend this into a group activity, draw on stickies and write each emotion word on a whiteboard. Have people stick their drawings under each word to create clusters. As a group discuss any themes, similarities or differences that you see arising under each for each word.
Add-on: An entertaining example of this activity (as well as several other good visual thinking exercises) can be found in the introduction to Rapid Viz: A New Method for the Rapid Visualization of Ideas, by Kurt Hanks. Text such as “he learned the amazing ability from his brothers dog” and “how long it had been there, was impossible to determine” where matched with the following shapes.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.182228
|
10-29-2020
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/viznotes/chapter/chapter-2/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/viznotes/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Drawing in Class",
"author": "Jason Toal, Susan Clements-Vivian",
"institution": "",
"subject": "The Arts, Drawing and drawings"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/viznotes/chapter/space-to-place/
|
Primary Navigation
Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.
Book Contents Navigation
Drawing in Class
Introduction
Squiggles to Birds
Marks to Meaning
Space to Place
Still to a Sticky
Basic Shapes Become Complex Objects
Connecting the Dots
Icon Jam
Susan Clements-Vivian
Katarina Thorsen
Jason Toal
Lines to Things
Previous/next navigation
Drawing in Class Copyright © by Jason Toal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.196715
|
10-29-2020
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/viznotes/chapter/space-to-place/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/viznotes/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Drawing in Class",
"author": "Jason Toal, Susan Clements-Vivian",
"institution": "",
"subject": "The Arts, Drawing and drawings"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/viznotes/chapter/activity-7/
|
Lines to Things
Still to a Sticky
In this activity, we are going to move away from focusing on line and instead work on form. In a drawing, form suggests something that is three-dimensional rather than flat and is achieved through shading. Working on small canvases, such as the sticky note, is a very liberating experience. Drawings easily take up the entire page (or even running off of it) making for more dynamic compositions that quickly come together.
Set-up:
Either use one of the images provided or take a photo, using your cell phone, of a few simple objects such as a cup and a pen.
Create a still life set-up of a few objects with a strong light source (window or lamp).
Take a photo using your phone, make the image black and white
Materials:
4 x 6 sticky notes, black sharpie or similar marker,
Insert two or three reference images
Instructions:
A still life is a drawing of household objects such as plants, vases or wine bottles. In this activity you will either photograph simple still lifes arranges of objects you have close at hand, such as a coffee cup and a pencil or use the images provided to create drawings on sticky notes. It is important that you have a single strong light source, such as a lamp or window when taking photos, so that you have bold consistent shadows on your objects. Turning your photos to black and white and increasing the contrast will make them easier to draw. Your drawing will only have two tones, a black marker for the dark areas and the colour of your sticky note for the lighter. This means the white, is actually just the paper (or where you don’t draw). It is recommended to use 4” by 6” inch post-it notes, however working on white, lined or index cards is also fine.
If working in a group, create a sticky note quilt by having everyone stick their favorite drawings to a large sheet of paper or white board in a grid. Try curratiating your quilts around themes.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.205337
|
10-29-2020
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/viznotes/chapter/activity-7/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/viznotes/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Drawing in Class",
"author": "Jason Toal, Susan Clements-Vivian",
"institution": "",
"subject": "The Arts, Drawing and drawings"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/viznotes/chapter/week-6-play/
|
Lines to Things
Basic Shapes Become Complex Objects
One of the core principles of drawing is to see something complex and break it down into basic shapes, such as circle, square and a triangle, which are much easier to draw. In the next activity we are going to practice breaking complex things down into simple shapes, this is one of the core principles of drawing. The details, such as feathers, eyes and shading, can be added on top of your basic shape drawing but are not really needed, it is recognizable as a bird, as it is. However, looking at a bird (or any object) and seeing the basic shapes takes practice. Practice this with anything you really wished you could draw. Most people have difficulty with drawing as they start with the details, rather than the larger shapes. If you are struggling, don’t add any details to your drawings just keep working breaking things into simple forms.
Materials: Reference image (or magazines) 8½ x 11” paper, black markers
Instructions:
• Print a reference image on 8½ x 11” paper.
• Try to break the shape down into circles, squares and triangles. These shapes can be stretched and squished to fit, but try to not get any more detailed or complex.
• Take another sheet of paper and practice copying these shapes by eye.
• Add some details and shading. Consider shading with a single black tone, such as we did in the previous activity. It doesn’t need to get more complex than that.
• Hint, don’t try to draw too quickly, only move your marker at the speed you can control.
Methods:
Add-on:
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.214312
|
10-29-2020
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/viznotes/chapter/week-6-play/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/viznotes/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Drawing in Class",
"author": "Jason Toal, Susan Clements-Vivian",
"institution": "",
"subject": "The Arts, Drawing and drawings"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/viznotes/chapter/connecting-the-dots/
|
Lines to Things
Connecting the Dots
“For anyone wondering how my “scribe” writing is so tidy, know that the process is a slow one: from listening, to gathering data, to sitting with what is most relevant, to writing on a wall. It starts out as a mess!”
You now have a visual vocabulary! Let’s try to to test it out with a new challenge, Sketchnoting! You can “sketchnote” almost anything, a TED talk, your next class or meeting.
This activity is a special challenge to complete the first section. We hope you have built up a small library of lines shapes arrows and containers, all of which can be used as part of a sketchnote activity.
Materials: Sketchbook
Instructions:
- Find a short TED talk (Approx 10 min)
Tip:
Teaching Tip:
Tags: Practice, Sketchnote
Citations:
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.223454
|
10-29-2020
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/viznotes/chapter/connecting-the-dots/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/viznotes/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Drawing in Class",
"author": "Jason Toal, Susan Clements-Vivian",
"institution": "",
"subject": "The Arts, Drawing and drawings"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/viznotes/chapter/icon-jam/
|
Things to Actions
Icon Jam
“An icon is any image used to represent a person, place, thing or idea.”
Scott McCloud; Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
Representation and interpretation, like our minds and hearts are two sided. One persons visual message may be interpreted entirely differently by another, yet some visuals become almost universal. What is to to be made of this disparity between icon and meaning?
In User Experience Design (UX) this activity is used by a design team to generate ideas and test users to gather research about a message. The goal in the classroom is for each participant to create the simplest visual expression of a thing or idea, and then to compile the groups work together to analyze for patterns and innovations. The subjects of visual expression can be adapted to any course or curriculum, and work more effectively the more relevant they are.
To get ideas of what is meant by a simple visual expression check out The Noun Project and try searching for different terms with your class and make observations about what images are most common for simple terms. What about more abstract ideas? Concepts from a specific field of study or classroom discussion? This is an opportunity to discuss what your class finds makes a good or bad icon. Do some stand out as more exemplary than others?
Set up
- Thick black markers
- 5″ x 7″ Index cards
- “Prompt list” The unique list of terms each student will draw.
- Timer
Building a Global Visual Language
Instructions
- Review the Building a Global Visual Language video
- Visit The Noun Project at and search with the group for terms form your discipline
- Generate your prompt list. There are several ways to generate a list. Either randomly using a word generator such as https://randomwordgenerator.com Or ask for contributions from your participants. For small groups (6-10) you can ask for 1 prompt from each.
- Hand out materials with one index card per term on the prompt list. Have each student number their index cards accordingly.
- Set timer for 30 seconds.
- Reveal one prompt at a time, and give people 30 seconds to draw each icon. Its recommended to keep the prompts hidden so they have to draw their most immediate response.
- Repeat for each term in the prompt list.
- Set up a gallery walk, grouping the drawings according to number. In each grouping sort the icons for similarity and uniqueness.
- “Critique” and discuss the similarities and differences of each visual expression. Analyze the most common elements that are drawn, as well as those that stand or or are unique.
Lesson Plan
Icon Jams can easily be connected to course content by selecting people, places, things and even concepts, ideas and theories that are taught in your class. This is a great way to as a class start to develop a shared visual ‘dictionary’ that can be will make capturing course notes and participating in activities faster, and easier for everyone. It is also a great way to kickstart a discussion, as the process may surface some deeper connections between concepts in the course and perhaps highlight misunderstandings or gaps in knowledge. This can grow throughout the semester, creating your own course specific Noun Project.
Bonus points
Having the class call out random works to look up on the Noun Project website is a great way to introduce this activity.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.234245
|
10-29-2020
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/viznotes/chapter/icon-jam/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/viznotes/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Drawing in Class",
"author": "Jason Toal, Susan Clements-Vivian",
"institution": "",
"subject": "The Arts, Drawing and drawings"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/viznotes/chapter/definition/
|
About the Authors
Susan Clements-Vivian
A few years ago I was giving a lecture on the principles and elements of design to a group of 200 first year students. While dissecting famous paintings from western art history, I use a laser pointer to make sure that the students are clear not only which part of the image I am referring but the order in which they relate to one another. I had given this lecture many times and felt fairly confident in my ability to convey the information. After an hour or so a student raised his hand to let me know he had no idea what I was talking about. It was also clear from the students nodding as he spoke, that a large part of my audience was also stymied. After a few rounds of going back over what I had already said and getting nowhere, I grabbed a stack of paper and a felt tip marker and started to draw it out, step-by-step,using only stick figures, basic shapes and arrows. While not nearly as polished as my slideshow, my quick sketch had done a much better job of demonstrating the process and thinking I was trying to share with my students and it grabbed and held their attention better. Dan Roan, in his book The Back of The Napkin, a visual thinking book written for a business audience, also noted this tendency, “People like seeing other people’s pictures. In most presentation situations, audiences respond better to hand-drawn images (however crudely drawn) than to polished graphics. The spontaneity and roughness of hand-drawn pictures make them less intimidating and more inviting—and nothing makes an image (even a complex image) clearer than seeing it drawn out step-by-step” (Roan, 2012, p. 25). I would go one step further, that it is not even though it is loosely sketched but because it is, that it holds your attention better. A loose sketch is by its nature is unfinished, open to interpretation or change, this makes it the ideal method of communication for thoughts and ideas.
While I shifted to using drawing more often in my lecturing, I also started to notice how few students were taking notes. While creating well designed slides and providing them to students appeared to be a great resource, it also obscured the fact that the act of recording is also an act of thinking. That note taking is apart of learning, remembering and building upon the material presented. Through years of teaching I have learnt that for something to matter to students, it must matter in the currency of the course i.e. grading. That if I wanted to students to start not only taking textual but visual notes, it would have to be built into the course in a way that was both recognized (graded) and meaningful (improved learning).
This book is about capturing, communicating and coming up with new ideas through the act of drawing during the lecture. It is intended for faculty and students in higher education, particularly those in fields that deal with representations of the material world, such biology, anthropology, art, design, architecture, film studies, etc., but it is hoped that it will be used by many others, both inside and outside of academia. Visual thinking is a broadly applicable skill and can improve not just your teaching but your life.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.242870
|
10-29-2020
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/viznotes/chapter/definition/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/viznotes/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Drawing in Class",
"author": "Jason Toal, Susan Clements-Vivian",
"institution": "",
"subject": "The Arts, Drawing and drawings"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/viznotes/chapter/quick-buy-in/
|
About the Authors
Katarina Thorsen
Katarina Thorsen is an artist and a creative engagement facilitator who is passionate in her belief that art can heal and build connections. Katarina specializes in arts-based programming for all ages, in particularly engaging vulnerable populations. The heart of her work is visual storytelling and facilitation. Her interactive art events and street art encourages participants to become part of the creative process. Katarina’s own artwork can be found in private collections in North America and Europe. She published her first book, Drawn Together- Maintaining Connections and Navigating Life’s Challenges with Art, in 2013. Her next book is a true crime analysis in the form of a graphic novel. Katarina resides in Vancouver, Canada.
How mapping the genome of a fruit fly changed my life
School always made me anxious. From kindergarten to university, I fretted about tests and grades. I took linear, wordy notes. I couldn’t seem to choose what was important. I look through my old text books now and, ouch, they are one big highlighted mess. I didn’t learn as much as I memorized. Then quickly forgot it all. I only seemed to fully grasp concepts in very visual, project-based classes.
Even though I had been drawing and painting all my life, I decided to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in Cell Biology at the University of British Columbia. Mapping the genome of a fruit fly in 4th year genetics class changed my life. Lectures were delivered visually, with the professor encouraging us to draw in class. I grasped the concepts, I made connections, I took ownership of my learning process and I understood what we were doing and why. I felt empowered.
In the mid 90’s, my son was diagnosed with autism and severe social anxiety. His special needs preschool used storyboards to help students predict the shape of the day to help decrease anxiety. I kept a pad of paper and felt pens on me at all times after that, storyboarding before events, appointments, school… It became a habit to visually plan life through drawing and mind mapping.
After attaining my science degree, I went to art school, then studied psychology and criminal profiling. This all led me to work with vulnerable youth within custody and alternative schools using creative engagement. I found mind mapping an excellent tool to communicate better, to teach visual learners and to resolve conflicts. I now use it in all my work– personally and professionally, be it doing creative engagement, project planning, team building, professional development, graphic recording, what have you. I even used it to plan this bio.
Mind mapping is simple, fun and… life changing. It is my hope that the tools and exercises contained within this book will transform the way you learn and the way you teach.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.251615
|
10-29-2020
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/viznotes/chapter/quick-buy-in/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/viznotes/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Drawing in Class",
"author": "Jason Toal, Susan Clements-Vivian",
"institution": "",
"subject": "The Arts, Drawing and drawings"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/viznotes/chapter/materials/
|
About the Authors
Jason Toal
Jason has been an Educator and Educational Technologist for the past 25 years. From the sketchbook page to the webpage, he creates learning experiences on the topics of Visual Practice, Educational Media, and Open Educational Resources. With a background in art, design & interaction design, he specializes in the human aspects of learning technology and the innovative use of media.
Jason can be contacted directly for private consultations, or to design and deliver workshops on a variety of topics including, Visual Thinking, Educational Media Design, Explainer Videos, OER, WordPress, Pressbooks, Social Media and more.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.258894
|
10-29-2020
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/viznotes/chapter/materials/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/viznotes/front-matter/title-page/",
"title": "Drawing in Class",
"author": "Jason Toal, Susan Clements-Vivian",
"institution": "",
"subject": "The Arts, Drawing and drawings"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/ecosystemsfuture/chapter/unit-1-introduction-to-the-course/
|
Unit 1: Introduction to the course
Introduction to Unit 1
How often have you heard in the past five years the expression “I have never seen a ….fire/flood/drought/rainstorm/insect infestation/sea level rise…of this magnitude, ever.”? The world’s climate is out of balance, and in this state, is driving ecosystem changes that few of us have seen in our lifetimes. What is the scale of these changes now and into the future? How can we adapt or adjust?
The practice of ecological restoration can point the way to positive actions at the ground level that can ameliorate some of these ecosystem changes and provide a means for professionals to be involved. The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed 2021–2030 as the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, following a proposal for action by over 70 countries from all latitudes. The UN Decade positions the restoration of ecosystems as a major nature-based solution towards meeting a wide range of global development goals and national priorities.
This course will bring into focus the practice of restoration of ecosystems at the local, regional level in British Columbia. First, First Nations’ perspectives on how the local ecosystems are changing will set the stage. The theory and practice of ecological restoration will be explored, and how ecological restoration can be used to begin the process of recovery for naturally or humanly disturbed ecosystems. This will be followed by a discussion of the basic drivers of change in ecosystems – concepts such as climate change, nitrogen deposition, the arrival of invasive species, and human impacts of land conversion. The complexity of biodiverse ecosystems in British Columbia will highlight the challenge of dealing with these issues. Climate change models in BC will focus on what the future scale of change might be for the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the lithosphere, the biosphere and the sociosphere – humans. Historic, hybrid and novel ecosystems will be examined to understand the range of ecosystems types that might be addressed by ecological restoration.
Finally, interviews with professionals working in land use planning, climate change, landscape architecture and ethnobotany will show how ecological restoration is being used in these fields. The importance of integrating the natural environment into professional practices will assist course participants in their own work.
Participants will take away an understanding of the First Nations role in ecological restoration, of ecosystem functioning, of ecosystem changes being experienced, and of practices of cultural and ecological restoration that can produce a positive impact in their fields of discipline.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.267009
|
09-13-2021
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/ecosystemsfuture/chapter/unit-1-introduction-to-the-course/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/ecosystemsfuture/front-matter/intro-to-the-adaptation-learning-network/",
"title": "Ecosystems for the Future",
"author": "Division of Continuing Studies - University of Victoria",
"institution": "",
"subject": "Climate change"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/ecosystemsfuture/chapter/unit-2-first-nations-perspectives-on-future-ecosystems/
|
Unit 2: First Nations Perspectives on Future Ecosystems
Introduction to Unit 2
Understanding the cultural context of southern Vancouver Island is best learned through meeting and hearing from First Nations peoples who have lived here since time immemorial. For example, what was life like among the different cultural tribes that lived and visited southern Vancouver Island?
- What was and is their relationship to the natural world?
- How has that relationship changed since the arrival of European explorers and settlers over 200 years ago?
- How have First Nations people seen the natural world here change in relation to European settlement and climate change in past decades?
- What do the First Nations people think of the future of the natural world here?
It is important for course participants to understand this cultural and ecological context, which predates our arrival here , because it can inform us about what strategies might be used to survive into the future in light of climate change, arrival of invasive species, and arrival of more settlers here.
Learning Objectives
After successfully completing this introductory unit, you will be able to:
- Recognize local First Nations cultural and ecological context on the Saanich Peninsula
- Relate to significance of First Nations relationship to their traditional territories and its plant and animal species
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.275646
|
09-13-2021
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/ecosystemsfuture/chapter/unit-2-first-nations-perspectives-on-future-ecosystems/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/ecosystemsfuture/front-matter/intro-to-the-adaptation-learning-network/",
"title": "Ecosystems for the Future",
"author": "Division of Continuing Studies - University of Victoria",
"institution": "",
"subject": "Climate change"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/ecosystemsfuture/chapter/unit-3-principles-and-objectives-of-ecological-restoration/
|
Unit 3: Principles and Objectives of Ecological Restoration
Introduction to Unit 3
In this unit we will be listening to a presentation by Dave Polster, a plant ecologist with over 40 years of experience in vegetation studies, ecological restoration and invasive species management.
The purpose of this unit is to understand the importance of ecological restoration and be able to look for answers to the following questions:
- What is ecological restoration practice?
- What is the importance of a “reference ecosystem”?
- What are the common mistakes restorationists make?
- What should we look for?
Learning Objectives
After successfully completing this unit, you will be able to:
- Describe and explain the purpose of ecological restoration
- Recognize importance of UN Declaration of Decade of Ecological Restoration
As you watch and listen to the presentation, think about how ecological restoration impacts, or could impact, your work now and in the future. While some of the case studies may not pertain to the work you do now, the principles behind the practice are fundamental and inform work on all scales.
Video attribution: “Let Nature Do the Work” is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
What is Ecological Restoration Practice?
Ecological restoration is the process of assisting in the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed. (SER 2004). A fundamental distinction between ecological restoration and other forms of ecosystem repair is that ecological restoration seeks to ‘assist recovery’ of a natural or semi-natural ecosystem rather than impose a new direction or form upon it. That is, the activity of restoration places an ecosystem on a trajectory of recovery so that it can persist and its species can adapt and evolve. (SER 2016).
What is the importance of a “reference ecosystem”?
A fundamental principle of ecological restoration is the identification of an appropriate reference model, commonly called a ‘reference ecosystem’, taking environmental change into account. The reference ecosystem is meant to represent the site’s ecosystem as it would have been had degradation or damage not occurred, while incorporating the capacity for the ecosystem to adapt to existing and anticipated environmental or climatic change. The reference ecosystem serves as a target for a restoration project, a target based on analysis of local plant and animal species and other biotic and abiotic conditions. A shared vision of restoration targets and specific ecological attributes of the restoration site provides the basis for setting goals and objectives and monitoring and assessing restoration outcomes over time.
What are the common mistakes?
A common mistake in selecting a reference ecosystem is to look at a later successional stage ecosystem and its species, and to then plant species from that late successional stage. Reference ecosystems did not start out with the species that exist there now – those species evolved over time and many generations. To properly take the first steps of ecological restoration, look at starting with the early successional species first, and plan to work toward the later successional species and ecosystems over time.
What should we look for?
Nature has been restoring itself on drastically disturbed sites for millennia, and can show us a natural path or trajectory of ecosystem recovery over time. Observe on a disturbed site the following processes: what pioneering species are arriving, and through what means? What may be preventing natural ecological recovery? What natural processes are assisting in the recovery? The next steps are to remove impediments to natural recovery, and to assist (if necessary) in establishing the pioneer species that will start the ecosystem trajectory into recover over time. And allow time and patience to be present, and be open to unexpected positive change
The United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030
The United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030 was conceived as a means of highlighting the need for greatly increased global cooperation to restore degraded and destroyed ecosystems, contributing to efforts to combat climate change and safeguard biodiversity, food security, and water supply. How can First Nations peoples, citizens and professionals working around the globe become involved with the goals and objectives of the upcoming UN Decade on Ecological Restoration?
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.286970
|
09-13-2021
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/ecosystemsfuture/chapter/unit-3-principles-and-objectives-of-ecological-restoration/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/ecosystemsfuture/front-matter/intro-to-the-adaptation-learning-network/",
"title": "Ecosystems for the Future",
"author": "Division of Continuing Studies - University of Victoria",
"institution": "",
"subject": "Climate change"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/ecosystemsfuture/chapter/unit-4-ecological-complexity-and-biodiversity-in-b-c/
|
Unit 4: Ecological Complexity and Biodiversity in B.C.
Introduction to Unit 4
In this unit we will be listening to a presentation by Dr. Brian Starzomski, of University of Victoria School of Environmental Studies.
Learning Objectives
After successfully completing this introductory unit, you will be able to:
- Understand the unique situation of British Columbia re biodiversity
- Understand the complexity of biodiversity in local and regional ecosystems
Context
Of all the Canadian provinces and territories, British Columbia is home to the richest diversity of vascular plants, mosses, mammals, butterflies and breeding birds, and the largest number of species of reptiles, tiger beetles and amphibians found only in one province or territory. This species richness is exemplified by the complex Biogeoclimatic Zone system, which divides the province into 14 separate BEC zones. A biogeoclimatic zone is defined as “a geographic area having similar patterns of energy flow, vegetation and soils as a result of a broadly homogenous macroclimate.” The BEC zones are further broken down into subzones for relative moisture and temperature levels.
Although the reasons for the existence of this rich assemblage of species can be attributed largely to topographic and climatic diversity, other factors are in British Columbia’s favour as well. The intricate topography of the province juxtaposes mountains, alpine plateaus, valleys and coastal plains with their associated lakes, rivers and wetlands to form a myriad of complex and varied ecosystems. Many species of plants and animals are endemic to BC, meaning that they are found nowhere else in the world. Despite this uniqueness, B.C. has more species at risk than any other province and is one of only three provinces that lack stand-alone legislation to protect endangered species.
The situation on southern and eastern Vancouver Island is one of the most unique: here winter rainfall is considerably less and the summer drought longer and hotter (i.e. Mediterranean conditions). The resulting natural forest is a mixture of open savanna with Garry Oak, Arbutus and Douglas-fir trees. This habitat, largely disturbed by two centuries of European colonization, is one of the most endangered ecosystems in Canada. Because so much habitat has been lost or degraded, more than 100 species of plants, mammals, reptiles, birds, butterflies and other insects are officially listed as “at risk” in these ecosystems.
Less than 5% of the original Coastal Douglas-fir and Garry Oak ecosystems remain undisturbed in our local area, stretching from Victoria north to the Comox Valley. Efforts to protect and restore these ecosystems have been ongoing for more than 30 years, however the relentless pressures of land use change, human population increase, arrival of invasive species, and more extreme climatic cycles have made protection and restoration very challenging. The Garry Oak Ecosystem Recovery Team (GOERT) led these protection and restoration efforts for many years; now volunteers and environmental non-profit groups and private landowners have taken up the torch to protect the small amount of Coastal Douglas-fir ecosystem still intact.
Video attribution: “biodiv RestoCourse Starzom2020V2 video” is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
Summary of Key Points
- Scientists distinguish three different types of biodiversity: alpha/beta/gamma;
- Biodiversity extinction on the planet is affecting mainly gamma biodiversity – the number of species on the entire planet
- Many species exist in the world which have not been described, especially insects and bacteria;
- British Columbia holds almost half of the diverse number of species in Canada, due to: landscape diversity; climate diversity; elevation diversity; geology variation; glacial history; and peripheral habitats (northern ranges of habitats).
- The Coastal Douglas-fir Biogeoclimatic Zone is one of the most heavily impacted ecosystem types in the province;
- The main threats to biodiversity are: land use change; climate change; introduced and invasive species; overexploitation of species; and nitrogen deposition.
- All these threats combine as cumulative impacts to change ecosystems.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.298716
|
09-13-2021
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/ecosystemsfuture/chapter/unit-4-ecological-complexity-and-biodiversity-in-b-c/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/ecosystemsfuture/front-matter/intro-to-the-adaptation-learning-network/",
"title": "Ecosystems for the Future",
"author": "Division of Continuing Studies - University of Victoria",
"institution": "",
"subject": "Climate change"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/ecosystemsfuture/chapter/unit-5-climate-change-models-now-and-in-the-future/
|
Unit 5: Climate Change Models Now and in the Future
Introduction to Unit 5
In this unit we will be listening to a presentation by Richard Hebda, who served as Curator (Botany and Earth History) at the Royal British Columbia Museum for 38 years and adjunct faculty at the University of Victoria for 33 years.
The purpose of this unit is to understand…
- The complexity of the climate in BC and how it is changing
- How the climate is influencing your work
- Ways that you can assist in adapting to the impacts of climate change
Learning Objectives
After successfully completing this unit, you will be able to:
- Understand changing climate situation in BC
- Predict what will happen with ecosystem change response
Video attribution: “Hebda 2020 Dynamic Ecosystems compressed” is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
Summary of Key Points
Over the next century, plants and animals on land in BC might be in for a wild and ultimately devastating ride. Warming temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and extreme weather and climate events are likely to increase at a rate and magnitude not seen in more than 65 million years. Global surface temperatures have risen about twice as fast over land as they have over the ocean, a trend likely to continue into the next century. Based on current emissions trajectories, temperatures are projected to rise as much as 90 F over much of the Earth’s land. The last time that the Earth warmed that much was around 55 million years ago, and it did so over a period of 10,000 years. The projected change over the next century provides a small window in which life on Earth, including humans, will need to adapt to a similar change in temperatures.
The global climatic system is a series of connections between the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the lithosphere, the biosphere and the sociosphere – us humans. This global climatic system has been disrupted through huge impacts by humans, and is no longer in equilibrium. This dis-equilibrium is now causing the extreme weather and climate events that are the subject of evening news stories around the globe. For example, in the past 6 months in British Columbia, we have experienced the driest November on record, the wettest January on record, the fifth driest March on record and the driest April on record. Ecosystems and the species that compose them are now subjected to dramatic swings away from ‘normal’ climatic conditions and are in the process of adaptation. The changing climatic conditions will favour some plant and animal species and discourage others; some plant and animal species will be able to expand and occupy newly favourable habitats, while others will not have that ability, and may disappear.
The relationship between ecosystems and climate in BC is a complicated one, because BC has the highest level of ecological biodiversity in the country. The climate models that are being developed for the province cannot easily predict the impacts of changing climatic conditions on the wide range of biodiversity here. How can citizens respond to this complexity in a productive and positive way at the local level?
By gaining a basic understanding of ecological restoration principles, of ecological mitigation and of ecological adaptation, citizens can learn important tools to respond to the changing climatic conditions. We know that the globe is connected ecologically, and that the global climatic system affects ecosystems down to the local level. The rate of these changes is now unprecedented. However, by applying ecological principles and concepts on the ground, through direct local actions such as invasive plant removal, re-establishment of local native species, and protection and enhancement of rare plants, animals and ecosystems, the effects of climate change can be reduced. Citizens can learn about their local ecosystems, and adapt and restore as a learning opportunity. Local ecological actions can help to overcome the sense of helplessness that occurs in the face of the scale of global climatic changes.
Essential Points
- Widespread climate change is already underway;
- Ecosystem change is now underway;
- Past climate changes will foster widespread ecosystem changes in the future;
- Natural ecosystem change takes place at the species level from within, through immigration, and through local species loss;
- Ecosystem change lags behind climate change and may not be gradual (could be sudden);
- Amplitude and rate of ecosystem change have few recent precedents;
- Ecosystem instability is likely to occur for many decades/centuries;
- General features of future ecosystems can be projected but composition and structure and trajectory of change is difficult to foresee;
- Restoration from preservation to active manipulation provides adaptive strategies but cannot stop widespread ecosystem change;
- Support assisted migration of species now, without delaying because of moral uncertainty.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.310898
|
09-13-2021
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/ecosystemsfuture/chapter/unit-5-climate-change-models-now-and-in-the-future/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/ecosystemsfuture/front-matter/intro-to-the-adaptation-learning-network/",
"title": "Ecosystems for the Future",
"author": "Division of Continuing Studies - University of Victoria",
"institution": "",
"subject": "Climate change"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/ecosystemsfuture/chapter/unit-6-drivers-of-ecosystem-change/
|
Unit 6: Drivers of Ecosystem Change
Introduction to Unit 6
In this unit we will be listening to a presentation by Dr. Nancy Shackelford, Director of the Restoration of Natural Systems Programs and ES Faculty at UVic.
The purpose of this unit is to understand:
- The many different influences of natural ecosystems around the globe
- How these ecosystems are responding to these influences
Learning Objectives
After successfully completing this unit, you will be able to:
- Examine complexity of ecosystem responses to change agents.
- Determine how individuals might assist in the recovery of ecosystems in their areas.
As you watch and listen to the presentation, think about the following questions:
- What are the primary goals of management in your site?
- What are the social, ecological, or environmental changes you expect will influence these goals in the next year? Five years? Twenty?
- At what scales are these changes occurring? Within your site? In the surrounding landscape? Regionally or globally?
- What are the possible actions that you could take, as a manager, to mitigate the impact of these changes on your goals? Are there even ways to incorporate these changes into your goals?
Video attribution: “Drivers of Ecosystem Change” is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
Summary of Key Points
Major ecosystem drivers globally:
- Habitat loss and fragmentation
- Edge effects on altered ecosystems
- Invasion by introduced species
- Global climate change
- Human population increases
Key Points
- Restoration projects must consider the impacts of these key drivers on ecosystems at the landscape and site levels
- SER describes (8) key principles of ecological restoration
- Ecological restoration process can be treated as an ecosystem risk analysis: strengths/weaknesses/opportunities/threats on each restoration site
- Landscape scale and site scale factors should be assessed for each restoration project
- New examples of planning tools to apply to ecological restoration, such as Miradi
- Adaptive management involves active learning, data collection and monitoring
In Summary
Several major forces are at play in driving ecological change around the globe – the movement of invasive species; human land use patterns; habitat loss; and climate change. In combination, these drivers of ecological change are transforming the world as we know it.
Terrestrial ecosystem function is governed largely by the composition and physical structure of vegetation communities, and climate change impacts on vegetation can potentially cause disruption of ecosystem services and loss of biodiversity. Ecosystem transformation generally involves the replacement of dominant plant species or functional types by other species, whether recruited locally or migrating from afar. Climate change is interacting with movement of invasive species, changing fire regimes, changing land use, and increases in CO2 to drive vegetation changes in many regions of the globe.
Vegetation composition and structure are sensitive to changes in mean annual temperature (and precipitation) and vegetation transformations will become increasingly extensive as temperatures increase. Although many ecological responses (species migration, colonization and succession) will lag behind climate changes, ecosystem transformations will be accelerated by the other drivers of ecological change – changes in land use, movement of invasive species, and climatic disturbance events. Without reduced CO2 levels, terrestrial vegetation over the entire planet is at risk of major compositional and structural changes. Emerging ecosystems may be novel in composition, structure and function, and there may be replacement of dominant or keystone species, changes in trophic levels and changes in species interactions. Species biodiversity, habitats and resource use may change drastically (Nolan et.al, 2018, Science 361, 920-923).
What can be done from a resource managers’ perspective to respond to or adapt to these proposed changes? There is a need to maintain and enhance ecosystem biodiversity and complexity by protecting key ecological processes, diversity of species, and diversity of cultural practices. Management should be done at multiple scales to ensure this protection. Managers should look beyond species-specific prescriptions and practices, to ensure that ecosystem processes and functions are protected and enhanced. Without ecosystem functions and processes in place, no ecosystem services or products will result. Ecosystem resilience will be maintained by protecting the widest range of species possible, and connections between habitats and across landscapes, to allow these species to move and adapt to climate changes (Harris, et.al. 2006, Restoration Ecology 14, No. 2, 170-176.)
At the local level, citizens, volunteers and resource managers can take similar forward-thinking actions: protect and restore sites of rare and endangered species, and build ecological connections between these sites to enhance genetic movement. Protect not just species per se, but the processes and functions that produce these species, to ensure that the sites can become self-sustaining as ecological changes continue in light of climate change and other ecological drivers.
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.324012
|
09-13-2021
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/ecosystemsfuture/chapter/unit-6-drivers-of-ecosystem-change/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/ecosystemsfuture/front-matter/intro-to-the-adaptation-learning-network/",
"title": "Ecosystems for the Future",
"author": "Division of Continuing Studies - University of Victoria",
"institution": "",
"subject": "Climate change"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/ecosystemsfuture/chapter/unit-7-historic-hybrid-novel-ecosystems-concepts/
|
Unit 7: Historic/Hybrid/Novel Ecosystems Concepts
Introduction to Unit 7
In this unit there is a presentation by Dr. Eric Higgs, faculty, and Sonia Voicescu, PhD Candidate, School of Environmental Studies, UVic. [Note: this presentation is unavailable in the Creative Commons licensed version of this course]
The purpose of this unit is to understand:
- What types of ecosystems you encounter in your daily life, and:
- What are the characteristics of these ecosystems and how does climate change affect them?
Learning Objectives
After successfully completing this unit, you will be able to:
- Differentiate between different ecosystem types
- Recognize local examples of ecosystem types
- Identify your role in assisting their recovery.
As you watch and listen to the presentation, think about the ecosystems you encounter every day and what you could do to assist in their recovery. [Note: this presentation is unavailable in the Creative Commons licensed version of this course]
Summary of Key Points
There is an increasing consensus that global climate change occurs and that potential changes in climate are likely to have important regional consequences for biota and ecosystems. Ecological restoration, including (re)-afforestation and rehabilitation of degraded land, is included in the array of potential human responses to climate change. However, the implications of climate change for the broader practice of ecological restoration must be considered. In particular, the usefulness of historical ecosystem conditions as targets and references must be set against the likelihood that restoring these historic ecosystems is unlikely to be easy, or even possible, in the changed biophysical conditions of the future. (Harris et.al. 2006).
Within the next 100 years, and much sooner in some regions, prescribing restorations using purely historical references will prove increasingly challenging at best, and at worst lead to failure, due to changes in climatic conditions. In addition to potential changes in climate, there are also increasingly changed species mixes available to colonize disturbed or stressed sites.
The combination of novel species mixes and altered biophysical settings is resulting in the development of a range of novel or emerging ecosystems that have unknown functional characteristics and that may be difficult or impossible to return to a prior condition (Harris et.al. 2006).
Many landscapes now consist of a diverse array of ecosystems with varying characteristics and management emphases, all of which provide various ecosystem services. Accelerating rates of climate and land-use change and species invasions result in rapidly evolving spatial dynamics among multiple landscape patches. These patches have differing sets of services and management challenges, and accounting for these complex dynamics and attributes is essential for effective conservation and restoration planning (Hobbs et. al. 2014).
A range of options is available for the management of ecosystems identified as historical, hybrid, and novel. The options depend on the goals selected, which may include the protection of biodiversity, conservation of ecosystem functioning and services, maintenance of historical continuity, and provision of natural resources for local human livelihoods. Regardless of terminology used – novel, emerging, recombinant, no-analog – ecosystems that challenge conventional conservation and restoration are a present reality. Managing for the whole landscape – mosaics of historical, hybrid, and novel ecosystems – allows for a comprehensive and transparent approach to managing for a range of goals (Hobbs et.al. 2014).
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.334776
|
09-13-2021
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/ecosystemsfuture/chapter/unit-7-historic-hybrid-novel-ecosystems-concepts/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/ecosystemsfuture/front-matter/intro-to-the-adaptation-learning-network/",
"title": "Ecosystems for the Future",
"author": "Division of Continuing Studies - University of Victoria",
"institution": "",
"subject": "Climate change"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/ecosystemsfuture/chapter/unit-8-applying-ecological-restoration-principles-to-different-disciplines/
|
Unit 8: Applying Ecological Restoration Principles to Different Disciplines
Introduction to Unit 8
In this unit we will be listening to a series of interviews with professionals working in the fields of planning, climate action, landscape planning and ethnobotany, who will discuss their relationships with the natural world and the application of ecological restoration to their professions.
The purpose of this unit is to understand how ecological restoration can be applied to different disciplines, to assist with combatting climate change and in assisting ecosystems that have been degraded, damaged and destroyed to return toward a healthy state.
As you watch and listen to the presentation, think about your own discipline:
- Is there a possibility to use and apply ecological restoration to your work?
- What could be the role of First Nations peoples in assisting with your work?
- How can cultural and ecological diversity be incorporated into your discipline and its practices?
Learning Objectives
After successfully completing this final unit, you will be able to:
- Identify how ecological restoration can be applied to different disciplines that work with the natural world
- Explain how cultural diversity is important as a component of ecological restoration work
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.344802
|
09-13-2021
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/ecosystemsfuture/chapter/unit-8-applying-ecological-restoration-principles-to-different-disciplines/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/ecosystemsfuture/front-matter/intro-to-the-adaptation-learning-network/",
"title": "Ecosystems for the Future",
"author": "Division of Continuing Studies - University of Victoria",
"institution": "",
"subject": "Climate change"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/hiring/chapter/chapter-1/
|
What is Employment Equity and Equitable Hiring?
“Gaps in representation and pay for marginalized groups remain stubbornly high, and year after year employment is the most litigated area of discrimination at the BC Human Rights Tribunal.” –BC’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner
Employment equity refers to removing barriers that prevent marginalized groups from fully participating in the workforce.
These barriers often arise when people assume that ‘fair treatment’ means ‘treating everyone the same.’ In reality, fair treatment requires accommodations to ensure equal opportunities for participation and success.
The spaces we work in have been shaped over time, both intentionally and unintentionally, by biases. These biases tend to be invisible until we examine how they affect those excluded from shaping our workplace’s norms and practices. Biases in the workplace can significantly influence who gets recruited, retained, and promoted.
This discrimination is usually unintentional and can be reinforced by simply continuing old habits. For example, hiring through employees’ personal networks often leads to a workforce where most people have similar backgrounds and experiences. Not only is this unfair, but it can erase the advantages diversity brings, which will be outlined in the following pages.
This guide focuses on creating equitable hiring practices, a crucial aspect of employment equity. Equitable hiring does not mean compromising on qualifications or hiring unqualified individuals for the sake of diversity. Instead, equitable hiring is the practice of creating fair and inclusive hiring processes that remove barriers, provide accommodations, and ensure all candidates, including those from marginalized groups, have an equal opportunity to compete for a role. It involves critically examining what defines the “best candidate” for the job and designing inclusive processes to find them.
This guide provides strategies for faculty to think critically about the ‘best candidate’ in the context of your department and to design a process to find that candidate in a fair and inclusive way.
Please note: This is a supplementary resource on equitable hiring for faculty, not a definitive guide on all aspects of the VCC hiring process. Please consult the VCCFA Collective Agreement and VCC People Services for complete details on hiring procedures at Vancouver Community College.
Feedback/Errata
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.354643
|
01-3-2025
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/hiring/chapter/chapter-1/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/hiring/front-matter/acknowledgements/",
"title": "Equitable Faculty Hiring at Vancouver Community College",
"author": "Shantel Ivits, Tanny Marks",
"institution": "Vancouver Community College",
"subject": "Teaching staff, Personnel and human resources management"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/hiring/chapter/why-equitable-hiring-practices-matter/
|
Why Do Equitable Hiring Practices Matter?
Equitable hiring practices help create a more diverse workforce. A diverse workforce’s composition is reflective of the range of racial backgrounds, genders, ages, religions, abilities, economic backgrounds, sexual orientations and other differences we see in our communities.
A diverse workforce at VCC can lead to:
- More students & increased student confidence. When current and prospective students see relatable employees, they feel that their experiences and needs will be better understood.[1][2]
- A positive impact on VCC’s reputation. The public tend to have positive opinions about organizations that prioritize staff diversity.[3]
- More job applicants. Many people seeking new jobs, especially those who have experienced past workplace discrimination, look for organizations with diverse employee representation, which widens the talent pool for employers.[4]
- More innovation and creativity. Employees have an opportunity to learn from those who are different from them, and from those who may have valuable skills, expertise, and experience that has previously been excluded. Staff feel more welcome to bring up new ideas and perspectives.[5]
- More accessible and inclusive College practices right from the start. Having diverse employees leads to diverse teaching, learning, research, and community engagement methods.[6] This helps eliminate the need for accommodations or retrofitting. For example, hire a neurodiverse educator and soon course assessments may become suitable for a variety of diverse learners without the need for individual disability accommodations.
An equitable hiring process also helps create more fair and inclusive workplaces. There are many benefits of a fair and inclusive workplace:
- Absences are less common when workplaces have flexible policies and processes that account for different life circumstances.[7] [8]
- Staff are more productive and fulfilled when they feel safe, accepted, and able to “bring their whole selves to work.” [9] [10]
- Staff communicate and collaborate better when workplaces take steps to gather employee feedback to prevent discrimination. [11] [12]
- Staff are more likely to stay with an employer longer-term when workplaces are adaptable to diverse experiences.[13] [14]
Equitable hiring helps redress past inequities in an organization’s workforce. Like many organizations, VCC hiring practices, whether intentionally or unintentionally, may have included:
- implicit biases and assumptions within hiring committees,
- prioritizing ‘fit’ over diversity within departments,
- overvaluing or devaluing credentials based on where and how they were obtained, and
- narrow job descriptions rooted in traditional notions of excellence that reinforce privilege and discrimination.
These practices can result in a less diverse pool of candidates, making some areas of the college more homogeneous. As a result, qualified individuals from diverse backgrounds may have been overlooked as the “best candidate” or, in some cases, excluded from applying or being considered for an interview.
Equitable hiring is essential to fulfilling VCC’s commitments to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, as expressed in VCC’s:
- Government Mandate Letters
- Strategic Innovation Plan
- Academic Plan
- Accessibility Plan
- Mental Health & Wellbeing Framework, and
- Institutional Learning Outcomes.
- Llamas, J. D., Nguyen, K., & Tran, A. G. T. T. (2021). The case for greater faculty diversity: Examining the educational impacts of student-faculty racial/ethnic match. Race Ethnicity and Education, 24(3), 375–391. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2019.1679759 ↵
- Fairlie, R. W., Hoffmann, F., & Oreopoulos, P. (2014). A community college instructor like me: Race and ethnicity interactions in the classroom. American Economic Review, 104(8), 2567–2591. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.104.8.2567 ↵
- Hunt, V., Dixon-Fyle, S., Prince, S., & Dolan, K. (2020). Diversity wins: How inclusion matters. McKinsey & Company. Retrieved from https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/diversity-wins ↵
- Avery, D. R., McKay, P. F., & Volpone, S. D. (2013). Diversity staffing: Inclusive personnel recruitment and selection practices. In Q. M. Roberson (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of diversity and work (pp. 282–299). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199736355.013.0016 ↵
- Hundschell, A., Razinskas, S., Backmann, J., & Hoegl, M. (2022). The effects of diversity on creativity: A literature review and synthesis. Applied Psychology, 71(4), 1598–1634. https://doi.org/10.1111/apps.12365 ↵
- Sabela, P. T., Masuku, M. M., & Mthembu, Z. (2023). Diversity and its implications for teaching and learning in higher educational institutions. In M. O. Maguvhe & M. M. Masuku (Eds.), Using African epistemologies in shaping inclusive education knowledge (pp. 549–566). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31115-4_22 ↵
- British Columbia’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner. (n.d.). Economic benefits of employment equity: Information sheet. Retrieved December 13, 2024, from https://bchumanrights.ca/wp-content/uploads/Infosheet_Economic-benefits-employment-equity.pdf ↵
- Canadian Heritage. (2020). Systemic barriers to the full socio-economic participation of persons with disabilities and the benefits realized when such persons are included in the workplace. Retrieved from https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/rights-persons-disabilities.html ↵
- BC’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner. ↵
- Mudrak, J., Zabrodska, K., Kveton, P., & Machovcova, K. (2018). Occupational well-being among university faculty: A job demands-resources model. Research in Higher Education, 59(3), 325–348. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-017-9467-x[ ↵
- BC’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner. ↵
- Bond, M. A., & Haynes, M. C. (2014). Workplace diversity: A social-ecological framework and policy implications. Social Issues and Policy Review, 8(1), 167–201. https://doi.org/10.1111/sipr.12005 ↵
- BC’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner. ↵
- Canadian Heritage. ↵
Neurodiversity is the idea that people have different ways of thinking, learning, and processing information, and these differences are normal and valuable. It includes conditions like autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and more, while recognizing that everyone’s brain works differently.
Feedback/Errata
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.373592
|
01-3-2025
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/hiring/chapter/why-equitable-hiring-practices-matter/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/hiring/front-matter/acknowledgements/",
"title": "Equitable Faculty Hiring at Vancouver Community College",
"author": "Shantel Ivits, Tanny Marks",
"institution": "Vancouver Community College",
"subject": "Teaching staff, Personnel and human resources management"
}
|
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/hiring/chapter/who-is-the-best-candidate-for-the-job/
|
Who is the “Best Candidate for the Job”?
At VCC, departments create a set of Area Hiring Criteria for each program. It may be tempting to set overly narrow criteria to pinpoint candidates who precisely match your picture of “the ideal candidate.” While this approach might keep the applicant pool small, making it quicker and easier to identify a candidate, overly narrow criteria can:
- Favour candidates who resemble current faculty or fit into dominant cultural norms
- Overlook candidates with transferrable skills, such as those with interdisciplinary expertise or those who took non-traditional career paths
- Discourage strong candidates from applying because they don’t perfectly match the narrow criteria.
To find the best candidate for the job:
1. Focus on Essential Qualifications
- Highlight the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the role. Avoid idealized or overly narrow qualifications that may limit the candidate pool unnecessarily.
- Consider which qualifications could be marked as “preferred” rather than “required.”
- Value alignment with VCC’s commitments to creating accessible, culturally responsive programs for diverse learners :
- VCC’s Strategic Innovation Plan pledges to “review and renew curricula and teaching practices for greater inclusion of diverse ways of knowing and being” and “reflect and respect Indigenous knowledge, culture, and history in academic planning and delivery.”
- VCC’s Academic Plan 2022-2025 Goal 1.1 is to “retain and maintain sufficient qualified and appropriate Indigenous leadership, knowledge holders, and allies to direct and support the process of Indigenization.”
- VCC’s Academic Plan 2022-2025 Goal 2.1 is to “retain and maintain leaders, planners, and doers to direct and support the process of ensuring justice, equity, diversity & inclusion within the College.
2. Recognize Equivalent Qualifications
- Use language like: “Or an equivalent combination of education, training, paid employment, volunteer experience, and lived experience.”
- When assessing applications, value non-traditional pathways to qualifications.
- Value volunteer work that aligns with the role. Recognize that systemic barriers may have limited paid work opportunities for some individuals, such as people with disabilities.
- Value lived experience that aligns with the role, such as firsthand knowledge of barriers faced by marginalized groups or insights into historically underserved communities. (Note: Do not ask about personal characteristics protected by law, such as age, race, gender, or disability in the application or interview. Do aim to create a space where candidates feel comfortable disclosing lived experience and relevant equity dimensions voluntarily.)
- Value on-the-job training that contributes relevant skills or perspectives.
- Value professional development that contributes relevant skills or perspectives.
- Value a wider range of relevant formal academic credentials. For example: Is a Masters degree the only way to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for the role? What other certifications might be just as valuable?
From the BC Office of the Human Rights Commissioner
Special programs can help lower barriers for marginalized groups
“It is not discriminatory under the Human Rights Code for employers to create employment equity programs to improve conditions for marginalized groups. For example, you may give preference in hiring and promotion decisions to applicants from disadvantaged groups.
Employers with an initiative aiming to lower barriers for marginalized groups may seek a “special program” designation from B.C.’s Human Rights Commissioner. Any program or activity granted this designation cannot be found to contravene the Code.”
▶ Visit BCOHRC’s website to learn more about special programs and consult with VCC’s People Services.
Feedback/Errata
|
pressbooks
|
2025-03-22T05:08:57.387520
|
01-3-2025
|
{
"license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/hiring/chapter/who-is-the-best-candidate-for-the-job/",
"book_url": "https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/hiring/front-matter/acknowledgements/",
"title": "Equitable Faculty Hiring at Vancouver Community College",
"author": "Shantel Ivits, Tanny Marks",
"institution": "Vancouver Community College",
"subject": "Teaching staff, Personnel and human resources management"
}
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.