Abstract
The study investigates when to use data visualizations and when to use infographics, by comparing the two information charts for viewer insight and persuasion. Furthermore, this study explores how viewer involvement differs between data visualization and infographic. We used a research framework based on Elaboration Likelihood Model, which is an information processing theory that described how high and low involvement participants process information. We designed an experiment with treatments based on a dataset of starting salaries provided by Ministry of Education. In the experiment, participants were exposed to one of the treatments — data visualization or infographic — then asked to answer a variety of questions about perceptions, insight, and opinion change. The results show that data visualization is overall better at insight. However, participants’ age also influenced results. Although practitioners design infographics to engage low involvement viewers, our study found that even low involvement participants have better insight from data visualizations than infographics. On the other hand, the persuasiveness of the data visualization and infographic was similar between high and low involvement participants. The high involvement group was more easily persuaded. Furthermore, argument quality and attractiveness also increased persuasiveness.