Delving into the four-quadrant layout

Right away, we notice that not only are the controls laid out intuitively like the other tabs, but also this page has a nice four-quadrant layout that is similar to the look we created when we created our new Sales Analysis tab. Four-quadrant layouts are often the easiest visualization for human beings to mentally organize. Each quadrant is essentially the same size, implying that they are of equal importance in the information they provide. More than a handful of items on a single page requires too much thought to quickly prioritize. Humans who are taught to read from left to right will also tend to assume that the upper left-hand side quadrant is the most important. This dashboard is definitely organized to display the most important pieces of information on the top row, but the left-hand bar graph requires more time to register what it represents and to interpret, while the right-hand table, though not as pretty, certainly draws your eyes because...