Marketers, businesses, journalists, and anyone who works with content creation know how overwhelming data can be, especially with big numbers and texts. This is why recent technologies help developers, designers, and businesses to create visual content that is easy to understand and engaging to the readers.
Infographics allow one to see all important information at a glance, supplemented by images that help with understanding.
Let’s look at one of the easiest and most creative ways to consume content today through an interactive infographic also known as an animated infographic. We will also look at some stunning interactive infographic examples which you might get inspiration from in case you’re planning to create content as part of your marketing initiatives.
What are Interactive Infographics?
Before we dive deep into understanding interactive infographics, let’s define first what an infographic is. An infographic or “information graphic” is visual content to represent information or data.
Furthermore, an infographic is a collection of images, and data visualisation like pie charts, graphs, timelines, maps, line graphs, etc., allowing readers to understand the information in easy to read format.
The term interactive infographics are used to create infographics with some elements of interactivity using animation effects where the user can either scroll or click an image to see more information. Interactive content is the evolution of a static infographic that most companies are already using as part of their content strategy.
When talking about interactive infographics, creating complex content is not always necessary. Simple examples of these moving visuals include showing a question that flips over to display the answer when a user toggles over it or giving customers the option to click on different elements to learn more about them.
But there are instances that an interactive infographic may need more user interactivity and programming, and various clickable paths. This would allow users to explore more about the information.
Take this example created by The Economic Policy Institute that provides an educational graph about economic disparities and how to overcome them. The user would then choose how they would like to learn more about which Economic topics they want to explore more by doing various clickable paths: inequality.is/real.
Also read: Kick Start Your Marketing Campaign with Animated Infographic
What are the benefits of creating interactive infographics?
Different businesses want to include an interactive infographic for various reasons. Some think that creating an interactive infographic would attract huge numbers of views, while others want to provide information in a unique way to influence viewers’ opinions.
Whether you’re new to adding an interactive infographic to your content marketing initiatives or you’ve applied this from your previous campaigns and product launches, here are the benefits of adding the elements of interactivity to your infographics.
1. Increases user engagement
An interactive infographic demands user interaction. To fully appreciate the graphics, you must scroll, tap, click, or roll over specific parts. Such interactivity elements encourage and sustain the interest of your target audience.
More so, this increases the likelihood that readers will spend time reading the information. This way, users will be actively engaging with your content as compared to passively viewing it, helping them to retain the information they’ve seen.
2. Improves data and information consumption
When it comes to consuming content, images appeal more than simply using words to share a message or information. According to research at 3M Corporation, our brains digest visuals 60,000x quicker than plain text, that’s why visual formats are easier for your audience to understand.
Using animated and interactive infographics in this day and age helps users save more time instead of reading chunks of numbers and texts.
3. Appear More in Google Searches
Page rank for queries is determined by search engine algorithms using different factors, including high-quality backlinks from reliable sources. Therefore, adding animated and interactive infographics will likely generate more interest and backlinks than plain old text or an infographic.
Additionally, some analysts suggest that the reader’s duration of time spent on a site contributes to the overall SEO score. Search engines may penalise sites that are getting low dwell periods. Low dwell periods are when site visitors leave within a few seconds after visiting a website.
This suggests to search engines that the page did not answer the audience’s inquiry or concern.
4. Increase chances of sharing content
Generally speaking, people create content so that others will consume it and not just for the sake of producing one. With the help of an interactive infographic, information is more appealing and memorable. As a result, people who consume this content are more likely to share them with family and friends targeting a wider reach.
When it comes to social media marketing, an increased chance of sharing content is essential.
As more people interact with your posts by clicking, leaving comments, and sharing them, algorithms will recognise these actions and expose your content to more people, creating a positive feedback loop.
5. Helps to build authority
A static infographic or a typical blog post is not necessarily unreliable. However, an interactive infographic gives off a strong sense of authority right away. The same logic applies to the use of glass containers and elegant packaging by high-end cosmetics companies where aesthetics determine how much people value a given product.
Establishing a high-quality perception from your intended users is critical as perceived worth and price are directly correlated. Think of how we perceive expensive accessories like watches, bags, shoes, etc. We think of them as high-quality items, so it only makes sense that their price is also at a premium.
All elements of your site, including interactive infographics, will be evaluated by your site visitors. This is why going the extra mile to boost your authority by adding an interactive infographic to your business can help you charge based on your product or service’s perceived worth to scale your business.
6. Enhances the interest of your audiences
Why is it that people favour watching videos over reading? Why does sound improve images? Our brain is stimulated more whenever we add a new sensory experience, which is always satisfying.
But we want to avoid cognitive overload by adding too many graphics as it may distract the audience from what they’re intended to consume.
And with the right infographic added with some interactivity elements, you can offer your audience the perfect balance of information they need.
What is next for you?
It is good to know these benefits to help you determine why creating interactive infographics is used more these days. But it is not enough, instead, you may need to search for a more in-depth look at a topic to engage potential customers.
Let’s look at some creative and stunning interactive infographic examples which you might draw inspiration from.
Also read: Infographic Video: A Visualized Information That Catches Attention
Examples of Interactive Infographics
Interactive infographics are an excellent tool if you have a lot of data and want to tell a compelling story. Whether it’s survey research or a guided storytelling experience, they encourage users to explore your content and can deliver a lot more information than a traditional infographic.
Whether it’s super simple or extremely complex information, it all comes down to good design, interesting interactivity elements, and a fascinating topic. Here’s a look at some of the best interactive infographics that might be the right one for your next product or service launch.
1. The Evolution of the Web
The growth of the web is described in this interactive infographic from Google Chrome. This can be looked at from two different angles, which is either through the overall development of the Internet or by focusing on certain browsers and technologies.
2. The New New York Skyline
National Geographic shows how New York’s skyline, one of the most recognisable in the US, is changing. Site visitors can click on landmarks for more details as they scroll across the city.
3. How Search Works: From Algorithms to Answers
The convenience of Internet searches makes it simple to overlook the labour-intensive process involved in producing each search result. Google make this process easier to understand by adding some interactivity elements to its infographic.
4. World’s Biggest Data Breaches
Data theft is a concern for everyone, but big businesses are frequently the targets. You can see who has been hacked and to what extent with these infographic visuals added with some key elements to attract more interaction from site visitors made by David McCandless of Information is Beautiful.
5. Hungry Tech Giants
Tech giants expand through acquisitions rather than climbing enormous beanstalks. You can view five major companies’ conquests from 1999 to 2014 with the help of this infographic from Simply Business.
6. Will a Robot Take Your Job
This infographic from BBC that displays the possibility of robots replacing your job is extremely disturbing. Visitors can interact with this infographic by either putting in their occupation or selecting from a long list to view the percentage.
7. The Visual Web
A study about the effectiveness of visual content was done by GumGum and Brand Innovators, and it is presented in this infographic by Ceros.
8. Years You Have Left to Live, Probably
This infographic from Nathan Yau from FlowingData lets you toggle your age and gender to determine a person’s life expectancy.
9. Inception
Many of us still argue over what actually happened after watching the film “Inception.” But Matt Dempsey ends those arguments with his visually engaging content which clarifies the storyline.
10. 13 Reasons Why Your Brain Craves Infographics
The best way to illustrate why we appreciate infographics is through an interactive infographic. These interactive and animated infographics from NeoMam Studios are perfect for explaining the value of infographics to beginners.
Ways You Can Incorporate Interactive Infographics into your Business
There are different ways you can create your own interactive infographic content. Let’s look at the ways you can add interactive infographic content to your marketing strategy.
1. Using a design platform
One way where you can produce stunning interactive content is by using design platforms like Canva or Visme. This is an excellent choice if you have access to design resources and the funds to pay for an online design platform membership.
However, this may not be the best choice if you don’t have access to a professional designer or only knows a little about utilising the technology. This is because designers frequently use these tools that may be not available to non-designers.
2. Hiring a developer
In addition to graphic design, interactive infographics require a lot of work from conceptualising to adding interactivity elements. Although having a graphic designer is critical to the creation process, you may also need to hire a developer to carry out your vision. A skilled developer can create a stunning, personalised interactive infographic to meet your needs and objectives.
Alternatively, you can collaborate with an animation studio that specialises in interactive graphics like SuperPixel to lessen your concerns in strategising relevant and useful content for your target viewers.
What’s even better is that SuperPixel can create interactive infographics that help you engage key audiences in your business. This is a key factor if you’re planning to take your business to the next level.
Creating your own interactive infographic
When used properly, an interactive infographic can attract and maintain customers’ attention. It’s another medium that’s worth trying to incorporate into your marketing strategy.
It often takes a lot of work to create one, but if you’re searching for a proven method to communicate objective data and instantly attract and engage customers then this might be the perfect way to share your story with the world.
But doing it yourself is not necessary if you outsource them to an animation company like Superpixel to help your business create visually appealing and engaging interactive content that will resonate with your audience. Contact us now!
