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We no longer need to think of timelines as events placed on a generic horizontal arrow. I recently wrote an article about the visual language of timelines, which got me thinking about how we can visualize timelines for adult learning.
Why visualize with timelines?
Timelines provide structure. Timelines have several things going for them. They provide a structure on which you can overlay information. Whether your timeline is horizontal, vertical, spiral or circular (as in the geological clock on the left), think of a timeline as the framework for your content. If your content consists of a progression in any way, see if you can creatively work it into this type of format.
Timelines enable chunking. Another ideal feature of timelines is that by their nature, they chunk information. Because events on a timeline occur at a point in time or during a segment of time, you’re residing in a chunking environment. Chunk away!
Timelines are a good source for interactions. Asking learners to build their own timeline or to drag and drop events on a timeline can make an effective online learning activity.
What topics work with timelines?
Here are a few categories of topics that can be visualized in a timeline format. Think in terms of sequence, progression, history or evolution of processes, ideas and events. Have other ideas? Please add them in the Comments section below.
- Evolution of a company product
- Changes in relevant regulations
- Progression of industry events
- Explaining a linear process or procedure
- History of a company or organization
- Events in the life of an influential person
- Social changes and trends over time
- Growth or history of technologies in an industry
- Telling any kind of story in sequence
- History of a relevant city, town or region
What are some examples of timelines?
So glad you asked. Here are three unique timelines found on the online magazine, Good. You won’t find a straight horizontal line in one of them. See the resources at the end for more examples.
Using a map for a timeline. This example shows the history of how an old steel-mill town transformed itself. Using a simple map and iconic graphics is an effective way to communicate the geographical aspect of the content.
Using a series of slides for a timeline. This timeline shows depicts the history of California’s Proposition 8 by segmenting the information into a series of slides. With this approach, the timeline is never fully viewed in whole. This could be an effective approach when you want your audience to focus on one point or event at a time.
Using a trend graph for a timeline. To show how technology has affected worker productivity, this timeline is based on an upward diagonal, representing the trend of increasing productivity in the US. This is another example of how the shape or orientation of a timeline adds another layer of information to the communication. Before even looking at the numbers, the viewer can comprehend that productivity has increased.
RESOURCES:
- The Basics of Timeline Data Visualization
- Timeline Examples from Flowingdata
- Cartogrophies of Time: A History of Timelines (a book for the timeline obsessed)
Thanks, Scott. I’m also in the midst of writing an article about timeline tools! I wonder if we’ve selected the same ones to write about. I’ll have to check 🙂
Best,
Connie
Connie, thanks for the article! Indeed, ‘timelines’ are not just ‘lines’ anymore 🙂 Adding layers and depth to linear representation is something that comes in really handy when explaining complex topics in infographics. For anyone who’s interested, I’d like to share a brief review of top timeline makers on the market, both free and paid https://myelearningworld.com/top-12-timeline-makers/.
Hi Steven,
Thanks for your comment. If you’re really interested in timelines, here’s another article I wrote about them from a slightly different perspective. There’s some overlap, but this is more from the visual language perspective: http://understandinggraphics.com/visualizations/visual-language-of-timelines/.
Best,
Connie
I like the visual representation that timelines use. I am interested in using time lines and graphics to give students a sense of achievement and visual representation of their learning.
Hi John. Yes, infographics are fascinating and a great teaching and learning tool. I like the resources on your site. My book has a lot of great infographics too, contributed by some of the best in the field. Thanks for your comment.
Connie
Great post. I always used timelines when I taught.
It is a wonderful addition to my Timelines page:
http://cybraryman.com/timelines.html
Wow! You really are into timelines. Check out Jerry’s page at http://cybraryman.com/timelines.html.
I am fascinated by infographics. I think that they represent a great opportunity to get students who do not like math/science to look at and interpret data. I’ve gone as far to suggest a couple of ways that infographics can be incorporated into STEM classrooms: https://sites.google.com/site/stemcollaboration/infographics
Timelines are a form of infographics that I had not considered. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to include a link to this post on my infographic page.