While a picture may be worth a thousand words, it is only valuable when people look at it. InfoGraphics adds the additional complexity of needing to be understood. The challenge becomes producing the right image, shown at the right time to the right audience. In this article I will explore Dan Roam's methodology for making the right choices.
Napoleon Bonaparte is credited with saying “a picture is worth a thousand words”. This is especially true today where we have relatively little time to spend on absorbing knowledge in our information dense society. The new profession of Information Design and concept of InfoGraphics has risen up around this fact – aiding people in more rapidly grasping meaning through transforming information into images.
However, it needs to be the right image presented at the right time to the right audience. To accomplish this, Dan Roam recommends that an Information Designer utilize a methodology he has dubbed Imagining. As a preamble, the designer is encouraged to close their eyes and begin visualizing what is not readily visible. A designer draws connections between different bits of information and develops a mental understanding. They then work on how to best visually portray the information to convey the information in an easily digestible format.
But what format? While Microsoft Excel provides 53 chart types to convey information. Microsoft Visio adds hundreds more to the possible formats. However, all of the charts and graphs can be grouped into one of six archetypes. Each of these are associated with one of six basic questions:
Who/What; How much; Where; When; How; or Why. This forms the first axis of Dan Roam’s Visual
Thinking Codex. To use the codex, a designer needs to decide the type of information to be conveyed. Is it about a person, a group or an item? Then develop a portrait. Is it a question of how many or how much? Then create a chart. Is it about a location or structure? Then craft a map. Is it time-dependent? Then construct a time line. Is it about how things fit together? Then build a flowchart. Or is this a question of WHY? This calls for a multi-variable plot which can be the hardest to create.
Readers of Mr. Roam’s
The Back of the Napkin are familiar with his SQVID (and I am not talking about seafood). SQVID stands for Simple
, Quality, Vision, Individual attributes,
Delta (change). He uses these five attributes to define the five dimensions of all infographics. Each dimension is an either/or decision to be made based upon the target audience. Is this a simple drawing, or should it be elaborate? Is portrayal of Quality or Quantity more important? Is the audience more concerned about a vision of the future, or today’s execution? Is the goal to highlight a single attribute, or compare items? Finally, should focus be on changes or on the status quo?
While all well-developed infographics contain all five aspects, the next step in leveraging the codex is to determine which aspect is most critical. For example, if we are looking to describe inter-relation of data – ie, show where items overlap – then we would go to the
Where row and determine that a map is the best method for conveying the information. Next, if we determine that the information is primarily focused on a goal or vision, we would look to the
V column and see that the optimal framework for our use is a Venn diagram.
The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF)
world giving map provides a clear example. From their map we can determine that their intent was to show how much each country gave and how they compared. Using the codex, a bar chart is recommended. However, the nature of information – country data – includes a Where factor, which would indicate the use of a map. To encompass both the Where and How Much factors, CAF utilized a bubble chart where the relative size of each bubble was indicative of their rank and then placed each bubble in the approximate location of the country it represents.
The art of wayfinding has been utilized for as long as there has been written communication. Ancient cave paintings are known to depict crude maps. For overland travel, cartography and trailblazing have been combined for centuries. In earlier eras, trailblazing many times consisted of marking trees along a trail with hatchet chops. Today this is done in a more ecologically friendly form, using paint or plastic markers.
