User Interface Design – Content Checklist – Data Records

When designing and critiquing Websites or Software the User Interface (UX) needs explicit and systematic attention. Designers and Clients need to use checklists and apply them in prescribed ways. Here is a small part of one of my Content Checklists. This applies to data presentations and forms.

A) When the number of the rows, also called records, in a page reaches more then XX, a pagination bar should appear above and below the list. It looks like this:

First  Previous  1  2  3  4  [5]  6  7  8  9  10  Next  Last  [optionally,
All]

You just need to click on the page number of where you want to go.

B) The page numbers must be easy to read and click on. The font size must be readable and there must be enough spacing between each number so that clicking on the number you want is faultless.

C) An appropriate number of rows is a complex decision. It depends on the content and the user’s need to compare data row-to-row. Typically it can be 10 or 25. The number of records is also a consideration.

D) In some cases it may be necessary to provide an option for showing “ALL” records, or even showing a page of records “Beginning with Record # XXX”.

E) Unless budget constraints are very tight, the records should be sortable by their header titles. It is important for the current sort order to persist while the various record set controls described above are changed.