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I have to show some extra data to users. Column-sums, column-statistics (different values per column) and column-rests (the sum of all values for the columns, which are on pages not shown).

These have to be calculated explicitly, so the user has to activate them. Also, the tables use paging.

mockup

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This is like it's made right now, but I think it's far from optimal.

What are better ways to show this sort of additional information to the user?

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    What do you mean by "...calculated explicitly, so the user has to activate them"? They have to click a button to trigger the calculations?
    – Matt Obee
    Jul 22, 2013 at 13:22
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    yes, the extra rows have to be activated by the user. they get calculated on-demand
    – K..
    Jul 22, 2013 at 13:28

3 Answers 3

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You should consider displaying those global information out of the table with understandable titles: number of URL instead of Sums for instance.

Imagine a kind of mini dashboard so the user can have quick look to the general data.

mockup

download bmml source – Wireframes created with Balsamiq Mockups

The table would be used to have a more precise look, item per item.

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    +1 - You want to consider though what the goal of the statistics are. If say you have the average or the median value, placing it in the column of the table is useful, as it is easier to make quantitative comparisons from individual cells compared to the anchor figure. See page 8 of Feinberg and Wainer (2011), PDF here.
    – Andy W
    Jul 26, 2013 at 16:33
  • Good point, even if the pagination would still be problematic.
    – Gildas Frémont
    Jul 29, 2013 at 10:22
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As @DA01 pointed, there should be some visual difference to perceive statistics data better. It could be something like pictured. The advantage is you didn't break the table structure, no additional columns needed.

enter image description here

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For starters, you are treating every row the same visually (zebra striped, which is another topic of debate...)

Given that the line items are different than the rows that address the line items as a whole, I'd suggest some sort of visual separator between the two types of rows...perhaps a horizontal line, a change in background colors, a change in type weight, or some combination.

As for paging, I'm not sure how that would work. Is the sum row only for the rows shown on this particular 'page' of the table, or is it a sum of all rows on all 'pages' of the table?

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