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Re: optimized data table layout

for

From: Chris Hoffman
Date: Apr 9, 2008 10:40PM

Hi Samson,

On Wed, 2008-04-09 at 15:33 -0400, Lee, Samson (HRSA) [C] wrote:

> I'm trying to simplify the table format for accessibility while keeping
> it intuitive from a usability point of view.

First, remember that the best table layout will be the one that allows
the reader to make the most interesting or significant comparisons
across categories.

Second, consider changing the first column in option two to something
like:

Type 1
10-20 years old
20-30 years old
Type 2-This name is long
10-20 years old
20-30 years old

Each type could be in a separate <tbody> (instead of separate tables,
like option one), and the type headings could have @scope="rowgroup".
The resulting first column would be a lot easier to read.

Finally, if you are able to without losing a valuable set of
comparisons, consider getting rid of the totals column. Readers can add
values themselves if they want or need to, so summing categories is
unnecessary a lot of the time. The same can be said for other basic
calculations, like minimums, maximums and means.

--Chris