Data-driven Infographics

Inside

What I Need to Get Started

Both ConceptDraw DIAGRAM diagramming and drawing software and the Data-driven Infographics solution can help creating the infographics you need. The Data-driven Infographics solution can be found in the Infographics area of ConceptDraw STORE application that can be downloaded from this site. Make sure that both ConceptDraw DIAGRAM and ConceptDraw STORE applications are installed on your computer before you get started.

How to install

After ConceptDraw STORE and ConceptDraw DIAGRAM are downloaded and installed, you can install the Data-driven Infographics solution from the ConceptDraw STORE.

Start Using

To make sure that you are doing it all right, use the pre-designed symbols from the stencil libraries from the solution to make your drawings look smart and professional. Also, the pre-made examples from this solution can be used as drafts so your own drawings can be based on them. Using the samples, you can always change their structures, colors and data.

HelpDesk

How to Create Data-driven Infographics

Data-driven Infographics

On a very simple level, infographics can be described as a way of presenting a particular piece of knowledge or data in a visual manner. There is endless variety in the way this can be achieved, and a wide of range of subjects that can be condensed in such a fashion. Perhaps the most common usage for the infographic, in business at least, is as a method to present company data as part of a succinct, easily digestible diagram. Sales teams will use them as an efficient method of sharing business results with team members and other stakeholders.

Because business data often consists of numerical values, the most effective way to display these are through certain infographic design elements — namely, charts, graphs, plots, graphic indicators and tables. These elements are ideal for the purpose, as information can be gained at a glance, and awkward groups of figures and text are condensed into graphic imagery. As an example, a company might sell a range of products. A bar chart would be an ideal way of presenting information regarding how many of each product is sold — each bar represents an item, and without closer inspection it will be immediately apparent which is performing best, and this will be the highest bar on the chart.

Infographic showing the value added by foreign-owned businesses in the UK — created using ConceptDraw DIAGRAM

So what benefit does this style of information delivery have for stakeholders in a business? We have already touched on the fact that graphic representations of data can be easily understood by all team members. This is especially important when presenting results to workers from other divisions of the company — by using graphic elements, you are negating the problem of role-specific or product-specific language that might not be universally understood.

Not only do infographics speed up understanding, they also get rid of the labor intensive aspect of physically sorting through files and figures, distilling results into one quantifiable data point. While there are limitations in just how detailed and introspective an infographic can be, at their optimum they provide an indication of the overall health of a business or some aspect of it. This isn't a one off experience either — data results can be produced and presented at any stage of a workflow or within a company's development. This is a great help to critical thinking and decision making in regards to business strategy — data can provide a snapshot of the company at that moment, giving you an indication of what decisions need to be made, which ones were made poorly in the past, and in which new direction the business must focus its efforts.

Data-driven infographics are used in wildly disparate areas of business and commerce. Here are a selection of professions, and a description of data usage and infographic's functionality within them:

• Data-driven journalism

  This is a relatively new phrase, that has come about due to the ever-increasing volumes of data available to journalists through new media such as the internet. The process involved in data-driven journalism can be described as such — DATA > FILTER > VISUALIZE > STORY — which is much the same as the previous examples given, except they have to frame their output into a textual narrative. Infographics in this case act as a supportive element to that narrative.

• Data-driven marketing

  Another new term, that also benefits from the internet, and how close it places a business to its customers. Using this strategy, large amounts of customer specific data is collected, with the results used to create custom, relevant user experiences. Infographics are useful in this scenario to collate the customer data, and present it in a way that highlights trends, fashions and popular opinions. The same process works as an invaluable tool for improving general customer service.
  

  Infographic showing Internet usage in the UK — created using ConceptDraw DIAGRAM

• Big data visualization

  Big data refers to any system that is required to store and process massive amounts of data, far more than standard software on a personal computer or server could manage for instance. These can include CCTV, satellite imagery, or services that are continually in use, such as mobile phone data or meteorological readings. Condensing big data into infographic diagrams is more a necessity than an option — it's impossible to present the reams of information to team members or the public in its barest form.

• Data-driven management

  This describes a management style that decides workflow and business strategy that follow strict indicators deduced from the data a company produces. For instance, your data might indicate that one product is selling very well, another item not so much. Data-driven management principles would suggest to focus production on the popular product, cutting out the less profitable items. Infographics are used in a similar fashion to previous examples, to collate data that can be analyzed and acted on by management, and shared with other stakeholders.

To make effective infographics, it's useful to have a wide variety of graphical elements — icons, clipart, stencils, charts and graphs — to illustrate your diagram. Through their powerful diagramming software, ConceptDraw DIAGRAM, CS Odessa have dedicated themselves to providing new and comprehensive solutions for business tasks and personal drawings. The Data-driven Infographics solution provides all the tools you need to present data as described by this article — as well as the charts mentioned previously, you can find histograms, divided bar charts, ring charts, line graphs and area charts — meaning you can find the perfect medium for displaying a certain type of data.

To make life easier on the user, and to facilitate the rapid updating of information within an infographic, each chart or graph object found in the solution is 'smart' in nature, and comes with its own data source. The values you enter into this data source effect the values represented in the graph, allowing you to re-enter data, resize charts and keep up with current business trends without completely overhauling your design. Sharing the infographics you create using ConceptDraw DIAGRAM is also an ideal way of giving clarity to the workforce and keeping them on message.

If you're not a graphic designer, there is no need to worry — despite the powerful nature of the software, CS Odessa have done everything they can to make the design process as simple for beginners as for those who are more advanced. With samples, video tutorials and a comprehensive help section found on the ConceptDraw website, you will be well on your way to creating your own, professional looking data-driven infographics.