An infographic from Neo Mammalian Studios, an infographic creation agency, attempts to explain how visualizations affect that way that we perceive and understand data.
The meta-infographic uses research from a variety of sources, including Google Analytics, to show the apparent value of visuals. Neo Mammalian Studios notes that 99 percent of all sensory information is filtered out by the brain almost instantly due to the sheer volume of information that we process every day — about the equivalent of 174 newspapers for a typical Internet user.
This means that only 1 percent of information actually gets through to the user, and Neo Mammalian Studios boldly states that infographics have a number of unique traits that put them squarely in the middle of this 1 percent.
To make the case, the company uses a bit of biology. 90 percent of the information that the brain transmits is visual, and 50 percent of the brain is dedicated entirely to visual function. Because of the brain’s reliance on visual stimuli, it can process visuals 60,000 times faster than text.
Neo Mammalian Studios notes that Google search volumes for the keyword “infographic” have increased by over 800 percent over the past two years. Infographics have an excellent chance of going viral and attracting new readers to a website.
However, Neo Mammalian Studios notes that not all infographics attract thousands of tweets and social media fanfare. Successful infographics use unusual, aesthetically pleasing imagery and interesting, factual information to capture and keep the reader’s attention. Strong headlines, great graphics and high-quality content can make a tremendous difference in a graphic’s ability to attract an audience.
