Dating Facts to Understand the Dating Scene

This infographic goes over the ins and outs of dating, from the “boy meets girl” stage into the date itself.  The dating world is a mystery to almost anyone, even people who are seasoned daters.  Anything that can demystify the process and lead to some more happily-ever-afters is good in my book.  Let’s take a look at the infographic itself.

How Guys and Girls Meet

It would seem that the internet has a big role in the dating scene.  In 2009 more than twice as many meetings happened because of online dating rather than in clubs or via social networking.  Today, 20% of single people have dated or are dating someone they met on an online dating site.

Is There Chemistry?

30% of single people think that it only takes 15 minutes to establish whether there is chemistry or not.  12% of daters will leave a date within 30 minutes if they sense no chemistry.  Only 52% will be upfront and admit it if they are not interested in the other person.  That means 48% will not be honest.  That’s sad.  24% will be “evasive” about future availability if they feel like the first date doesn’t “work.”

Who Pays?

12% of females think it’s the guy’s responsibility to pay on the first date.  37% of guys agree.

What Do Guys Want to Hear?

According to this infographic, guys like humor that is sarcastic, then juvenile, then geeky, then raw.  According to the picture, guys like to be touched on the head(?), told their geekiness is cute, and they like to be comlpimented on their physique.  This is not explicitly explained – but there’s a picture.  I interpreted it.

What Are The Chances of a Long Term Relationship?

35% of one night stands turn into long term relationships.  54% of guys and 44% of girls have experienced love at first site.  42% of couples consist of at least one person who didn’t find the other person attractive, but became friends and then fell in love.

Who Has Sex on the First Date?

6.5% of single people freely admit that they’ve had sex on the first date plenty of times.  Frequently.  80% of singles say they disapprove of sex on the first date.  Somehow, Facebook information is under this heading, and we’re told that 89% of people friend each other on Facebook before the relationship becomes exclusive, whle 11% of singles between the ages of 35-44 wait to friend each other until the relationship becomes exclusive.

What Does “I Love You” Mean?

For 31% it means “I want you in my life.”  For 30% it means “I care about you.”  For 19% it means “I want to be in a committed relationship with you.”  For 14% it means “I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

What Topics Should I Avoid on a Date?

Past relationships, activities outside the relationship, controversial topics, topics related to relationship norms or standards, and the classic “where is this relationship headed?” topic are all off-limits.

Scorecard

Design:  C

The graphics are fuzzy, and I don’t approve of yellow print on a white background.  It’s too hard to read.  I think snappier graphics would have gotten the point across just as well as the weird little pie charts, the colors could have been better, and everything could have been clearer.

Information:  B

While the information is helpful, it’s a big vague, and I would have liked to know the test group the numbers came out of.  No sources are listed, so I don’t know where they got their information.

Source:  Check out the profile calendar and media kit to learn more.

Anatomy of a Doctor Infographic

This infographic, in a nutshell, tells you that it takes your whole life to become a doctor – but in a good way.  It shows the development of the brain, salaries of doctors compared to other professions, gender roles, stress, reward, and the top 20 countries by the number of doctors they have.  Along the left side, there is a timeline of ages, telling you at what age you complete certain stages you go through to become a doctor.  We’ll split the review and overview into the first sections we mentioned, and then explain the timeline.

Left Brain vs. Right Brain

The left brain helps a doctor make decisions, including suggestions for treatment, diagnoses, and problem solving, as well as remembering codes and drug information.  The left brain helps a doctor stay on schedule, understand medical charts and test results, and give patients advice about preventative healthcare, diet, and hygiene.

The right brain helps the doctor with bedside manner, allowing him or her to be personable and charismatic.  It also helps the doctor with coping skills, since he or she will deal with death, illness, and injuries.  The right brain equips the doctor with emergency handling skills, helps the doctor recognize human anatomy, deal with a chaotic working environment, and allows the doctor to feel empathy for his or her patient.

Salary vs. Jobs in the U.S.A.

This graph shows the salary and amount of jobs for certain professions in the year 2008.  In that year, there were 661,400 physicians and surgeons, with a median salary of $186,044.  Conversely, there were 1,700,000 professors with a median salary of $58,830.  Several other occupations are listed.

Gender Roles

Colon and Rectal surgery is a growing field for female doctors because surgeries can be scheduled in advance, allowing for flexible scheduling and a work/life balance.  In 2007, 31% of colon and rectal surgeons were females under the age of 35.  12% were females between the ages of 45 and 54, and 3% were females between the ages of 55-64, making females of any age 45% of colon and rectal surgeons.  Today, 40% of doctors are women, and it is estimated that within 8 years, female doctors will outnumber male doctors.

Stress

43% of physicians and surgeons work more than 50 hours per week.  17% of doctors leave medicine in the middle of their careers.  36% of surgeons feel they have no family time, yet 51% would want their children to follow in their footsteps, career-wise.  Must be the money.

Reward

Helping people can be the greatest reward.  High-paying job aside, doctors are able to help people in ways that other people can’t, by healing.  They can remove tumors, fix organs, and help people recover from grave injuries and illnesses.

Top 20 Countries by Number of Physicians

China has the most physicians at over 1.8 million.  The U.S. comes in next with 730,801 physicians.  The order then goes to India, then to Russia, Germany, Japan, Italy, France, Brazil, Mexico, Egypt, Ukraine, Spain, U.K., Pakistan, Turkey, Argentina, Philippines, Poland, and Korea.

The Timeline

When you’re a child, you wean, and maybe start playing doctor.  Once you’re in school, you start dreaming of someday becoming a doctor.  You study biology, chemistry, physics, math, and English and you try to excel at all of the subjects.    While you’re in college, you take classes and study for the MCAT.  Then you go on to medical school, around age 23, and spend 4 years there “living off Top Ramen and wondering if it’s still worth it.”  At around 27 years old, you start your 3-8 of residency training and internships, and around age 35 you become a “real doctor.”

Scorecard

Design:  A

It’s clean, the colors are nice, and the typeface is easy to read.  The graphics are easy to understand, and it’s overall a very good-looking infographic.

Information:  A-

I would have liked to have seen more recent data than 2008, but it’s not always available.  I would have also liked some statistics regarding the “reward” section as it seems a little subjective.  Maybe a little graph that shows what a sample number of doctors rate as their favorite thing about their job, or something.

Source:  Anatomy of a Doctor Infographic by rn to msn

Do Men and Women Shop Online Differently?

This infographic tackles the question of whether men and women differ in their online shopping habits.  I know that personally, my wife and I differ.  I buy things online, pay for them via PayPal, and am done with it.  My wife tends to like larger purchases that require multiple payments, so that when I go to balance the bank account I have to remember that the $48.78 from Online Vendor A is from that “6 payments with no interest” for a fancy bowl, household appliance, or pair of shoes.  But I digress…

Annual Spending

The first subject the infographic addresses is the average annual online spending for men and women, depending on age.  We find that people in their thirties buy about the same amount as people in their mid fifties or early sixties, though women around 26 years old do the most amount of online shopping.  The creators of the graphic make a little joke, saying that men of a certain age shop online less because they “may be too busy with their midlife crises” and they tell us that women 45-54 are in the prime of their career and have less time to shop, but that they still spend about $200 more per year than men of the same age (the ones busy with their midlife crises).

Shopping Times

We’re given the information that most online purchases are made between 12-1 PM and 7-8 PM.  Women make most of their online purchases during their lunch hour, men make their purchases in the evening.  Actually, that’s if the graphic is to be believed.  If you read what they tell you, only 8% of the 7-8 PM purchases are made by men.  So, the 7-8 PM wedge of the pie being blue may be misleading.  Since the lines int he top graph aren’t too far apart, I guess we can just assume that fewer men make larger purchases.

Average Shopping Time

It says that men take an average of ten minutes to complete their online purchase, while women take fourteen minutes.  They tell us “a guy’s purchase decision is a tactical execution,” while “a woman’s purchase decision is a philosophical examination.”  Even if that’s so, I guess it only takes a woman about four extra minutes to get all philosophical.

Average Spending

This sort of confirms what we said earlier, that men might spend more than women, but the numbers do not differ that much, only about $67.82 for a man’s average purchase, $51.84 for a woman’s.  They do say that men are “more tenured” at shopping online and that explains their comfort with buying more expensive items.  Hm.

Purchases by Day of the Week

We’re told that men do the reconnaissance on the weekends, then go to work Monday morning to bargain hunt and make the purchase.  Tuesdays and Wednesdays are pretty even with the male/female split, but women shop a tiny bit more on Thursdays, men shop more on Fridays, and women shop more on Saturdays and Sundays.

Returning Goods

According to Forrester Research, men return items faster.  If they are going to return it they will do so within the first day or two, and the average (which is not indicative of the reality) is within 21 days.  Women, who return items less frequently, will do around day 4 or day 5.

Design:  B

They use blue and pink for men and women, respectively, which is the most logical choice, I suppose, but with the marbled pink, blue, and yellow background it sort of looks like a nursery gone wrong.  The typeface used is pleasant, and the whole thing is arranged nicely.

Information:  A

If it’s true, it gets an A.  I feel like the averages take a lot of extreme variables into account, so the overview we’re getting is slightly watered-down, but for what it is, it’s fine.

Source:  Extrabux.com provides coupons and cash back

Reasons for Buying a Condominium Infographic

This infographic is appealing.  Like cake or candy.  The pictures are so pretty you almost want to eat them.  Or make little computer people to live in them while you decide what they eat and who they interact with.  But I digress…

Courtesy of a Winnipeg real estate agent, we are given seven reasons for buying a condominium.  Though the agent is located in Winnipeg, the advice is applicable in the US, and the reasons presented are good.  The infographic gives enough information without giving too much, and the graphics are top-notch.  Here are the reasons for buying a condominium, according to them.

Cost

Condominiums are great for first-time homebuyers because they are usually less expensive, and they are supposedly a way to avoid the bidding wars associated with buying a single family home.  They don’t really tell you how a condo differs from a free-standing house in terms of the negotiation, but one can assume that it’s because condominiums are often new, with a set price, and they are often priced to sell.

Lifestyle

They bring up a relevant point, and that is with a detached home you often have a yard to worry about, while in a condominium you don’t.  This works great if you travel often, if you don’t like doing yard work (a topic addressed later), or if you don’t want people to know your home is empty while you’re away.  Which brings us to…

Security

Condominiums often offer security cameras, secure entrances, and other things like hired security personnel that you don’t get in a detached home, unless you want to pay a lot of money.  These added security features are part of the condominium living experience, and are something to think about if you travel, live alone, or own expensive things.

Community

Because many condo communities offer common rooms, fitness centers, or swimming pools, there are places for the residents to congregate, making it easier to get to know the people who live around you.  Some condominium communities even schedule activities for their residents, so you have the opportunity to become friends with people in your community who share similarities in lifestyle, likely, and who are your neighbors.

Lower Operating Costs

There are things you most likely won’t have to pay when you live in a condominium.  One can be building insurance.  It’s wise to insure your possession, but the cost of insuring the actual structure falls into the hands of the managing company, and is part of the purchase price or dues.  In some communities, you also will not have to pay heat, water, or other utilities because they are built into the fees you pay.  So instead of paying lots of bills, you pay one, and because you’re sharing the utility bills with others, your overall operating costs are lower.

Home Ownership

You’ll be living apartment-style, condo-style, or townhouse-style with all the conveniences these types of dwellings offer, but you’ll still be a homeowner, so you will reap the benefits associated with owning your own home.  In addition to any tax breaks you get (in the US), you also can treat the condo just like it’s a house.  You can design it however you want within the confines of the space, you can rent it out to someone else, you can borrow against it and take out a second mortgage…all the same things you can do with a detached home, except for adding on to the space.

No Yardwork

Cutting grass?  Forget it.  Shoveling snow?  Not your problem.  Cleaning gutters, fixing walkways, trimming hedges, and all that comes with the outdoor maintenance of a home is all taken care of.  All you have to do is live there.

Design:  A

The graphics say what the text doesn’t, so they compliment each other very well, and the entire infographic is appealing and fun to look at.  All the typeface choices are good, the color scheme is pleasing, and I can’t find anything wrong with the design, except for that Realtors like to put their faces on everything.  Although, he looks like a trustworthy guy, so I suppose that adds to this infographic’s charm.

Information:  A-

The information is straightforward, but not overly enlightening.   These are common-sense facts that are laid out and provided in an attractive way.

VIA Bo Kauffmann at Winnepegg Home Finder

Debt Problems in the U.K.: Facts and Figures

This infographic, supplied by MoneyDebtandCredit.com examines the debt problems plaguing the United Kingdom in lurid detail.  According the graphic, the total personal debt in the U.K. amounts to a monstrous 1.454 billion, which, sadly, is more than the country’s annual output. Now, I’m no economics expert, but there’s something very, very wrong with that picture.

The future impact of the fact that the U.K. owes more in personal debt that the country’s total GDP is not yet known. Obviously, if the country was a business, it would have to close its doors if this continued for a long enough time. But countries are not businesses, and these days, an economic collapse of any first world country would send ripples through the global economy. So, it seems unlikely that Britain will have to deal with the consequences of its debt problem for a very long time.

The graphic notes that interest rates are expected to rise this year, which will cause many consumers to face higher monthly payments at a time when they already struggling to meet their existing outgoings. Even more disturbing is that the average person already on a debt management system plan has unsecured debts to the tune of $28,578 (converted to U.S. dollars), with 19 percent owning more than 48,004.29 on credit cards, overdrafts, personal loans, store cards and credit cards. This amounts to 126 percent of average earnings.

46 percent of personal debt is on credit cards. The graphic asks: “What is the makeup of the type of personal debt for the average British, upstanding citizen-and I use the word “upstanding” loosely, as I don’t really consider someone in gratuitous debt to be upstanding :). Let’s break it down.

Credit Cards: 52 percent

Personal loans: 36 percent

Overdraft: 3 percent

Catalogue, store loans, HP Secured loans: 2 percent

Other: 6 percent (Don’t ask what’s in this other category. Believe you me; you don’t want to know.

I think the true nature of this crises can be characterized by this mind-blowing stat: a whopping 372 people a day will be declared bankrupt or insolvent.

Design: B

This design is better than average, but it’s not superlative. Overall, it’s very strong with appealing colors, charts and graphics.

Content: A-

The content makes your brain and your heart race. The mind boggling stats found in this graphic are enough to make anyone go into spasms. The debt problems of the human race are in fact so horrific that a horror movie about them could be made.

Identity Theft Facts and Figures

This gorgeous graphic, provided by blog.kgbpeople.com should give you a reason to be worried about identity theft if you weren’t already. If you thought that the advent of services like Lifelock have reduced identity theft in the U.S. over the past several years, I advise you to think again. According to this eye-opening graphic, identity theft has been on the rise since 2003. In 2003, a “mere” 10.1 million people found themselves the victims of identity theft. That number had been steadily decreasing until 2008 rolled around, when it began to balloon again. In 2009, 11.1 million people were the victim of identity theft.

Here’s are some stats sure to rattle your bones a bit. One in ten American consumers is the victim of identity theft, and 1.6 million households have had their bank accounts/and or debit cards stolen. The average taken from each identity theft victim amounts to $4,841. And the out-of-pocket cost to recover this money? $851 to $1,378. Now, here’s a tidbit sure to surprise you. About 50% of people learn their identities are stolen three months after the day of the crime. In horrid cases, 15% of victims didn’t learn that their identities had been compromised for four or more years. Here’s a scary piece of information to chew on: 70% of Americans have trouble removing negative information stemming from the theft of their credit reports.

The following stats also caught me by surprise:
–25.9 million Americans carry identity theft insurance (I thought it was less, and I also now wonder how many of them also pay companies like Lifelock to protect them).
–43% of people who have their identity stolen know the person who stole it. I find that stat rather telling.

Grading Scorecard

Design: A

The top portion of the graphic has a sort of “Andy Warhol thing” going on which I found appealing. A brown, light blue, aqua color scheme permeates through the graphic and gives it a unique, artsy feel.

Content: A-

There is no shortage of facts here, and to be more precise, there is no shortage of disturbing facts. If the purpose of this graphic is to make you worry a little about identity theft, I would say the graphic accomplishes that feat rather well. Overall, a superb graphic. In some ways, this graphic actually serves a public service. The makers deserve high praise for the time and effort spent to create this graphic.

Infographic Facts about Struggling Countries around the World

This dazzling infographic (from a design standpoint, certainly not from a content standpoint as its more depressing than it is dazzling) displays stats about the most struggling countries across the planet, and rather morbid ones.

Among the disturbing stats is the fact that there is a 1 in 6 chance someone around the world will die due to lack of water. This one is extremely disheartening as well: only 4% of the world’s oceanic water has NOT been damaged by human activity in some way. The population of the world living in severly “water-stressed” environments is 2/5. The ratio of Harvard University’s annual budget is equal to the entire GDP of Rwanda.

But there are some encouraging stats as well, such as the fact that a 4rth grade class raised 35,000 to free the slaves in Sudan last year (they free them by buying them and then setting them free immediatley upon purchase). The total World Bank aid to African nations exceeded 2 billion 1986. (Not sure why that stat is over 20 years old, but that’s more of  a topic for the grading segment). Speaking of which…time for the grading segment.

Design: A-

Thes design is very well done.  They didn’t just plop a bunch of stock graphics down on the page and call it a day. Everything seems to be drawn from scratch, which won them many points.

Content: B+

Some interesting stats, especially at the bottom when it gets into pie charts and the like. But I wasn’t knocked out of my boots.

Overall, a fairly strong graphic.

Graphic provided by Vision Service Adventures.

History of Japanese Bloodtyping Infographic

When this was submitted by a reader I wasn’t sure what to think. I had never  heard of bloodtyping. Blood types? Yes.

Leave it to the Japanese to come up with something as weird and commercial as this. If you want to know more about bloodtyping, take a gander over here. The basic idea is that your blood type dictates many things about you: your personality, your likes, your strengths and weaknesses and so on. Whether you believe this is true or not (I, personally do not. It sound like astrology and horoscoping to me which I also believe is a fantasy.) is not the point. How does this serve its audience as an infographic?

The red color was an obvious and good choice, the color of blood, of course. But the designer chose the better path, rather than dominating the image with red and splatters to resemble a horror poster, they have chosen a very clinical approach that works quite well. The non-descript people with their red accessories is well placed in this infographic. The graphics all match in terms of their design and the hint of the japanese culture with the blossoms at the top and throughout the infographic really gives it a nice touch.

The blue color contrasts nicely with the red color and the use of white text really hits home the clinical feel I mentioned earlier. Each section is easily identified, the content is presented cleanly with obvious breaks and the typeface has its own personality yet isn’t distracting for the reader. A good choice of color, design elements and shapes makes this infographic worth the blood, sweat and tears.

Infographics Scorecard

Design: B
Clean, fun graphics with excellent color choices.

Content: B
Fascinating insight and interesting stats about a new fad. The Japanese are always doing something interesting and weird. ;-)

Howard Hughes – Infographic or Timeline?

More and more it seems the infographic is being watered-down (some would say dumbed-down) until it is little more than a few simple pictures with some insipid facts or boring stats that no one would ever care about unless they had to write a report for their high school class.

Case in point. This infographic would be great as a start for research on the life and times of the eccentric and wealthy Howard Hughes. It IS a timeline of the life of Howard Hughes, but does that make it an infographic? I’m not making a judgment here, just asking the question. What should an infographic provide? Graphics and information, of course, but is their a degree of difficulty involved or some level of graphic prowess that is also needed? Or is it all a matter of relativity. If you think it’s an infographic and a timeline or possibly neither or something else altogether (a cheap marketing ploy), doesn’t that make it your choice and your perspective?

Well, whatever you decide, it is an interesting topic and if you did want to know more about Mr. Howard Hughes, take 60 seconds and skim though this infographic or timeline or whatever you would like to call it. Jane Russell certainly looks nice. ;-)

click image for full size infographic

by GDS Digital

Serial Killer Infographic – Prolific Murderers

This infographic is mildly disturbing, yet visceral in its presentation. Dark background, vibrant red and stark contrasts all work together to convey a message that is obvious even before reading the content. That is what makes an infographic good – an understanding of the concept just through the visualization of the data.

Sadly, I had never heard of any of these serial killers before seeing this infographics, yet many “well-known murderers” have achieved more notoriety without such prolific killing numbers and statistics. It makes you wonder how these serial killers avoided the spotlight for so long.

submitted by @igotdamaged. For some humor check out the Roadkill Carpet

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