Section 12.7. Information Density


12.7. Information Density

Space is limited and it is critical to get as much information per square inch as possible. The charts in Figure 12-10 give a complete picture of each queue in one chart.

We did the same thing in Chapter 7 on the main display shown in Figure 12-12.

Figure 12-12. A chart can do two things at once


In the chart, two related pieces of information are combined allowing the hourly production to be compared to the standard.

Formatting and white space are important, but they are not content. Chapter 3's hourly sheet, shown again in Figure 12-13, shows some of the danger of over-formatting.

This approach can distract from the message. If the user notices the formatting before noticing the content, something is wrong. In this case it is not a big problem, but it is important to keep style in a supporting role.

12.7.1. Support and Grouping

Position related items in a way that emphasizes their common meaning. This allows them to support each other and saves space. In the display in Figure 12-12, the list box and the chart that it controls are placed next to each other.

They are sized to match and the space between them is very small. This helps the user see how they are related and makes the application easier to use.

The same concept is applied in the display in Figure 12-14.

Figure 12-13. Over-formatting can distract the viewer


Figure 12-14. The placement of related items


In this display from Chapter 3, the relationship between the hourly forecasts and the chart are obvious. Lower, the day of week labels do double duty because related information is placed on the same row.



Analyzing Business Data with Excel
Analyzing Business Data with Excel
ISBN: 0596100736
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 101
Authors: Gerald Knight

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