Sharing your research

Visual literacy: using images effectively and ethically

Communicating your research

Data visualisation is an increasingly common way of conveying complex data in a visual way. You may not consider yourself a visual artist or creator; however, expressing your ideas or research to an audience is an invaluable skill. Below is an example of how an idea has been translated into a striking diagram.

A colour diagram visualising Ikigai, the Japanese concept. — Winn, M. and Buettner, D. (2014) 'Ikigai – Japanese concept to enhance work, life & sense of worth'. Available at: https://informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/ikigai-japanese-concept-to-enhance-work-life-sense-of-worth/ (Accessed: 16 February 2018).

Moving image

With practice and user-friendly tools, we can develop the skills to create infographics and presentations to share our ideas. Research can also be communicated through animation, which is evident in the following video. Hans Rosling, with the aid of graphics, explains how the art of visualising data is critical to effectively sharing information.

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