MEMORANDUM

To: From: Date: Subject: Cindy Raisor, Technical Writing Lecturer Group 16 Lauren Lauher, Karoleen Joseph, Hunter Reagan, Alan Schultz October 18, 2013 Infographic Evaluation Report

Executive Summary

As required by the collaborative infographic assignment, we have completed an evaluation report of the potential infographic tools for relating chemical engineering information. We evaluated a number of graphic platforms and ultimately chose to use Piktochart. This platform provided a range of symbols and customization options all on an easy to use, visually appealing template. The final product was eye-catching and conveyed the information in a logical manner. It is important to note that each platform was evaluated on the basis of its cost-free version. The merits of each platforms upgraded version may vary from what is listed here.

Discussion The purpose and intended audience of our final product dictated our infographic assessment criteria. Since we aimed to introduce the topic of hydrocarbon cracking on a broad level to undergraduate students, we needed a platform that offered simple graphic options (symbols, shapes, charts and diagrams). Too few graphic options or graphics of a highly technical nature would underwhelm or overwhelm the viewer respectively. Furthermore, we assumed that only a small portion of our target audience would have the time and motivation to leisurely peruse our graphic. As such, we required the infographic be visually appealing to attract their attention. In this regard we considered color palette, text and image customization options, and the array of template backgrounds available. From a functionality standpoint, we needed a tool that would work with our objective of non-technical data. Ultimately we needed a great deal of flexibility in spatial arrangement and organization, which boiled down to customizable canvas parameters. Finally we needed an infographic tool that our team could use confidently in a matter of a few days. This translated to a desire for a simple WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get.) toolbar, a platform devoted specifically to infographics, and a popular platform with frequently asked questions, or searchable support videos available online. Below is a table outlining the results of our assessment.

Infographic Platform Evaluation Infographic Platform Piktochart Infogr.am Draw.io Easel.ly Microsoft PowerPoint Good: Fair: Poor: Graphics Aesthetic Appeal Flexibility Ease of Use

PIKTOCHART Piktochart provided a wide variety of symbols. For our purpose this was ideal; we needed to convey our technical topics with representative graphics. While there was not a vast array of preformatted templates, the options available met our requirements for aesthetics. The WYSIWYG editor tool bar allowed for straightforward customization of color and size of images. Furthermore, with three different canvas widths to choose from and an expandable canvas length, this platform had virtually no space constraints. Beyond the visual appeal, the organizational flexibility of Piktochart meant that we could provide just enough information to pique readers interest without overwhelming him with data. INFOGR.AM Well equipped to convey numerical data, Infogr.am provided a wide array of charts and tables for users to select, customize and add to the infographic. For instance, pictorial charts depicting human statistics and a selection of ready-made background and template infographics were available. Considering that our audience was already inundated with numbers in their coursework, we sought to provide a more qualitative overview of the hydrocarbon cracking process. To that end, Infogr.am, lacked a bank of ready-made symbols for users to input. Without this qualification we were forced to remove an otherwise stellar platform from our consideration. DRAW.IO Page 2 of 4

At its root, Draw.io is an ideal engineering graphic creator. It allows for creation of complex flow charts and diagrams, by including a bank of standard P&ID symbols. The toolbar also allows for reorganization of the diagram with the click of a button. If we were interested in providing a flowchart for the cracking process - focusing perhaps on a single fluidized catalytic cracking unit, Draw.io would be the platform of choice. This would shift the audience we were targeting from all undergraduate chemical engineering students, to senior undergraduate or graduate students. As an additional negative, Draw.io did not offer any pre-designed templates or backgrounds. EASEL.LY With by far the most unique free template backgrounds, Easel.ly was at first an attractive option. However, the boundaries of the infographic could not be extended, which severely limits the amount of data conveyed. Moreover, while the selectable symbol, shapes and image bank were diverse, there were not options for creating charts or tables. As expressed previously, we sought to provide a qualitative overview of cracking, but we also did not want to completely limit ourselves to non-quantitative data. These drawbacks were severe enough that our consideration of Easel.ly ended shortly thereafter. MICROSOFT POWERPOINT Using Microsoft PowerPoint to create an infographic was decidedly unappealing. We were familiar with PowerPoint as a presentation tool, but not as an infographic tool. With a relatively short learning curve, we hesitated to select a platform whose main product was not an infographic. The availability of shape, symbols, and graphics available through the Microsoft Office software was enticing, but some graphics such as Wingdings characters would be difficult to view and sort. The limited templates provided in the Course Resource File Cabinet were well made, but not in the layout we ultimately decided upon. Conclusion While there were many qualified infographic mediums available online, we had to ask ourselves, What is our purpose? Which infographic platform allows us to meet that objective? Piktochart best enabled us to create a graphic conveying high-level hydrocarbon cracking information in a visually appealing fashion. We are confident that the tools and options Piktochart provided resulted in a graphic that, if placed in a hallway, would compel an undergraduate engineering student to stop and browse. We hope if the reader finds the subject interesting, she will pursue more Page 3 of 4

information at her leisure. We look forward to your feedback on our assignment. Please dont hesitate to contact us if you have any follow-up questions.

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