Infographics conquered the web. They are used by everyone and for everything. You can come across an infographic which depicts the current demographic trends in the world as well as one that aims at proving the superiority of cats over dogs. But can infographics be used for technical communication? Do they make complex ideas more digestible or are they just a current fad? The presentation provides a handful of tips on creating infographics and some real life examples of how our team used them in the technical context.
9. INFOGRAPHIC = STORY
Agnieszka Tkaczyk
CONCLUSION
• Closing thoughts
• Call for action
BODY
• Core of the infographic
• Combination of text, images, and data
visualizations
INTRO
• Gets the readers’ attention
• Introduces the topic
• Combination of a title and a paragraph
10. TIP 1: FOCUS ON ONE BIG
STORY
Agnieszka Tkaczyk
• Do not combine a few small stories into one infographic
• Make the key message immediately clear
• Eliminate data that is irrelevant
11. TIP 2: ADD VISUALIZATIONS,
REMOVE TEXT
Agnieszka Tkaczyk
• Reduce the amount of text
• Use visualizations:
• Reduce the time needed to understand the data
• Draw the attention
• Help remembering the information
12. TIP 3: BE ACCURATE
Agnieszka Tkaczyk
• Data visualizations must match the numbers
• Inaccurate visualization undermines credibility
• Provide the source of information or company logo
• If the presented data might change, tell about that
13. ADVANTAGES
Agnieszka Tkaczyk
• Reduce the amount of text
• Engage vision and the picture superiority effect
• Boost memorization
• Entertain and inform
• Are fun to create
14. CONSIDERATIONS
Agnieszka Tkaczyk
• Not everything can be changed into an infographic
• Cannot substitute documentation
• May not be treated seriously
• Time-consuming
• Additional software might be required
• Start a life of their own after publication
• You need a good place to publish them
19. EXAMPLE 4:
FIXLETS AND TASKS
Agnieszka Tkaczyk
• Spread among multiple
topics
• Referred to in relevant
procedures
Documentation Infographic
Content and design:
Agnieszka Tkaczyk