Web project „Bee infographic“

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Complex infographic project in online format about main characteristic of bees, their life, honey production, for people, who:
1. Interested in general information about nature life (“bee enthusiast”, who read science-popular publications);
2. People in education environment (teachers in biology, pupils of 9-11 grades );
3. Beginner or Professional Honey Bee keeper.

Press to see project

The process of creation

1. Research

Approx. 71 resources were studied:

web articles about beekeeping,

books about biology, insects, bee farming,

documentary movies,

on-line science-popular magazines

2. Sketching

3. User personas and scenarios creation

User personas were created from user groups with scenarios of how they can behave reading infographics. It was useful for better understanding the ways of improving infographics.

Scenario:

The person is reading a magazine on an airplane to pass the time.

Personas:

1. Person generally interested in biology and animal life (28, M, Stewart)

Stewart is sitting in first class and goes through the available magazines to pass the time. He finds a National Geographic with an article about honey bees on the cover which he find quite interesting since he realizes he doesn’t really know how the honey he has lined up next to his tea is made. The stylistic elements of the infographics make it easy for him to find the correct part which deals with honey production and he starts to look through it. He is motivated to start reading the actual text as the visualizations are quite effortless.

After reading some more he gets into the specifics of honey production and finds in rather unpleasant to read while drinking his tea with honey and stops reading. He’ll return to it later.

2. Pupil (15, F, Hannah)

Hannah is going on vacation with her parents and her phone is out of battery so she needs to do something else to avoid boredom. Her father bought a National Geographic at the airport so she gives it a go. Quickly flicking through the pages she just glances at the pictures for something to grab her attention when she comes across the infographics and illustrations about bees.

Illustrations about the anatomies of bees catch her eye and she looks at the other visualizations as well, but skips the actual text. Regardless, she learns good general information about anatomy, types of bees, early life-cycle and bee communication through dance, but skips the longer texts and graphs which don’t motivate her to spend time on them.

Hannah comes across the same article when the magazine is passed in biology class the week later and now she tries to memorize the visual information to get most of the subject with minimal effort worrying it will be in the upcoming test.

3.Biology teacher (35, F, Natalia)

Natalia has her ordered copy of NG with her on the plane to read on her way to the ATEE convention. She is very knowledgeable about bees and is curious to see how the article and it’s infographics portray the relevant information. She reads everything closely and wonders how well the visualizations deliver the information.

She finds parts of the article worth showing her pupils, but finds them not quite specific and accurate enough for her own interests.

She knows too much already to receive other then pleasant reminders of facts and some minor new details, but her pupils might find the visuals easier and more motivating to learn from then the same information in text form.

She’ll pass the magazine in class the next week.

4.Beginner honey beekeeper (41, F, Irene)

Irene reads the online version of NG because she was looking for information about the yearly cycle of the bees online and came across the article. She quickly found to the graphic about the full life cycle while scrolling the page and studied it for some time to internalize the information. She then continued on the text to see if there is more relevant information concerning her interests in beekeeping while skipping some other parts about anatomy etc.

The timeline visualization she copied on her computer for future reference and thinks if she might get the infographics printed on the walls of her study for decorative and reminding purposes as she studies honey bees more in-depth.

4. Final version

Creating final graphical elements, layoting, sequence of sections.