A huge section of the world population is dependent on the researchers and several scientists who are continuously brainstorming in their labs. The results of these studies will ensure the sustainability and development of our society.
The findings and studies are being continuously posted online. Moreover, it’s a matter of consideration for the intellectuals to present their findings in such a way that even the audience who isn’t in technical practice, can understand.
If we are to go through these study papers in the language used by the scientists, it will be quite mundane. It’s necessary to lay out the findings in an effective way so that it becomes coherent to each type of audience.
The very basic tip that a publisher should follow is to explain everything. For a naive audience, there is nothing obvious. No matter who your audience is going to be, the tips that I am going to jot down here will help you in making your point crystal clear.
The infographics and visual add-ons will have a much greater impact. I can understand your curiosity to find some helpful tips so that you can get better engagement.
Before we dive into the tips that are focused on ‘how to create engaging infographics?’, I believe you should ask yourself a few questions.
● Who occupies a major portion of your audience?
● What’re the statistics/findings that you are going to share?
● What are the questions that can be raised?
● How can you share this data with a better visual appeal?
1. Right Chart Format
While you are using a tool to create an infographic, it’s important to know that you must not use one format for everything. The format should be different and in full sync with the type of data you are making it for.
It must look like connecting all the dots and you can also mix and match two formats into one. For a better idea and your understanding, you can go through this Forbes newsletter on Schnitzer Steel Calls that have some amazing graphics used in it.
As a scientist or a publisher, you can understand the importance of the right chart and graph in the following bullets.
● For common people, they will try to find the link to your study in their lives and how are they going to see the impact.
● When it comes to media people, they will try to look for the differences that are there with the earlier studies that are done under the same branch.
● Investors will look for the developments so they can ensure some fruitful returns.
2. Use Anticipated Patterns
The human eye can catch visually pleasing content quite easily. To showcase data, the publisher needs to use some sort of pattern. It will be quite helpful in allowing your reader to understand it.
If it’s not sorted in a descending/ascending pattern, grasping all of the data and getting to the results will be quite tiring. A pattern with the right choice of color scheme will convey the message in a matter of moments.
Moreover, your audience will not even need to go through all the technicalities. For example, if you are sharing some data in a language that is written from left to right, make sure that the chart/graph that you are preparing is also in the same flow.
Consistency in these graphics throughout the study/research paper is key to keep your audience engaged. Among various tools available online, Mind the Graph is one of the options you can use to create prodigious visual graphics using its wide range of templates.
3. Use Less Patois
When it comes to scientific research, there are so many jargons that scientists use daily. However, a broader audience will not understand this abracadabra and they will need you to put the findings in simple language.
There will be many acronyms and lettering that might seem obvious to you, but most of your audience would never have heard of it. When it’s necessary to use the jargon, make sure you are defining it in simpler words.
You can understand it as the abbreviation PDF is commonly known as a file format, but for scientists, it’s Probability Density Function. Are you still worried about whether the terms that you have used can easily be understood?
Well, you can try it on a family member who doesn’t have much knowledge of technical topics.
4. Choice of Fonts
The text that you are going to use will also have a huge impact on the visual pattern/graph that you have created. Not only the font style, but the size and quantity will also matter a lot.
Make sure that the primary points or the most important revelations are put on the top-left of the infographic. If it’s not for the print, you can also add layered texts that will show up once a viewer hovers the pointer on it.
Along with the choice of a particular font category such as serif, sans-serif, display, monospaced, etc., it’s also essential to have some familiarity with their use cases.
There is also no said rule that you need to follow with the choice of fonts, and I believe, if you want to get the best results, you should experiment a little and play with different combinations.
Final thoughts
We hope that we are able to provide you a glance at the importance of effective visuals. If the study/research paper is posted as an abstract, there will be a meager percentage of the population that will actually understand it.
Giving your findings a relevant graph will offer much better engagement. You can also try stop motion videos to engage your audience. Apart from good visuals, you will also need to know the importance of securing your data and the research findings that you have stored over the cloud. You can go through the top cybersecurity practices to stay updated on this potential threat.
