Infographic; trying to get the message over in a picture. feedback please

AndBreathe said:

@Southport GP - Thanks for responding. Having given the original image a quick look, and asked my questions, I then tried to express my feedback from a couple of standpoints. Firstly, how I felt when first diagnosed, and what information I needed and wanted at that time, then secondly overlaying that having considered the sorts of questions we've seen from newly diagnosed/new members we have see come through the virtual doors to the forum.

My first comment would be that the new image is better, in that most people would contentedly eat most of the items in the graphic. On the earlier one, I think almonds might not be a big day-to-day feature for your newly diagnosed individual. When you have your composition finished, I’d consider your staging background, as I don’t think the brown background with beige carpet presents the images in their best light. It’s all a bit brown, and maybe says 70’s, rather than 2015 to me. Finally, on the image itself, I would recommend you have your source of data in the footer, so that it’s easy for anyone with an enquiring mind to validate and/or explore for themselves.

Moving forward. As a newly diagnosed patient, whilst I was in shock/angry/frustrated, I was also a sponge for information. I wanted to know everything, in simple messages, so that I could apply it quickly, and develop my battle plans. For me, I’m certain the glycaemic index wouldn’t have hit me between the eyes. I’d have written down those numbers, or photographed your image on my phone, then gone to check it out. When I tried to do that last night (without using any of my existing bookmarks or knowledge), it took me a while to pin down information that matched your graphic. When I Googled, “how much sugar is in brown bread”, Dr Google told me, link, on link, on link, 4.1gr (per 100gr). OK, that isn’t the whole picture either, but maybe you see where I’m coming from? In my time of frustration, my confidence would have been dented, there and then. My thoughts would have been along the lines of “How hard should this be?”

Newly diagnosed, I wanted to know what to eat, and how to choose, fairly promptly, when shopping. And, I had to translate whatever I was learning about diet, to my partner, who is chief cook on Planet Breathe. I’m sure that’s a common occurrence, one way or another. For me, the answer has always been to read the labels, and most packaged foods these days have nutritional information on them. Looking at the nutritional information label for brown bread, on any of the big supermarket websites, I don’t ever see any reference matching the numbers you had posted on the original image. That would have confused me more, and I would have felt it to be an unhelpful image.

From the second standpoint, of new member queries: Quite a few arriving (or maybe it’s by the time they register to ask a question), they’ve read that they need to trim carbs. The two most common quantitative questions we see are, I feel, Is it total carbs or surely it’s sugars we’re counting?”, or “How many carbs do I start at?” We rarely have anyone asking about glycaemic index. We do in a roundabout way where individuals have converted from white to wholemeal pasta (and the like), but aren’t seeing the results they expected.

I’m sure your images are being created to inspire or reinforce an action. If you want individuals to take an action they can carry out easily in their day-to-day lives, then I’m not sure your image gives them a fast track. In order to do that, they need a handle on the GI, and probably a resource – either by an app or a hard copy book, and surely shopping becomes even more of a nightmare, going around the supermarket, looking up items in their book or app, when there is great information on the packaging of almost every item.

Whilst using the product labelling doesn’t give an indication of absorption rates, it’s a quick start way of getting the drift. For me, GI is almost finessing, and something to tackle, once someone has the hang of the big baddies.

Obviously, I’m swimming against the tide of the other feedback, but if I’m to respond, I have to respond honestly. If GI is how your studies have worked with patients, then I am even more impressed by the results you have achieved. It feels to me to be the harder route.

Please challenge, rubbish or whatever. My shoulders are broad, and my chin has taken the odd blow, over the years.

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