"3-30-300" and "AIDA" Principles in Composing a Successful Infographic

Infographics, to me, is an important tool to build a sturdy bridge among researchers, designers, and also the stakeholders who do not share the same backgrounds knowledge with you.

Here is an example that I did in a research project on Town Watchers, or Wijkagent in Dutch. They are one kind of policemen, and their missions are mainly focused on how to prevent crime in communities instead of punishing crime like normal policemen. We presented the results of our findings in the research as an infographic.

In this infographic, we applied the "3-30-300" principle which indicates that, in first 3 seconds, readers can get immediately what this poster is about, in the following 30 seconds, they can know better by browsing through some subtitles or graphics, and, in the lasting 300 seconds, they can continue exploring the background knowledge with the detailed explanation. This idea could be demonstrated as the picture below.

We also apply the "AIDA" principle, which refers to Attraction, Interest, Desire, and Action. Attraction is to catch the attention of the reader. Interest is to appeal them with the topic or content. Desire is to make them eager to learn. Action is to ensure that the desire to learn is translated into actual learning.

In the first 3 seconds, we used the main metaphor, an elephant, to represent Town Watcher's compassionate personality and down-to-earth endeavor. We made it as a eye-catching item to attract people's attention and arouse people's interests in it. After their desire to learn more was triggered, n the following 30 seconds, readers can browsing through the various attributes around the elephant, such as a compassionate heart, a huge brain, and a back carrying responsibility. Then, in the lasting 300 seconds, they can learn more about the Town Watchers' daily life by reading the supporting articles and graphics surrounding the poster. The supporting materials ensure that the poster can be frequently revisited and stay fresh, informative, and inspiring.

However, an eye-catching drawing is not a guarantee to be a successful infographic. A well-made infographic must be coherent in these three levels. It is crucial to make sure there are enough clues and linkages among these three levels. So the reader will not be puzzled by the overwhelming data but always can find a way to go on. Only under a thorough, organized design process, the poster then can really attract people in the first sight and keep them been informed and inspired for a long time.