publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/395170
more images than words. The results of this study were recently referenced in Joshua Foer's blockbuster "Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything," in which the author also mentions a peculiar phenomenon: that words are processed by our short-term memory, where we can only retain about seven bits of information (plus or minus two). Images, on the other hand, go directly into long-term memory. 4. Visuals Are More Convincing: A well-designed visual communicates information quickly and clearly. The half-a-trillion dollar advertising industry has been taking advantage of this insight for ages. Marketing research shows that customers are more likely to consider contacting a business, or buying a product, if the ad is accompanied by an image. A Management Information Systems Research Center at the University of Minnesota study, sponsored by 3M, concluded that presentations using visual aids are 43 percent more effective in persuading the audience to take a desired course of action than unaided presentations. 5. Visuals Maximize Presentation Effectiveness: On both conscious and subconscious levels, people have preferences about how information is presented. A presentation that is designed and delivered in a way that is similar to how we are used to receiving and processing information has a greater chance to be understood and acted upon. Visual information is more universal and is easier for us to process than information received from an oral presentation or text. Even simple changes, such as changes in font type, size or color, have the power to make a presentation more attractive to the audience. They can also render it virtually useless. To see this in action, take a relatively complex, but well- formatted, article from any major publication — preferably one with graphs, charts or infographics in it — paste or type it into a simple text editor like Notepad, print it out, and see which version you understand better. Last, but not least, data visualization allows people to quickly examine large amounts of data and unveil buried patterns. Moreover, if a presentation slide contains well-chosen, thoughtfully crafted visuals instead of bullet points or distracting blurbs of text, and it is accompanied by the presenter's oral narration, the data will be absorbed from at least two parallel channels without much interference, resulting in more productive discussions and information exchange with key decision- makers. Top strategy consulting firms have been successfully utilizing this exact approach. HOW TO BEGIN Before any visual work can start, it is crucial to make sure the right data (i.e., well-chosen, filtered and formatted, and supportive of the message being communicated) are available to present to your target audience. Do your research on data-gathering procedures and techniques. Just like words, choose your data wisely. Let's assume we have the data ready for delivery and all that's needed is nice packaging. Whether you are creating your own visuals or hiring somebody else to do the job, it is important to be aware of the basic concepts of designing effective visualizations: ILTA WHITE PAPER: OCTOBER 2014 WWW.ILTANET.ORG 14 DATA VISUALIZATION FOR LEGAL: WHY YOU NEED IT AND HOW TO START By design, visuals are concise and informative. Several points can be delivered in a single graphic.