Robert_Charlton - 2:21 am on Feb 12, 2007 (gmt 0)

What I'm dealing with is a category page similar to that of dmoz.org. I have three columns from left to right. The data is coming in just like it does at dmoz.org, from left to right and not top to bottom. From a user perpective (me), I'm used to reading alphabetized data from top to bottom, then to the next column from top to bottom, and then the next column. In this scenario, I have alphabetized data running left to right and then top to bottom. My eye keeps wanting to travel down the column instead of across the row.

pageone - I think the word "table" biases the question. In software like MS Word, as well as in html, the order of data is left-to-right across each row and then down to the next row.

You are actually talking about a long list. When I look at dmoz, I see several kinds of layouts for long lists, and they are in fact inconsistent. Either kind can work if you pay attention to certain visual considerations.

Take a look at the Recreation page. Up at the top, there's a two column unordered list of subcategories, and each column reads top to bottom. The layout works because of the horizontal alignment of the bullets (in two vertical columns), and because of the white space between the columns, which keeps you from wanting to read across.

But, down below, there's a three-column list of languages... and these read across each row and then down to the next row. No bullet points, and not much white space in between columns, so you do read across.

Both are tables, of course, but the "tabular" display of the language names is a tighter visual grouping. The language names are all also pretty much the same length.

The top bulleted list in columns, I feel, is better suited to handle category entries that differ in length, since the white space in between the columns doesn't cause a problem... and it's probably better suited to lists that change, as it would be easier to maintain.

But with proper layout, use of grid-lines and space, etc, you could probably make either work visually.

On this particular dmoz page, I prefer the vertical columns that I read down.

PS: If you're talking about the home page of dmoz, there I do prefer the rows. With three columns, particularly with subcategories, I don't think there could be enough white space between columns to make columns predominate so you would read them down. I tend to read these rows across.

[edited by: Robert_Charlton at 2:32 am (utc) on Feb. 12, 2007]