This 5,000-year-old Sumerian clay tablet (modern-day Iraq) is one of the earliest known written documents. But forget poetry or religious texts – this is ancient data analysis!

Surprisingly, most recovered Sumerian tablets are economic records: taxes, crop yields, inventories – a detailed economic snapshot. This highlights the enduring power of tabular data, predating even bronze and iron.

Tables significantly boost our data processing capacity. Our short-term memory struggles beyond seven items, but tables allow us to easily process fifteen, twenty, or more.

Tables on Mobile: A Modern Challenge

Recently, front-end developers have debated the optimal presentation of tabular data on smaller screens. One approach, featured on the LivingSocial techblog, restructures each table row into an independent unit at smaller screen sizes.

This stacking method works well for short tables (e.g., shoe size charts). However, it sacrifices the inherent advantages of tables for longer datasets. Consider a bank statement: finding a specific transaction becomes significantly harder without the column view. Furthermore, repeating headers for every row increases visual clutter.

Optimizing Tables Before Redesign

Before resorting to complex layout solutions, prioritize data optimization. Ask these questions:

• Is every column necessary on mobile?
• Can data be summarized more concisely? (e.g., "Feb" instead of "02/01/2015 – 02/28/2015")
• Can detailed information be hidden behind a "More" link and modal?

A well-designed shopping receipt exemplifies efficient small-format table design. It clearly displays essential information (product, origin, price, distance traveled) within a limited space.

Tablesaw: A Responsive Solution

If optimization isn't enough, consider Tablesaw, a responsive table library from the Filament Group.

Tablesaw offers:

• Toggle view: Select specific columns to display.
• Swipe table: Keep the leftmost column visible while swiping to access others.

Tablesaw provides a flexible solution for various responsive table needs. Check out their demo for more details.

Originally published in the April 8th SitePoint Design Newsletter

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