Critique
of Infographic Sites
Using infographics to present data and information is a new
skill for me. I spent some time working in three different websites that offer
the opportunity to utilize an infographic as a form of presentation. I would
like to share my experiences with these sites with you, so you might be able to
choose the right one for your needs. Before I discuss the steps in my journey, I
think it is important to provide a strong definition for what an infographic is
and why they might be used.
Merriam-Webster (2022) defines infographic as “…a
chart, diagram, or illustration (as in a book or magazine, or on a website)
that uses graphic elements to present information in a visually striking way.” Taking
information and presenting it so it is easy to read and visually appealing. For
me to create an infographic of my own, I needed to see some examples. I was
able to locate those examples through three different websites that offer
templates for users to access. It was through using one of the available
templates that I was able to successfully create my own infographic on the
social media platform, Twitter.
The first infographic website I visited was http://infogr.am/. Once I created an account, I
was presented with the various options for subscriptions. I chose the basic
account which is free of charge. This option allows for the creation of 10 projects
with up to 5 pages per project. It also provides access to object animations,
thirteen map types, and thirty-seven chart types. Initially, I chose this
website to create my infographic assignment. However, after working for quite a
while, I found that the website was not the most user-friendly when it came to adding
information and altering graphics. I had difficulty with text manipulation and
deletion. After spending quite a bit of time trying different ideas, I decided
to check out one of the other websites offered.
The second website I visited was https://piktochart.com/. I created an
account for with Piktochart using my school email account. This website also
offers an option for a free account. Included in the account are 5 visual
projects, 2 downloads, and 20 minutes of video. Immediately, I was very
impressed with the templates available on this site. They have a wide variety
of designs to choose from. Also available are templates for posters, reports, flyers,
presentations, and social media. Custom projects are also an option. This website
will be a useful resource when creating any type of infographic. Before making
a final decision though, I wanted to tour the last infographic website offered.
Finally, I visited the infographic website https://www.easel.ly/. For this subscription,
I used my google account to create a profile for a free trial. There are
pricing options for students, teachers (individual), and businesses. The monthly
charge for access to the website seems reasonable at $4 per month. Included in
the individual plan is access to 320 templates, exporting of PDF’s, JPG’s, and
PNG’s, 30 free student accounts, and over a million photos and icons. Sounds like
the perfect plan for me! After watching the tutorial video, I quickly realized that
the website has been updated since 2013. On my dashboard, I located the new design
option. Once I gathered the data needed for completing my infographic, I started
my project. I found this website quite user-friendly when creating my assignment.
I could navigate without any issues, and I could edit the templates without any
trouble. I am very pleased with the final product! Take a look at how it turned
out! Of the three websites visited, I definitely recommend the Easelly website
for creating infographics!
References
Easelly. (2022). Retrieved on
June 24, 2022, from https://www.easel.ly/
Infogram. (2022). Retrieved on
June 24, 2022, from https://infogram.com/
Merriam-Webster, Inc. (2022). Infographic.
Retrieved on June 24, 2022, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infographic
Piktochart. (2022). Retrieved
on June 24, 2022, from https://piktochart.com/
Hi Mrs. Zellers! Thank you providing such a clear explanation of the process you took in analyzing these three different websites and, ultimately, choosing one to create your very own infographic. Like you, I did not find Infogram to be extremely user friendly, and I generally consider myself pretty technologically savvy.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I personally preferred Piktochart over Easelly because I appreciated the number of template options Piktochart offered to users for free as opposed to the limited number Easelly had available. However, I did feel both were comparative in terms of ease-of-use.
Your infographic turned out wonderful! It's very easy to read with the font you selected, and I like that you used the color red to capture the reader's attention. Additionally, the different sections and the use of graphics help limit the distractions and provide readers with a sense of direction when accessing the different information. Great job!
As you said, infogram seems to require the most experience to use. I found it to be a bit tough to work with despite being quite tech savvy myself. I chose piktochart myself since I liked the amount of templates offered and the ease of use.
ReplyDeleteThe infographic you created was really well-put together and the red color for some of the graphics and text stood out. There was variety of graphs to show different data without looking too busy, so it was easy to understand.
Thank you for sharing.
Hello, I liked your creation using Easelly. At first, I thought I wanted to create my infograph using this site, but I could not find a template I thought would work for my article. Infographics were new to me. I have seen them but had never created one. I decided to use Piktochart instead. I liked how you arranged your different sections to make your article more reader-friendly.
ReplyDeleteYou did an amazing job on your infographic and it was a great visual to see the popularity of Twitter among other social media platforms. I'm still not a fan of Twitter myself, so I liked seeing it low on the poll. However, I love that you created it using Easelly, as I struggled with that particular site in trying to find the right template for me. I used Piktochart to create my infographic but it was neat to see how you were able to use Easelly, so easily (no pun intended). I fully believe that each of these sites are super useful for so many reasons.
ReplyDelete