Spreadsheet styles - which do you prefer?

[cornflakegirl]

Please follow this link to a spreadsheet design article on the CIMA website. At the bottom of the page is a before and after shot of a sample spreadsheet. Which do you prefer?

 

[mole999]

The second is too fussy, what am i not being shown

 

[Greg Truby]

I wouldn't necessarily say that I really like the choices made for each part of the second one. But I prefer it over the first. More because I tend to put negatives in red w/ parentheses, bold subtotals and double-underline bottom line items. I probably would have stopped there.

 

[Norie]

I'd be more concerned with the structure of the data - why 4 different columns for each quarter.

 

[Greg Truby]

why 4 different columns for each quarter.

Why does this strike you as odd? I've seen reports with this type of overall layout.

 

[Richard Schollar]

It's certainly easier to pick out important information in the After but I personally don't particularly like the styles & formatting chosen.

 

[Marbles]

Neither of them look very good when the Headings aren't aligned with the data.

 

[Andrew Fergus]

My personal opinion is that the second option is truly awful. The first could be tidied up in 3 simple steps, add underlining where needed, format the numbers to show commas and right align the headings. Simple is better IMHO. I see too much focus on formatting rather than content.

 

[Smitty]

They both suck.

 

[Norie]

Greg

Sure a report but surely not raw data.