Infographics
Visualizing Data
What are they?
Infographics can be used to visualize data
in beautiful and interesting ways making it
fun and easy to digest.
They can be instructive and informative.
They can be reports, resumes, and syllabi.
Why use them?
● Provide visual information that creates a
memorable learning experience
● Translate a wall of text to images is more
engaging1
How do I use them?
Teaching
1. Choose/make an accurate graphic
2. Provide context
3. Have students interpret it themselves
4. Evaluate it together
Research
● Create a unique poster
● Visualize quantitative data
● Summarize a complex project
Assessments
● Hits multiple cognitive levels
● Can show advanced understanding
● Encourages data collection, synthesis,
and organization
Tufte’s Principles of Data
Visualization
1. Representation of numbers should be directly
proportional to the numerical quantities represented.
2. Clear, detailed, and thorough labeling should be used to
defeat graphical distortion and ambiguity.
Tufte’s Principles of Data
Visualization (cont.)
3. Explanations of the data should be written on the
graphic itself; label important events.
4. Show data variation, not design variation.
Tufte’s Principles of Data
Visualization (cont.)
5. The number of information-carrying (variable)
dimensions depicted should not exceed the number of
dimensions in the data.
6. Graphics must not quote data out of context.
What do I need?
●
●
●
●
A topic
Interesting data
Images (or ideas for images)
Tools
Recommended Tools
● Graphics Tools: Photoshop or Illustrator
● Data Tools: Excel or Google Spreadsheet
● Infographic Tools:
o
o
o
o
Piktochart
Infogr.am
Easel.ly
Mapbox (Interactive maps)
Piktochart
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●
●
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Free and premium themes
Simple tools
Fair publishing options
All data is public
Example 1
Example 2
Resources
http://www.good.is/infographics
http://selection.datavisualization.ch/
Teaching:
http://blog.visual.ly/how-to-turn-infographics-into-effective-teaching-tools/
http://www.coetail.com/educationjourney/2013/04/19/using-infographics-in-class/
http://piktochart.com/infographics-in-education/
Assessment:
http://www.schrockguide.net/infographics-as-an-assessment.html
References
1. Ebner, M. & Bruff, D. Visual Thinking. Retrieved from
http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/visual-thinking/
2. Tufte, E. R., & Graves-Morris, P. R. (1983). The visual display of
quantitative information (Vol. 2). Cheshire, CT: Graphics press.