This is the age of images! There is nothing catchier than a good photograph, especially now that we are all prominent photographers and Instagram is our personal showcase. Every day millions of images are shared on social networks and that makes us prodigals consumers of colored pixels.

The software on our computers and smartphones is increasingly visual. Icons show us roads, but also activities, tastes, etc. We depend on images not only when we take the highway to avoid getting lost, but also to understand how to move around in an airport or a hospital.

Learning processes have not been safe from the visual invasion of which nobody is immune. But exploiting the potential of images has made us develop better techniques to use them for the purpose of teaching and learning. And there is where infographics become key players.

What is an infographic? 

If you say it quickly, an infographic is just graphed information. In other words, it is a visual way to present simply and directly relevant information on a topic. That is why it should be easy and quick to get it.

An infographic is a strategic combination of simple, flashy and easy to understand images, with minimal text information linked directly with those images. This facilitates transmission of information as it is interpreted instantly.

If you see it that way, infographics are tremendously useful to present complex information that perhaps explained only through texts would never be attractive. In any case, an infographic must explain from a glance, so it must be memorable and easy to get.

Infographics and online education

When you develop an online course the preparation stage could be a headache. However, we must always choose the most useful and simpler materials. Anything that allows a person to learn by itself is always the most valuable resource.

Infographics allow us not only to present information in a visually engaging way but also allow the learning process to be more efficient and straightforward. Our memory recalls an image better than words. Consider that about 50% of our brain activity is intended to image processing.

When you learn online it is necessary to present data, for example, in a way most people could get them effortlessly. To make it easy to digest, process and analyze is a children’s game with an infographic. As a visual aid, infographics allow us to save time and space when explaining complex topics. The optimization of the learning process wins a great deal!

Through an infographic, we can link topic that apparently has no connection whatsoever. It helps us show the bridges that must be laid when building knowledge. In short, infographics help us simplify explanations and show in very simple ways that issue that might be too complex to explain textually.

Infographics and learning

Think about this: to understand an image can take as little as a tenth of a second. It is mandatory to grasp the potential of images and pour it into the teaching and learning processes. Need more reasons? Well, you must know that approximately 70% of our sensory receptors are in sight. Are you going to waste that?

Learning from images is as efficient as this: in a split second we are able to process the meaning of an icon or symbol. And to process information quickly is a huge requisite in a time in which we suffer from an information overload. Today we must process 5 times more information a day than 30 years ago. Not impressed? What if we tell you that it is about 34Gb of digital data?

Besides, consider that to explain a process with images and text increases our understanding more than 300%. Not to mention that we remember what we see 70% more than what we hear and 60% more than what we read.

There are many web tools to develop our own infographics, such as Canva, Inforgram, Visually, Venngage and Piktochart. Although it may not be so simple at first, it is important that we start to practice now. Practice makes perfect and if we want that our online course to be really attractive and efficient, infographics are the resource use.

Dare to make your own infographic now! Make it about a simple process, with minimal information to learn something easy and then share it with us on Instagram mentioning @Teachlr. Now It’s the time to teach something new!