Analytics for the Internet of Things (IoT)

Using layout positioning to convey importance

Layout position implies what is important and primary; you should take advantage of this to help communicate more effectively with your audience. In Western cultures, the eye starts in the upper-left position of a view. This is due to years of habit reading from left to right and top to bottom. This is where one's eye goes first by habit. Put the key message here: the answer to your starting point question.

As you travel right and lower in a view, put the visuals (including tables and text) in order of its position in the question tree. This will follow along with eye movement and the audience's thought process:

Recommended layout order when showing multiple visuals in same view

In other cultures, ...