Creating Compelling Infographics Digital Scholar Training Series, Workshop 2, Spring 2015 Katja Reuter, PhD Director of Digital Strategy and the electronic Home (eHome) Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute (SC CTSI) University of Southern California, Children's Hospital Los Angeles

The Challenge 1 Collect data 3 Select most important data points 4 Develop a story Analyze data 2 5 Develop your infographic

Defining Information Graphics, aka Infographics Graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge intended to present complex information quickly and clearly. Doug Newsom and Jim Haynes (2004). Public Relations Writing: Form and Style. p.236.; Mark Smiciklas (2012). The Power of Infographics: Using Pictures to Communicate and Connect with Your Audience.

Why Infographics? They “can be more precise and revealing than conventional statistical computations.” Tufte, Edward (1983). The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. Cheshire, Connecticut: Graphics Press. ISBN

Make information easier to understand, digest, and recall 80% of what we see and do vs. 20% of what we read and 10% of what we hear - Lester, P. M. (2006). Syntactic Theory of Visual Communication Why Infographics?

More persuasive 67% of the audience were persuaded by verbal presentations + accompanying visuals vs. 50% by purely verbal presentations – Wharton School of Business. Effectiveness of Visual Language Why Infographics?

Characteristics of Successful Infographics Makes a point, and makes it clearly without overwhelming the target audience (e.g., clear takeaway message, call-to-action) Highlights reliable, interesting data but avoids oversimplifying and distorting what the data have to say Highlights relationships between facts, context, connections that make information meaningful; encourages the eye to compare different pieces of data Visualizes data and information creatively Uses visuals and colors effectively that fit with the subject area Serves a clear purpose: description, exploration, tabulation or decoration; provides value Cites sources Adapted from: Tufte, Edward (1983). The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. Cheshire, Connecticut: Graphics Press; David McCandless (2009). The Visual Miscellaneum: A Colorful Guide to the World's Most Consequential Trivia; Hubspot: Infographics.aspx

What’s your verdict?

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Developing an Infographic An Example Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Ebola, and Twitter

Collect and Analyze the Data Symlur:

Define the Target Audience The leadership at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Their goal is to “protect America from health, safety and security threats, both foreign and in the U.S.”

Define the Communication Goals After reading the infographic, we want CDC leadership to: Invest in a robust Social Media Outreach Program at the CDC. Understand the value, effectiveness, and efficiency of tailored social media outreach using a tweet chat, and

Define the Story You Want to Tell Develop content outline of the main and sub content themes Include the key findings/data points that support the communication goals of the infographic

Draw a Sketch

Design: Using Easel.ly Demo video

Please See the Digital Scholar Page for More Information and Helpsheets Workshop 2:

Let’s develop your infographics… Group Work

Katja Reuter, PhD Director of the electronic Home (eHome) program and Digital Strategies Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute (SC CTSI) University of Southern California, Children's Hospital Los Angeles #DigiScholar14 Questions For more support, request a free consultation on

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