Leading Causes of Death
It’s a beautiful snowy morning in New England. There’s a fire in the fireplace, and my husband is reading the newspaper with two pups snoozing away at his feet. It’s…
What’s The Damn Denominator?
Here's what's making me crazy today: denominators. Specifically, reports and dashboards where the metrics displayed are utterly baffling (and useless) because the denominator is the wrong one for the information…
The Luxury of Less
I often find myself torn between wanting to get as much useful information as possible onto a single page of the reports and dashboards we design and build, and my…
You Can Learn A Lot From a Watermelon Mojito
Sadly, the long, lazy afternoons making and sipping my favorite summer cocktail -- a watermelon mojito -- are winding down. I love this drink, made with fresh watermelon purée, mint,…
A Profoundly Moving Data Display
This past Memorial Day I was greatly moved by news stories about the courage and sacrifice of so many in service to our country. It was also a quiet time…
For the Font of It
Dr. Fizzy McFizz at DocCartoon.com has identified the seven types of physician handwriting she encountered during her medical training. I'm not a physician, but—I'm embarrassed to admit—my handwriting fits squarely…
Labels, Titles and Endorphins, Oh My!
I have been an avowed hater of running since forever. Not wanting to run is just about the only thing in my entire life that I have ever been certain…
Channel Your Inner “Sprout”
My career in healthcare started when I was hired straight out of college as the finance manager of a community hospital. My co-workers called me "Sprout," as in "she's as…
A Great Teacher; A Great Lesson
I'm sure most of us can name a memorable teacher -- one who, for better or worse, made a lifelong impression upon us. Mine was the principal of my junior…
When should you use a table to display data?
Tables should be used to display data when you need to look up specific values. The earliest table I remember (quite vividly) is the multiplication table that we were given…