It’s easy to fall in love with a specific medium. The combo of audio, visual, written, and animated elements in a motion graphic creates a multi-sensory, emotionally driven experience for audiences. For some projects, the silent, easy-to-share, and sometimes tactile (print) medium of static work is the best fit. But for others, the participatory design and custom experience of an interactive infographic is most effective of all.
You should choose the right medium for your content based on your audience. Above all, focus on your goals for how that audience should respond. But how can you determine whether interactive content — like this microsite for the Nuclear Threat Initiative — is the best fit for your project? Here are 7 scenarios in which an interactive infographic might be the best choice.
1. Your Audience Wants a Personalized Experience Like No Other
SmarterHQ has found that 72% of all consumers will not engage with marketing messages unless the message is personalized just for them. Learn more about personalization of interactive content in our ebook on the subject.
So if you’re not yet incorporating personalization into your marketing strategy, interactive content might be the best fit for your next push.
2. Your Content Is Lengthy, Complex, or Both
Interactive elements like tooltips, parallax scrolling, tabs, and other features can help to prioritize information for users. This way, you can avoid overwhelming your audience. Rather than showcasing complex/detailed info in a single view, choose features like these instead.
3. You Need to Gather Survey Responses or Data Sets for a Report
You could use a spreadsheet or word processor to tally responses received over the phone, in person, or by email. But letting a system collect and review them for you sounds a lot easier, doesn’t it? Interactive quizzes and dashboards can gather that information, tally it, and present it in a visually useful way. So take advantage of this approach to save your team plenty of time.
4. An Interactive Calculator or Quiz Infographic Could Guide Your Audience to a Product or Service
If your company’s offerings target distinct segments, your audience may need help picking out the product or service that’s right for them. In some cases, this selection process is simple. However, when the choice is more nuanced, a brand’s input can be invaluable. Consequently, a thoughtful interactive design can help them reach the right conclusion.
5. You Want Users to Better Retain Information
A 2015 study showed researchers that the inclusion of interactivity yielded a more positive assessment of the interface of a website. In addition, it also improved comprehension of the info. So if you want users to really remember the content you’ve shared, an interactive medium could be the right fit.
Curious what visual communication can do for you?
6. You Want to Stand Out
In a DemandMetric survey, 55% of marketers said static content is somewhat/very effective at helping them stand out. But a notable 88% of marketers said the same about interactive content.
So, the conclusion? Interactive content may be among the most effective types of visual content for increasing brand visibility.
7. You Want to Convert
The same DemandMetric survey revealed that 70% of marketers felt interactive content converts moderately or very well. Yet only 36% said static could do the same.
Do any of these reasons sound familiar? If so, talk to your visual communication agency partner about your vision. It can be helpful to go in with examples of what you have in mind. So track down some interactive infographics to match the reasons that resonate with you!
