We try like hell to avoid horizontal scrolling. I hate it. It's especially bad now that OS X hides scroll bars, so there is no visual indicator that you can scroll horizontally.
The issue for our application is that sometimes there's just too much data. If I have a matrix of information that is 25 columns by 100 rows, I don't have a lot of choices but to scroll horizontally. Drilldown is taken off the table by the fact that the information must be available for quick cross-reference.
Our issue is not unique. Lots of people solving business process problems face this issue, and I'm not aware of any good solutions. I'm ready and willing to be educated though. Even if an alternate solution is harder, we're not afraid of putting in the extra effort. We have a base set of requirements to meet though:
* Must accommodate variable record counts in the x and y axis
* Must make data available for quick cross-reference (moving in and out of sub-screens to compare data is not acceptable)
* Must maintain the x and y axis relationship of data; that is to say, collapsing columns or rows is fine, but shuffling is not
We experimented with an option that collapses columns, but at some point, even collapsed columns take up too much space. This means moving them out to a separate "column selection" widget, which limits the maximum number of selections and is even more confusing for users than horizontal scrolling.
> The issue for our application is that sometimes there's just too much data.
If that's the case then you have either not executed proper information architecture and design or you're trying to shoehorn a product into software for which it is not suited.
Not everything can be translated properly inside of a web browser. It's a very limited tool that has its uses, but beyond the basics it cannot compete with native applications which can take true advantage of the OS and hardware along with allowing the developer to circumvent many web conventions.
Gotta be honest, I disagree with just about everything you've said there, with the exception of one part.
"...or you're trying to shoehorn a product into software for which it is not suited."
I agree with the statement, but disagree with the context. If by software we mean the display methodology, then yes. I take issue with the assertion that this is a web browser problem though. We're basically talking about a pivot table here. Large pivot tables often require horizontal scrolling. Moving the pivot table to native software doesn't magically solve this problem.
This is an information representation problem. We're currently using a pivot table. There is probably a better solution. I'll readily admit that I don't see it, and that's my deficiency. I cannot see that this is a problem inherent to web browsers though.
Because you're looking to display it in a web browser. A PC may not be the most suitable platform. Not everything works correctly on one nor can everything be adapted to the context of a browser. It may just be that simple.
The issue for our application is that sometimes there's just too much data. If I have a matrix of information that is 25 columns by 100 rows, I don't have a lot of choices but to scroll horizontally. Drilldown is taken off the table by the fact that the information must be available for quick cross-reference.
Our issue is not unique. Lots of people solving business process problems face this issue, and I'm not aware of any good solutions. I'm ready and willing to be educated though. Even if an alternate solution is harder, we're not afraid of putting in the extra effort. We have a base set of requirements to meet though:
* Must accommodate variable record counts in the x and y axis
* Must make data available for quick cross-reference (moving in and out of sub-screens to compare data is not acceptable)
* Must maintain the x and y axis relationship of data; that is to say, collapsing columns or rows is fine, but shuffling is not
We experimented with an option that collapses columns, but at some point, even collapsed columns take up too much space. This means moving them out to a separate "column selection" widget, which limits the maximum number of selections and is even more confusing for users than horizontal scrolling.
Not an easy problem to solve.