4. Pictures / Images

The saying 'a picture can say a thousand words' is very true - think about some of the images that you have seen and how they can tell you a story without reading a single word.

Images can be used to convey many different types of information:

Symbols

Traffic and safety signs are excellent examples of using images to convey information.street signs

Have a look at the example on the right. Even if the person driving cannot speak English - a tourist perhaps - they are likely to understand the meaning of the traffic light symbols.

The ability of humans to recognise simple images and attach a meaning to them makes this an ideal way of communicating information to drivers who might only have a couple of seconds to see the sign.

Such symbols are also very valuable to convey information to people who have poor literacy skills or perhaps don't speak the native language. Again, they would be able to interpret most of the above signs very quickly.

sign with text

 

 

 

 

Symbols are often combined with text to help explain what they mean. The disadvantage of this is that they may take slightly longer to perceive and you need to understand the language.

 

 

 

 

 

 

confusing signHowever, if you cannot quickly recognise the symbol then it can lead to confusion. Would you have understood this symbol on first sight?

(it means no spitting! found in Japan)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Charts and Graphs

chartPeople are excellent at seeing patterns and trends in visual information and so graphics can be a very effective way of communicating.

Consider this:

Even without seeing the numbers on the axis, it is obvious that there is a strong trend upwards in this information.

Graphs are used extensively to present numerical information.

 

Some other examples of where images can be used to convey information are:

  • Floor plans
  • CAD drawings
  • Flowcharts

challenge see if you can find out one extra fact on this topic that we haven't already told you

Click on this link: Warning Symbols

 

challenge see if you can find out one extra fact on this topic that we haven't already told you

Click on this link: Charts and Graphs