For this post I reviewed three different graphics
applications that allow users to create infographics. For each of three sites I
looked at usability and features provided with the free version of the app.
Piktochart was the first one I tried and, I’m just going to
say it now, it was my favorite of the three.
I would rate this app high for usability. This was my first time to use it and even
without being able to access the tutorial, I was able to figure it out without
too much difficulty. The dashboard was laid out well and marked with
recognizable icons. All of the buttons for
saving, sharing, and previewing were well marked and in plain sight. No searching necessary. As far as features go, this application offers
a wide variety of features with the free version but there is an upgrade option
for those who want to pay a monthly fee.
This app allows users to create a variety of products such as flyers,
posters, infographics, reports, and presentations. I like the fact that a person could create a
series of different products with the same theme. For example, a librarian who wanted to
promote a summer reading program might want to create flyers, posters,
presentations, etc. using the same theme.
I feel that this adds a more professional quality to the promotion
materials. The tools were easy to use. I
created a bar chart for my infographic and found that this app made it very
easy. This app provides a lot of different options for text frames and icons,
some are generic while others are specific to holidays, sports, and
hobbies. There are many templates for new
users to choose from but for those who want to create from scratch, there are
many possibilities for fun, innovative creations. I did have some trouble manipulating my
design to match the one I had pictured in my mind, however, with practice it
gets easier.
Easel.ly was the second infographic app I tried and it took
a little longer for me to figure it out.
I found the opening screen to be a little confusing because I could not see
the dashboard until I actually started a project. Also, I found the “public visuals” to be
confusing. Are these templates that can
be modified? I wasn’t sure so I started
a project from scratch. Once I got into
the project it became easier but I wasn’t able to change the font size or color
without asking for help. The help button
is easy to find and I did find an answer to my question without actually having
to contact tech support. This app also
has a lot of product options but not as many choices for backgrounds, templates,
icons, or text frames. They advertise
the paid version heavily and it offers a lot more options. I might like this app better if I were paying
for the upgraded version. I will say
that I embedded a YouTube video in the infographic I made with this app and it
was so easy. I did not use the charts,
graphs, or maps with this app so I am not sure how easy they are to use.
Infogram was the last app I tried out and I like it better
than Easel.ly but not as much as Piktochart.
The dashboard was easy to see and use without needing a tutorial to
figure it out. The help, save, share,
and preview buttons were clearly labeled and easy to see. This app also allows for multiple products
but has a really impressive range of icons, including the ability to customize
an icon. There are many pictures, text
frames, backgrounds, templates, etc. but one of the options that I found to be
really fun is the stickers. They are
animated and very cute. Another thing that
I liked is this app allows the creator to check for accessibility and viewer
experience. I did not see those options
in either of the other apps I reviewed.
As with Easel.ly, the free version of this app is limited but they don’t
seem to advertise the upgraded versions as much. I was not as happy with the infographic I
created with this app and eventually just stopped before finishing it. I will
try this app again, though.
Please check out my infographic made with Piktochart below.
References
References
(May 2013). Parents, Children, Libraries, and Reading. Pew
Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2013/05/01/parents-children-libraries-and-reading/
Out of the three, I also liked Piktochart too. I think that when someone has to search through links to find information, then there is less chance for ease of use, which if this is used with students, needs to be of importance. I have thought of using these infographics to present data to my administration about the library as well. A quick visual really has a better chance of beign understood and read than a long lengthy report.
ReplyDeleteHi! I also chose Piktochart out of the three options. In my opinion, it was the most user-friendly. I like how you mentioned that you didn't even have to access a tutorial to learn how to work it. It's just that simple! My school likes to use Piktochart with students during instruction, but now it's nice to know that I can also use it when it comes to advocating for the library and displaying statistics!
ReplyDeleteYes I agree. I picked Piktochart as well. I also had a tough time trying to figure out Ease.ly and it was between Infogram and Piktochart as well but in the end I decided to use Piktochart. It is easy to use and if students need to ever make an infographic for an assignment, it is kid friendly to use which is a great thing. I enjoyed your info graphic. It is straight and to the point and easy to read. It is very appealing to the eye and not overwhelming! Great job!
ReplyDelete