About the actionable data table

Question

As a business application, the data table must provide:

Actionable data including opening the property, delete, export, send email.....etc, and usually viewing the property is the most important action item among these.

Therefore, I came out with these below solutions to let the user manipulate the data table as efficient as possible:

<1> Place all the actions in the context menu opened by right-clicking Advantage

1. All actions can be present in the same place (context menu)
2. Right-clicking on the row provides a whole-row-space that allows users clicking on

Disadvantage

1. Clicking on any of the actions at least takes two steps

---

<2> Place all the actions in the overflow menu opened by left-clicking on "more button" Advantage

1. All actions can be present in the same place (overflow menu)
2. A more Button provides a much clearer hint or guide that tells users it's clickable

Disadvantage

1. Clicking on any of the actions at least takes two steps
2. Clickable area is smaller than the first one

---

<3> Make one of the cells become an anchor, place the secondary remaining actions in the context menu Advantage

1. Link appearance always provides the most clarity of the clickable hint
2. The most important action item could be accessed only by one step by left-clicking

Disadvantage

1. There will not always be a specific column (like ID) that could be the identity for the whole row
2. Clickable area is smaller than the first one

---

<4> Make the row become a left-clickable area, place the secondary remaining actions in the context menu

Advantage

1. The most important action item could be accessed only by one step by left-clicking
2. Left-clicking on the row provides a whole-row-space that allows users clicking on

Disadvantage

1. A table row is not a clear, obvious hint that tells users it's clickable

---

*Clickable area will be really small if going with approach <2> or <3>. Because in order to make the data be viewed as much as possible in a limited container, each of the row is really squeezed

I couldn't decide which approach I should go with...please anyone kindly give me any suggestions or a new idea !!! Thank you so much.

Answer 1

There's another option like the one used at Youtube Studio: the main action buttons appear when hovering the row, this reduce the clicking to just one step.