Need typographic elements (not colors) to communicate level of urgency.
December 15, 2015 4:21 PM Subscribe
Part of a report I'm writing is meant to communicate varying levels of urgency for action based on data in the report. We've proposed using the stoplight type color metaphor (i.e., red means urgent, yellow means be watchful, green means doing well), but at least some of the people using the report won't have color printers.
The report contains about 30 data elements, and we want to draw attention to those areas in which a client is deteriorating, say. For example, the client's depression may have gone from mild to severe during the reporting period, and we want to call attention to that.
What conventions other than colors could we use? (smiley and frowny faces don't seem appropriate in this context).
The report contains about 30 data elements, and we want to draw attention to those areas in which a client is deteriorating, say. For example, the client's depression may have gone from mild to severe during the reporting period, and we want to call attention to that.
What conventions other than colors could we use? (smiley and frowny faces don't seem appropriate in this context).
What about a numeric scale? You can still use the colours just have a number associated with it in a separate column.
posted by A hidden well at 4:28 PM on December 15, 2015
posted by A hidden well at 4:28 PM on December 15, 2015
Sort your items by urgency, and style the more important ones bigger and bolder.
E.g.
URGENT ITEMS
Relevant Items
Reminder to please use correct correct trash/compost/recycling bin
New office supplies delivered
Friday is silly hat day
posted by rustcrumb at 4:31 PM on December 15, 2015 [7 favorites]
E.g.
URGENT ITEMS
- Building is on fire
- Payroll checks are bouncing
- CEO indicted for embezzelment
Relevant Items
- W-2 Forms available
- New seating arrangement
Reminder to please use correct correct trash/compost/recycling bin
New office supplies delivered
Friday is silly hat day
posted by rustcrumb at 4:31 PM on December 15, 2015 [7 favorites]
Rustcrumb has it. Font weight and/or size. Adding oblique will lead to confusion over which is urgent.
posted by renderthis at 4:37 PM on December 15, 2015
posted by renderthis at 4:37 PM on December 15, 2015
Can you sidebar a typographical element like an exclamation point in a box for urgent action items? The trick will be not over-using it so that people get warning fatigue.
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 4:37 PM on December 15, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 4:37 PM on December 15, 2015 [3 favorites]
I would something like:
Checkmark for green, indicating "basically okay"
Asterix for yellow, indicating "take special note of this"
Exclamation point for red, indicating "this one is really serious"
posted by jacquilynne at 5:02 PM on December 15, 2015 [4 favorites]
Checkmark for green, indicating "basically okay"
Asterix for yellow, indicating "take special note of this"
Exclamation point for red, indicating "this one is really serious"
posted by jacquilynne at 5:02 PM on December 15, 2015 [4 favorites]
The Dummies Guides have a very good visual guide for this - the books work because visually they use strong typographical clues to the information's weight. They use a tiny bomb for vital urgent info, lightbulb for helpful, a thick border for warnings, and so on.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 5:18 PM on December 15, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 5:18 PM on December 15, 2015 [3 favorites]
I'm picturing a little graphic, well three actually, that you can copy and paste as needed:
A bar (the periods) with arrows or markers (!) showing the measure:
...!........................... means doing well
...............!................ means watchful
..............................!.. means urgent
posted by NoraCharles at 5:44 PM on December 15, 2015
A bar (the periods) with arrows or markers (!) showing the measure:
...!........................... means doing well
...............!................ means watchful
..............................!.. means urgent
posted by NoraCharles at 5:44 PM on December 15, 2015
What about street sign shapes? Octagonal Stop Sign, Triangular Caution Sign, and Rectangle Info Sign.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 6:34 PM on December 15, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 6:34 PM on December 15, 2015 [3 favorites]
More or less seconding ChurchHatesTucker, the icons in computer dialog boxes would, I think, be well understood by most people. They pretty much follow the shapes mentioned above. Susan Kare's old Macintosh icons (or something similar if they're still copyright) would be pretty cool.
posted by mewsic at 7:45 PM on December 15, 2015
posted by mewsic at 7:45 PM on December 15, 2015
I would consider:
Putting boxes around the most important items, or boxes of different weights around different urgency levels;
Putting a vertical line to the left or right of each item (making sure that punched holes, etc., won't interfere), and varying the style of those lines.
Using the leftmost 1/2" or so for an urgency icon; maybe using eyes for the super urgent things, or something else (circles of different sizes, or maybe blank - exclamation point - double exclamation point).
An image search for "urgency icon" might be interesting... good luck!
posted by amtho at 8:22 PM on December 15, 2015
Putting boxes around the most important items, or boxes of different weights around different urgency levels;
Putting a vertical line to the left or right of each item (making sure that punched holes, etc., won't interfere), and varying the style of those lines.
Using the leftmost 1/2" or so for an urgency icon; maybe using eyes for the super urgent things, or something else (circles of different sizes, or maybe blank - exclamation point - double exclamation point).
An image search for "urgency icon" might be interesting... good luck!
posted by amtho at 8:22 PM on December 15, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by rainbowbrite at 4:27 PM on December 15, 2015