On Apr 21, 2008, at 1:24 PM, Brandon E.B. Ward wrote: > The row below the datagrid is currently called Totals - but it's not > very accurate, as an average of averages is not a total.
Before you get to the label, question both the validity and the actual utility of any data that include 'averages of averages'; that phrase carries a faint aroma of spreadsheet abuse. (Well, maybe not so faint.) Ask what is intended to be expressed in that row, ask for a plain- English description of how the cumulative average is being calculated, and then quietly ask _someone other than the person who wrote the averaging code_ if their math and their assumptions make any sense whatsoever. Once you've done the sniff test for BS-based math, you should have an accurate picture of what that part of the data actually means to the people who will use it, and your human-readable label for the row should be fairly self-evident. > What title would you suggest over Totals? > > Is there a word that says Totals/Averages/Other? Or is Totals/ > Averages my best bet? There's really not enough detail in your description to tell. The best bet is to use the term that will make the most sense to the intended audience in the context the data will be used. If that happens to be 'Slurms/Quatloo' for the given audience, so be it -- but it's up to you to understand what you're displaying, so you can present it in a meaningful manner. -Will Will Parker [EMAIL PROTECTED] ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
