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In my WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation) application I have a log that display important events in the application.
I'm unsure where to add new events? Or in other words, how should I sort the log, with time descending or ascending?
The easiest way to implement seems to be to simply add the new logs to the top, then I don't have to worry about scroll in to view. But what gives the best user experience?
I would do it the easiest way: new logs at the top. Many applications with a dated list of items do their sorting this way; Outlook, gmail, twitter, windows event viewer, etc. Your users will be familiar with this style of layout, and find it easy to use - with the most urgent events immediately visible at the top.
You should present the most important information first, and so that will determine the order that you present the logs in.
For most logging applications, the most recent logs are more important, and so it's better UX to present the newest items first.
However, there are situations where each log is fairly long, and either the older logs are more critical, or where the oldest logs need to be read first. In these situations, the oldest should be shown first. This is often the case when logs are actionable items to deal with, which can then be dismissed.
