Dave - I can relate to your dilemma. I am currently working on redesigning an application with a similar massive table of data. I think that Steve's suggestion of looking at roles and limiting display to the data points of direct relevance to the user-type is spot on. Unfortunately, it doesn't work in the case of the system I am working on.
We have a number of different user types, but this particular screen is in a shared environment where all the data must be present. Customization from client site to client site makes it even trickier. I have had some success in my early prototypes using several of the techniques you mention. In particular, Stacking rows and using mouse hover to reveal less essential data points is helping. I am also playing with expanding rows on click which reveal an additional couple data lines. But one last avenue of great promise is the substitution of multi-state icons for some of the data. By having a graphic that changes slightly according to consistent criteria, I am sometimes able to show multiple data states in the space of one image (rather than a couple columns of separated data.) Don't know if that will help in your case. I'm eager to hear what you come up with, though. I'm sure it would be useful to me as well. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=41136 ________________________________________________________________ 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
