Final Project and Spacing

Today, I wanted to share my final infographic project. This infographic is one I really enjoyed making. Using Piktochart, I was able to effectively customize and create an infographic I am proud of. However, I definitely still do believe there is room for improvement. I did encounter several problems through out the process. One problem I encountered was finding a balance between images and information. I think I walked a fine line. I do hope that I was able to make sure that neither aspect overpowers the other. Also, it was difficult to find colors that complemented each other, were appealing, yet not overwhelming. I played with the opacity tool quite a bit, in order to make some aspects more visible the the others.

Spacing was difficult for me because I am very weary of overcrowding. I tried to limit wordiness as much as I could. I replaced words with images that translated the same content. However, I may have played into an overwhelming feeling with the various aspects to look at in the infographic. This was a challenge, because in order to transmit a certain level of information you are forced to think differently, limiting words, images, and even information. Unlike Vengage, Piktochart does not have rulers to help align images and text boxes. It was not easy having to constantly eyeball alignment. Rethinking spacing this week, if I were to submit this project again, I would allow a few centimeters space for the "How We Give" pink section. I think this should help space the infographic adequately. 

Boosting Linkedin

Hello Everyone!  I was first required to create a LinkedIn account for a Marketing class I took last semester. My account was made with little to no information. However, this week I focused on updating my LinkedIn profile. While exploring the site, I discovered the variety of information LinkedIn allows you to project to viewers. It really allows you to create an interactive, professional profile that physical resumes cannot provide. After the experience, I realized just how vital a platform LinkedIn is to both employers and candidates. Through this, I went from a beginner profile to advanced!

I began the update by adding in the school I attend and the degree I am en route towards. After, I inserted skills that I possessed, including the skills I attained from this Infographics class such as Canva and Piktochart. I continued to add the Nonprofit Organizations I currently volunteer with in addition to relevant courses I have taken. Adding a project file was very interesting because it is a great showcase of skills. It is one thing to claim you have a certain skill and to actually have it. This feature is an outlet that allows you to prove the claim as well. The project I added was a compilation of the infographics I have created recently. I wanted to add a picture but I do not have a professional picture yet. Hopefully, I will get the opportunity to take one soon! I am excited to add a picture because with it I will be able to attain the All Star status. 

Artificial Intelligence

The article "Don't Delay, No one Can Say" really opened up my eyes to reality. I have always said that automated jobs were in our near future, but I did not realize how near they really were. There is no use in ignoring artificial intelligence, because it is the future whether or not I am ready for it. Personally, I find it incredibly uncomfortable knowing that robots will take on anywhere from manufacturer to manager to surgeon roles. It is also scary to think, that it is beyond my control, and that I have no choice but to become highly skilled or artificial intelligence will replace me. It is frightening to consider how fast and how drastically the job market and economy will shift. Globalization has already made individual economies complex. The more the world globalizes and the more advanced AI becomes, the changes will be immense. And I wholly agree, that the only way to deal with it is to prepare. We must become open to the change, accept it, and exploit it.

I took a Python class in high school for a semester and found it difficult, not to mention very boring. After it, I hoped that I would not have to delve in the language of computers anymore. However, after reading the article, I am motivated to give it another go. No doubt because I do, now, believe that I will end up learning it at some point in my life. So, I might as well learn programming skills now, knowing it will aid me in the long-run, and hopefully it will help me get a job now.

I have heard that the future will be less about majoring in a single field and more about earning certifications entailing current sought after skills. Then, as skills become obsolete new certifications will have to be met. In this, the job market will force people to continuously learn in order to be both relevant and in demand.  I guess its just another reality to get used to. Overall, this article and the subsequent articles referenced were enlightening. It is a future of uncertainty, but I believe it will be okay if we have the tools to navigate it. 

Tableau Public

This week, I worked with Tableau Public. The program is very different from the tools we have used thus far. Not only was it a completely new interface, but it also the most advanced. It took me a while to navigate the program. Tableau uses data to create visual graphs almost like Excel does. However, it is so much simpler and considerably faster. Tableau Public lacks the in-depth customization levels that Excel provides but it makes it up through the straightforward setup. In addition, it can draw data from various datasheets like Access, Excel, and GoogleSheets. Tableau is a data heavy program that is used primarily for dashboards as well as inforgraphics. It has a variety of cool graphs to choose from like bullet graphs, packed bubbles, and tree maps. It is definitely a program I want to become skilled in, so making visualizations can become effortless.


In order to make my infographic, I recycled an excel sheet I used in a previous dashboarding project. It contained the amount of CO2 gas emissions the top ten emitters produced in 2014. I used the same data to create two charts, a map and bar chart. The two charts are both interactive and connected. For instance, if you click Brazil on the world map, the bar chart will highlight Brazil and vice versa. This is pretty amazing, considering making the visual interactive requires no additional effort or programming or intermediate Excel skills. Overall, I enjoyed the experience and am excited to keep exploring Tableau. The dashboard I made is uploaded on Tableau Public so I provided a link below. I also snipped it into a png so I could quickly display it here:
https://public.tableau.com/profile/atiya#!/vizhome/Book1_19334/TopTenCO2Emitters

Interactive Inforgraphics and Venngage

This week I decided to make a new infographic on coffee using a new program, Venngage. The interface is reminiscent of Canva. I enjoyed making the infographic as there were a variety of options to choose from. The charts feature is superior to Canva and Piktochart. It offers a larger variety of options including word clouds, icon percentage charts, tree maps, and cloud bubbles. Also, these charts are considerably customizable and interactive.  There were plentiful icons to choose from and even maps that can be added. Venngage, however, only provides limited image, image frames, and text options. Besides this major downside, it was still relatively easy to make a full fledged free infographic.  Apparently only premium members can download their work. Therefore, I am only able to show the infographic I made below because I used my snipping tool.



I used 3 separate colored panels at an attempt at storytelling. However, I am unsure if I did it correctly. An interactive infographic would further engage the reader. In order to do this some additions could be, a map that can zoom in on countries, providing details when clicked. Additionally, with each country clicked, the coffee bean could change percentages corresponding to which type of bean Arabic or Robusta is grown there. It would be pretty cool if the image frames could hold multiple pictures that would rotate almost like a GIF. Most of the charts in Venngage are interactive. They can be clicked and unclicked to allow micro-comparisons. This makes the digital inforgraphic experience more rich.

Infographic Proposal

Client: Yoobi

Products: School Supplies
Purpose: Marketing; provide a visual summary of the company’s mission
Problem: Currently lacking a concise, effective advertisement that can inform potential customers about the meaning behind Yoobi products

Infographic Layout:
The infographic would be divided into 4 parts: Quick Facts, What We Give, How We Give, and How You Can Help.

• Quick Facts:
• Yoobi Logo with Phrase meaning: “One for you one for me”
• $485 is the average amount of money a teacher pays (out of pocket) on essential school supplies.
•  99% of teachers spend their own money on essential classroom materials.
• In total, KG-12th grade teachers spend 1.6B a year on school supplies.
• What We Give:
• Yoobi Classroom pack

• Contains 425 core learning tools, for 30 students, completely free
• Provide Picture with details
• How We Give:
• Company works with partner: Kids in Need Foundation
• Donates, then KINF distributes
•  Provides supplies to younger kids who are in the greatest need for supplies and typically to schools in high poverty areas (Areas with large number of students who qualify for NSLP).
• Provide map visual presenting where Yoobi focuses supplies
• How You Can Help:
• Places to purchase Yoobi Products
• Target, Amazon, Retail. And Yoobi.com

Thinking Like a Designer

Chapter 5 is entitled "Thinking Like a Designer". The reading was simple enough but contained an interesting perspective. The first concept is afforadances which are aspects of design that show how an object functions and it is to be used. Highlighting or focusing on the relevant information is one way to achieve this. Highlighting can be done by using bold, italics, underlining, cafe, typeface, specific colors, inversing elements, or size. Another way is to eliminate distractions is by identifying unnecessary information by seeing if it truly pertains to the topic at hand. Additionally, creating a clear visual hierarchy of info can help in labeling and organizing info so the data is best communicated (ie. super-catagories and scatter plots).

Accessibility or the concept that designs should be understood and used in different ways by different people. To achieve accessibility a good idea to to not over complicate the design by using easy fonts, keeping it clean, using few words, and simple language. Also, thoughtful use of text is important in titles, labels, and text notes.

The next concept is aesthetics or the idea that appearance of data matters. To be visually smart use appropriate colors, pay attention to alignment, and do not overcrowd but use white space to an advantage.

Lastly, acceptance, which deals with how it is understood by others or its effectiveness. To gain acceptance, provide multiple options and seek input, show designs side by side, and get someone to be both critical and vocal about the designs created.

Yoobi Infographic Idea: Marketing
On the supplies company, Yoobis's, site there is a short impact report that briefly describes the company's mission in providing supplies to schools in America through every purchase of their products. I would like to make an inforgraphic to create a visual summary of this report. The infographic would be divided into three parts: What We Give, Where We Give, and How You Can Help. This way there is a flow in the ideas that can be easily processed by the audience.

Iman Chicago Idea: Data 
I would like to create an infographic that entails the internal data that we collect through corner shop visits. This data contains the demographics of people visits, what is being sold, and concerns and expectations of customers. Using a scatter plot to effectively display satisfaction levels would be a good idea. In addition, using the concept of accessibility to make the inforgraphic usable by all not only volunteers but public officials and donors would be a goal as well.