Data table or li for mobile app

Question

So I am having a hard time figuring out if I should use a data table or just list items for an mobile app I am making. The information is going to be accounts listed by name then have their year to data and monthly sales. The user can search through the list as well and per requirements doesn't need to be able to change anything.

Wouldn't it be easier to layout at that point using li instead of a table? I mean you can hide some data and just make the list item clickable that flipped open more info? I feel like there is just more options to display the data better using li instead of a table.

Whats the benefits of using a table and in this scenario is it wrong to use list items?

Answer 1

The main benefit of using a table is to have different columns and sort the elements depending on the values of those columns.

Depending on the importance of sorting the elements by those different columns/values you could use a list (simple) or a table (more complex but more control).

• A list: will sort those elements in just one way (alphabetically for example).

UserA  20sales  3months
UserB  10sales  7months
UserC  77sales  2months

• A table: will let the user sort the elements in different ways:

// Sort per user (alphabetically)

UserA  20sales  3months
UserB  10sales  7months
UserC  77sales  2months

// Sort per sales

UserC  77sales  2months
UserA  20sales  3months
UserB  10sales  7months

// Sort per time

UserB  10sales  7months
UserA  20sales  3months
UserC  77sales  2months

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Material design - tables (emphasis mine):

Data tables may be embedded on a surface, such as a card. They can include:

• A corresponding visualization
• The ability to query and manipulate data