Infographic Webapps

Successful communication with an audience is vital to anyone who is taking the time to share information and data. One must be thorough and present data in a format that its readers can understand and glean knowledge from. One way to do so is through the use of infographic web apps. In this particular blog, I will be critiquing three different free infographic web apps for ease of use and access to tools to better create infographics. To become familiar with each web app, I found research data from Pew Research Center and attempted to create three identical infographics using bar charts to represent data found on the use of digital devices and social media sites by children ages 11 and younger during the years of 2020 and 2021. This was of interest to a lot of people due to this being the time period when Covid was prevalent and many people were social distancing and finding other means of entertainment - especially parents with young children. 

The first infographic web app I tested was Easel.ly. This particular application, as noted in a beginner's tutorial on youtube, works best in Firefox. However, I used Google Chrome and had no problems. To begin using this application, you may sign up for a free account by registering with your email and creating a password. After setting up your free account, the dashboard provides public layouts/templates for the user to choose from with an option to create from scratch. Within each template, you can manipulate your project by adding objects, shapes, and text, uploading photos, changing colors, and more. I began my infographic creation using a blank template. I inserted and manipulated a bar chart to reflect the data I had found on children using digital devices and social media sites during a two-year span. I did struggle some when trying to adjust the bar chart to show a title for the x & y axis or when wanting to change the coloring and text font and size on the free version. I was disappointed that I could not do any of those things but continued with my creation. Though there was a bit of a learning curve to using this particular web application, I did finally finish my infographic. There are many ways to share your creations: email, link, and embed code. You can also invite others to edit your work or share it on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Overall, I wasn’t too impressed with this application, but I can say it got the job done. 

The second infographic web application I reviewed was Infogram. I tried accessing this web app using Google Chrome but encountered problems with the site loading. I was finally able to access it using Microsoft Edge. Once creating my free account, I noticed the dashboard had a very clean interface. I also noticed there were templates available for the user but only about six to eight. The options available were fundamental but users can add charts, text, maps, pictures, and video links. Unlike Easel.ly, projects can be shared on additional social media sites other than Facebook and Twitter. An additional option includes Pinterest and publishing to the web. Users can generate an embed code to use as needed. I was disappointed to see that the option to download my project required upgrading my account from a free account to a paid account. Overall, this infographic web application wasn’t too bad, but I was left wanting more. 

The third infographic web app I evaluated was Piktochart. As with the other infographic applications, once creating a free account, you arrive at your dashboard. This web application also offers various templates and project themes to its users. I attempted to create a bar chart just as I had in the previous web apps by selecting a blank template. As I began my infographic, I noticed that Piktochart offered more graphic and formatting options. I was also impressed at the additional tools such as adding maps, charts, videos, etc. While creating my bar chart, I could also manipulate the properties of the chart to include X and Y-axis titles, along with the ability to manipulate the font and coloring of the text on the chart. I noticed that there was an option to import data for ease in making charts or other infographic visuals. Once done with your creation, a user may download the project as an image or pdf. It can also be shared via email as an attachment or printed with the use of a desktop computer. Sharing the Piktograph creation can also be done via many social websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, Pinterest, email, or the generation of an embed code. This web app also allows its users to share their projects via email directly within the application. Once shared, recipients may view, interact, and leave comments on the project. Overall, I felt as though this particular web application was the most user-friendly and offered more features and tools than the other infographic applications. Check out the infographic I created below using Piktochart!