Memorandum

To: From: Date: Subject: Action Required: Cindy Raisor, Professor for CHEN 301 Anna Burgess, Daniel Irvin, Christie Nash, and Felipe Bassan (Group 9) October 18, 2013 Infograph Technology Report Review infograph before team prints final copy

Purpose We were asked to prepare an infograph that addressed how to perform an energy balance and to evaluate infograph technology options. The objective of this memo is to fulfill that request of completing an infograph technology report on the potential infograph sites that could be used to complete our infograph project. The topic chosen for our infograph is how to solve an energy balance. The URL for our infograph is https://magic.piktochart.com/output/609905-dark-2. Summary The following information includes three infograph sites that were tested to see which would be the best candidate to complete the infograph. The sites that we chose to research were Infograph, Drawio, and Piktochart. These three sites were graded using three categories: navigation, elements, and miscellaneous. The categories were each split into three sub categories to help determine the score of each infograph site. The total scores of the infograph sites are listed in the table below. Infograph Site Infograph Drawio Piktochart Score 23 21 27

The sites can be ranked as follows Piktochart, Infograph, and Drawio. We believe that the best site to create our infograph is Piktochart; it scored the highest and had all the elements required for each category. Overall This report will cover three sites: Infograph, Drawio, and Piktochart. The sites were graded on effectiveness in three categories: navigation, elements, and miscellaneous. Each of these categories have sub categories that the sites were also graded on to get a combined score for the category. After each category is totaled, they will be added together to get a total score for the info-graph site. The highest ranking site will be used for the infograph project.

Navigation The category, navigation, is concerned with how easy the infograph site is to learn. The importance of having a site that is simple is so that more time can be taken into the formation of the infograph. The sub categories of this section consist of login access, icons, and the ability to place graphics or text throughout the infograph. Login Access The sub category, login access, looks at the requirements to set up an account for the site. Our group did not want to divulge our social media accounts, so we wanted a site that enabled multiple users to login with the same username and password. Another concern was having to learn another persons email address to log onto the site; we wanted a site that gave the option to have a username rather than an email account. Icons The sub category, icons, looks at being able to locate the different options the site provides quickly. A necessary aspect is to provide a menu bar that shows all the different elements that can be uploaded into the infograph. Ability to Place Elements on the Infograph The final requirement for this sub category is being able to take the icon elements from the menu bar and placing them anywhere on the infograph. If the site provides freedom, the vision for the infograph is not limited to the templates provided and allows for custom formatting. Elements The category, elements, checks the premade elements included within the infograph site free of charge. These different options fall into three specific sub categories: templates, installed graphics, and format. Having these options allows the infograph to become more visually appealing and help the reader better understand the topic. Templates The sub category, templates, is dedicated to finding premade templates that can be edited or changed to fit different topics. The reason for going against a site, that does not offer templates, resonates from having to create an entire format that includes borders, headings, and an overall theme. Premade themes give the user an idea of how to place information in a way that the audience can gather the idea in a small amount of space. nother important aspect themes need to have is versatility meaning that certain elements can be either deleted or added to the premade infograph. These requirements help mold the infograph into the desired topic chosen. Installed Graphics The key aspects for the sub category, installed graphics, makes sure that not all the graphics have to be created in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. The problem with creating graphics off the site is the fact that not everything transfers clearly or can fit on the template chosen. Graphics will enhance the infograph by giving the audience something

to remember the information better. Also, the graphics need to fit the premade templates. This makes the graphics look less out of place and keeps the reader from being distracted.

Format The goal of the sub category, format, is to verify that borders, fonts, and blocks can be added or changed within the infograph. The format needs to be flexible so that the information can be clearly organized and will not confuse the audience. Miscellaneous The category, miscellaneous, is dedicated to checking for key features that are important. The sub categories are the ability to save the infograph offline, the capability of uploading all types of documents/graphics, and the presence of color themes. These were chosen to be a priority because it made it easier on the group to accomplish the project. Ability to Save Offline The sub category, the ability to save offline, is a simple check to make sure the infograph can be savable without the internet. This feature is important so that later versions can be saved and that if the internet crashes an easy copy/paste job can be performed to return to the premade infograph. Capability of Uploading All Types of Documents/Graphics The sub category, the capability of uploading all types of documents/graphics, checks if documents/graphics can easily be incorporated into the infograph. The fact that the topic chosen for the infograph must be specific to chemical engineering and not many premade graphics will reflect the topic unless created from scratch and uploaded is why this capability is important. Color Themes The sub category, color themes, checks the site for premade color themes that go along with the different templates. This feature will make the infograph visually appealing and ensures the colors will coordinate. Scoring The infograph site with the highest total score is the site we chose to use for the infograph project. The sub categories score from 1 to 3. One means the site meets little to none of the sub category requirements. Two means the site contains some, but not all the listed requirements in that sub category. Three means the site has all the requirements in that sub category. Therefore, each category can score between three and nine. Once all the categories have their total scores, the entire score for the site can be calculated by adding up the three categories. A site can score between nine and twenty-seven in its entirety.

Scores Categories Sub Categories Infograph 1 2 3 Sub Category Category Total Total 3 8 2 3 3 2 3 1 3 8 Total

Navigation

Elements

Miscellaneous

Login Access Icons Ability to Place Elements Templates Installed Graphics Format Ability to Save Offline Capability of Uploading Documents/Graphics Color Themes

X X X X X X X X

23

The site, Infograph, was ranked second out of the infograph sites that were tested. In the navigation section, the site allowed login with a username rather than an email and multiple users could be logged in at the same time. Also, the login information did not require connecting to a social media site. The site scored a three in login information. The icons were easy to find, but did not offer a main menu, rather the icons were scattered. The site was given a two in the icons sub category. The site has the ability to take those elements and place them anywhere with a quick click and drag motion, so it scored three points. The site scored an 8 out of 9 in the navigation category. Regarding the elements category, the site scored three points in the template sub category because there were more than a few templates offered and those templates could be edited. The site only came with limited options of premade graphics, such as video, map, or an Excel graph, which are not needed in the project. The installed graphics sub category received a two. The formatting sub category was given three points because borders, lines, and preexisting formats could be replicated or made easily. This added up to eight points in the elements category. The last category, miscellaneous, the site scored a one in saving the infograph offline; this option was only available with the upgraded version of the site. This site made it easy to upload/copy and paste documents or graphics. The site scored three points. The color themes sub category scored three points because there were a variety of color theme options for each template. The total score for the miscellaneous category was a seven. The total score for the infograph site was twenty-three.

Categories

Sub Categories

Drawio 1 2

Login Access Icons Ability to Place Elements Elements Templates Installed Graphics Format Implementation Ability to Save Offline Capability of Uploading Documents/Graphics Color Themes

Navigation

X X X X X X X X

Sub Category Total Category Total Total 3 9 21 3 3 1 2 1 3 3 4

The site, Drawio, ranked last of the three sites. In the navigation category, Drawio scored a perfect nine points. The login information was a username rather than an email and the site did not force a social media site to be attached. The icons were all listed in a menu side bar and those elements were easy to put into the infograph. The elements category was where Drawio scored low with four points out of nine. The reason for the low score was due to nonexistence of premade templates, which caused too much white space on the infograph. The sub category of templates was scored a one. Drawio has a clipart feature but, the preexisting elements were far to one dimensional and were not visually appealing. The score of the installed graphics was a two. The last sub category is format. Although there were shapes available to put on the infograph, the white space was too large to fill due to the blank template. Format scored a one. In the last category, miscellaneous, Drawio did fairly well. The infograph could be saved offline and any type of document could be uploaded to the site, which resulted in the two sub categories saving offline and uploading documents, to score threes. The only drawback in this category is color themes are not offered. The only option is to change the background color, which gave color themes section a score of a two. In the miscellaneous category Drawio scored an eight, which gives a total score of twenty-one.

Categories

Sub Categories

Piktochart 1 2

Navigation

Elements

Miscellaneous

Login Access Icons Ability to Place Elements Templates Installed Graphics Format Ability to Save Offline Capability of Uploading Documents/Graphics Color Themes

X X X X X X X X

Sub Category Category Total Total 3 9 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 9

Total

27

Piktochart scored not only a perfect score, but was superior to the other two infograph sites. The navigation category scored a nine. The login access could be a username and did not require information to one of our social media sites. All the icons are placed on a side menu bar. Graphics are easy to place with a click and drag motion. In the elements category, templates was scored a three due to its several options and the ability to customize those templates. The premade graphics fit with the preexisting template, which made the infograph that much more uniform and visually appealing. The formatting was easy to change on Piktochart because the menu bar on the site offered different options of what could be placed on the infograph, such as different fonts that were already split into header, sub heading, and text. The last category, miscellaneous, was scored a perfect nine because the infograph could be saved offline, documents could be uploaded easily, and the site offered several color themes for each template. The total score for Piktochart was 27. This infograph site was the best site for our infograph project. Conclusion Piktochart is the site we chose to complete our infograph assignment based upon the perfect scores in the navigation, elements, and miscellaneous categories. Thus proving Piktochart possesses the necessary qualities we need to complete the infograph project.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at: Name Anna Burgess Christie Nash Daniel Irvin Felipe Bassan Email Address Acb2678@neo.tamu.edu Nashchristie7@neo.tamu.edu Dirvin1@neo.tamu.edu Felipebassan@neo.tamu.edu

832-875-3813 214-264-7315 281-725-2953 214-636-7684