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On this page, at the top, is a row of menu buttons. The leftmost of these buttons:

enter image description here

carries the label "table config." Under the button, the user can (1) change the font size and spacing of rows and columns; and (2) select/unselect (soon) table columns to show. The button label "table config" doesn't really imo convey what the button means, but I can't think of anything else to put there.

What's a better label for that button, considering the functions that are behind it?

4 Answers 4

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How about: Preferences? Settings? Options?

If its only about the table, then you may use Table Preferences, Table Settings, Table Options. If it contains more general presentation option, you may want to use Display Preferences, Display Settings, Display Preferences.

Do not use "config". It is not an English word and the full word "configuration" is a word that only technical people use, so no good either.

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    You beat me to it being the first to post an answer :) "Preferences" and "Options" are good suggestions. And so is "Display". I think it would be beneficial to ditch "Table".
    – agib
    Oct 26, 2011 at 11:38
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    I upvoted your answer because you made some good additional arguments. Oct 26, 2011 at 11:41
  • How about just the word "Display" or "Data"? Oct 26, 2011 at 12:13
  • Or maybe "Modify Display"? Oct 26, 2011 at 12:22
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    "Modify" suggests action, which is not what this button does. This button simply pops up a number of options. Oct 26, 2011 at 12:33
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I agree that "Config" is less than optimal label - it sounds too "programmerish". How about "Settings"?

Btw:

  • A more clear labeling of "Row vertical spacing" might be "Row height"
  • A more clear labeling of "Column horizontal spacing" might be "Column width" or "Space between columns"
  • The ";" in the header doesn't look good, so you might consider merging the "Set up row/column spacing; and text size" (which could be called "Appearance") into a selectbox with presets such as "narrow", "medium" or "spacious". This way the user doesn't have to consider the more low-level settings
  • The Show? checkboxes as well as the Weight text inputs have far too small hit targets
  • The meaning of the Weight column is hard to understand

In general, it occurs to me that there's a too narrow mapping between technical implementation and user interface presentation.

You might consider performing some kind of user research and testing to see how people respond to your design.

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  • How about just the word "Display" or just the word "Data"? Oct 26, 2011 at 12:14
  • Or maybe "Modify Display"? Oct 26, 2011 at 12:22
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"Table" can be a whole lot of things: databases, grids, place to eat.

Relabeling it just "Grid" might have a better connotation. The way you describe the actions, the user is manipulating a UI element on the screen.

"Table View" would be another label that I would consider changing.

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'Table Format'. Most people associate format with WYSIWYG formatting (OK, I don't know if 'most people' associate this, but it's a nice guess).

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  • !GUI Junkie -- Heh! Well, I'll buy it :-) Oct 27, 2011 at 7:35

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