The use of infographics in the news has become more common in recent years. Yael de Haan, of University of Applied Sciences in Utrecht, Sanne Kruikemeier, of University of Amsterdam, Sophie Lecheler, of University of Vienna, Gerard Smit, of University of Applied Sciences in Utrecht, and Renee van der Nat, of University of Applied Sciences in Utrecht study how news consumers use and appreciate news visualizations.

The authors conducted an eye-tracking study, focus groups and a survey among readers of three news media. Results show that, regardless of the platform, news consumers do read news visualizations,. Visualizations are appreciated, but only if they are coherent and easily understood.

The article ” When Does an Infographic Say More Than a Thousand Words? Audience evaluations of news visualizations” was published online by Journalism Studies. It is available here.

Picture: Sketchbook by Lauren Manning, licence: CC BY 2.0