USA Today is one of the leading news organizations in the United States, known for its commitment to providing comprehensive and engaging news coverage. One particular aspect that sets USA Today apart is its expertise in creating captivating data stories. USA Today wanted to augment their daily and weekly visual stories with additional responsive and interactive graphics. They needed a tool that would help them do this efficiently without compromising their unique visual language. That's when they discovered Infogram, a powerful data visualization tool that became an essential part of their workflow.
Data-driven journalism enriched with visualization
Covering a broad spectrum of topics including politics, economics, sports, entertainment and more, USA Today's data stories employ data-driven journalism to uncover insights, reveal trends, and provide context to significant events and issues. By presenting data visually, USA Today enables readers to grasp complex concepts more easily, fostering a deeper understanding.
In an interview with Jim Sergant, the Senior Manager and Digital Design Editor at USA Today, he shares how Infogram has improved their team's workflow and production scalability. Infogram stood out among other data visualization tools due to its unique features and capabilities.
Improving workflow with Infogram
“As one of our company’s administrators, I quickly saw the benefits of the tool for USA TODAY’s Graphics Department,” Jim confidently states.
The interactive graphics on Infogram allowed them to create simple feverlines and bar charts within minutes. “Even the most basic graphics could take a half hour to produce with traditional tools such as Adobe Illustrator. Even then, we consistently faced the challenge of striking the perfect balance between how a graphic would look on desktops and mobile devices. With Infogram, we could be assured they would size properly in both environments,” Jim assures.
One specific example of how Infogram increased efficiency and improved collaboration at USA Today was in the creation of responsive and interactive graphics. Before using Infogram, interactive graphics were limited to their biggest projects, which required the involvement of developers.
“Before Infogram, responsive and interactive graphics were generally left to our biggest projects because most required a developer. While we still need developers to create those projects, we’ve raised the bar for our daily or weekly visual stories,” Jim explains. “It has been as if our team gained additional developers, as we're now able to create responsive and interactive graphics with Infogram more frequently and efficiently.”
Pushing the boundaries of storytelling with interactive graphics
Among the projects that USA Today created using Infogram, one that stands out is their coverage of the debt ceiling debate between Republicans and Democrats. USA Today's Graphics Director, Javier Zarracina, collaborated with one of their Washington bureau reporters to explain the two sides using multiple Infogram charts. This project showcased the power of Infogram in conveying complex information in a visually engaging and accessible manner.
The charts score in interactivity and provide a highly engaging and visually appealing presentation of key information.
The value and effectiveness of Infogram's features were instrumental in supporting USA Today's work objectives. “The capability of making fully responsive projects has made Infogram a must-have tool for several members of our department,” Jim confidently states.
Visual storytelling at its best
USA Today pushed the boundaries of storytelling by leveraging Infogram's features in various projects. “I tested out and showcased the capability of Infogram with our year-in-review visual story in 2020, and our team has continued to push storytelling boundaries with it,” Jim says.
USA Today's Year-in-Review article provides a comprehensive visual exploration of the significant events and trends that shaped 2020, offering readers a compelling retrospective journey through the most impactful moments of the year. From the global pandemic to social justice movements, the article encapsulates the essence of 2020, highlighting the power of visuals to convey the complexities of a tumultuous year.
Furthermore, USA Today also published a highly impactful illustrative project about the happenings in Mariupol, Ukraine. “Most recently we leveraged the responsive Infogram feature with our illustrations in our siege of Mariupol project, which won a bronze medal this May in the Society of News Design annual competition,” Jim mentions.
USA Today's article on the Siege of Mariupol in Ukraine is a gripping visual narrative that vividly depicts the devastating events and aftermath of the conflict, providing readers with a visceral understanding of the human toll and destruction caused by the war. Through its detailed illustrations and compelling visual storytelling, the article sheds light on the resilience of the people of Mariupol and serves as a powerful reminder of the impact of armed conflicts on civilian populations.
The use of interactive graphics in these impactful articles demonstrate how Infogram's responsive capabilities allowed USA Today to take its stories to the next level.
Scaling production to a new level
USA Today's Graphics Department has always produced excellent work. However, before Infogram, they faced a limitation in the amount of responsive and interactive work they could create, as it heavily relied on the availability of their developers. “Infogram has opened up the floodgates of experimentation on our team. We’ve easily increased our digital production tenfold,” Jim states. “Making a quick online chart or feverline might be the reason we first signed on with Infogram, but we’ve stayed with Infogram because its responsive capabilities let us take our work to the next level – very similar to AI to HTML,” Jim elaborates.
Ultimately, the ability to quickly create data visualizations with Infogram significantly enhanced their productivity and allowed for more dynamic storytelling.
Commitment to customers
In terms of customer support, USA Today was impressed with Infogram's customer team. “I’ve been impressed with how quickly Infogram’s customer team has helped me make changes to our account. As a nearly daily user of Infogram’s tools, I’m also thankful for the quick responses to my inquiries on how to use certain features. Additionally, I have found the tutorials provided by Infogram to be immensely helpful in navigating the tool's functionalities,” Jim elaborates. “What also impresses me is how the tool keeps evolving. Whether it’s the color picker tool or varying the widths of individual feverlines, it’s nice to log in and see a new capability has just popped into the work area.”
The updates and additions to the tool exemplify our commitment to innovation and our constant endeavor to enhance the user experience.
Visual storytelling success
In summary, Infogram proved to be an invaluable tool for USA Today's Graphics Department, enabling them to create responsive, interactive and visually captivating graphics with ease. The time saved, increased productivity, and improved collaboration resulted in a significant boost to their digital production. Infogram's continuous support and evolving capabilities further solidified its position as a vital asset for USA Today's visual storytelling success.
