After you have selected an overall implementation and navigation strategy for your displays, you can begin to consider the content and appearance of each display. The data you need to show will determine the content of each display. However, the appearance of your analysis displays may be completely in your hands, depending on the other corporate standards that have been established in your company. If you have control over the appearance, create attractive, easy-to-read analysis displays to increase productivity among users. Analysis displays that are hard to read are also hard to use, which lowers productivity.
Use the following guidelines to create attractive analysis displays:
Use an appropriate font size. If your users need to see the screen from 20 to 30 feet away, the font size should be larger than the font size shown to users sitting at a desk.
Keep the background colors muted so that they do not overpower the foreground.
Use good contrasting colors between the foreground text and objects and the background. For example, do not use yellow text on a white background; the text will be too hard to read.
Keep the number of objects on your display low, in order to improve legibility. Do not crowd an analysis display with so many objects you cannot locate the important data.
TIP: If you need to include multiple charts or grids, consider using the Thumbnail object
