Information Density

Design interfaces that let users control how much information they see at once — because the right density for a power user scanning 200 rows is the wrong density for someone who needs space to process each item.

The Density Spectrum

Compact

• Minimal spacing, smaller text, more items visible
• Suits: power users, data-heavy tasks, large screens
• Risks: overwhelming for cognitive disabilities, hard to tap on touch devices, hard to scan for low vision

Comfortable (Default)

• Moderate spacing, standard text size, balanced visibility
• Suits: most users in most contexts
• This should be the default — optimise for this first