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Dan Goldstein is <<... trying to convince someone of the importance of
flowchart direction... I found the following on the SmartDraw site: "Keep
the direction of flow consistent. Avoid confusion by keeping your flow lines
moving from top to bottom and left to right. Don't reverse the direction in
the chart unless the flow reverses itself in reality.">>
Think of it this way: In body text, the sentences run consistently from left
to right, then top to bottom. Similarly, the paragraphs run in a linear
sequence. No matter how convoluted the branching of a sentence's logic, the
sentences follow this order (as do the paragraphs) rather than physically
branching off to represent the logic. Any such diversions from what the
design teaches us to expect (linear sequence) must provide enough benefits
to outweigh the disruptions in communication that they present.
In the same manner, a flowchart must follow a logical sequence that
facilitates comprehension; reversals and branching must provide benefits
(improved comprehension or efficiency) that outweigh the disadvantages of
whiplashing the reader (back and forthing <g>). Consistency and a smooth
linear flow make the design more usable if for no other reason than that
they eliminate a whole batch of backward-branching lines. As Edward Tufte
notes, this "non-data ink" serves no purpose and simply adds clutter that
the reader must process and discard.
That's not to say we should be foolish about consistency. Changes in
direction and branching can serve important roles, and if you can make a
strong case for either technique improving the communication or the
efficiency of using the chart, then they're valid techniques. Flowcharts
often send you backwards when it's necessary to repeat a sequence of steps;
similarly, they often send you to another page when you reach a decision
point for which one answer requires a whole new flowchart that won't fit
legibly within the original chart. These are all good reasons for branching
and direction changes.
So rather than insisting on a simple and rigorously linear sequence, ask
yourself at each point whether it's necessary or useful to depart from that
sequence. If so, then branch to help the reader. Where it's neither
necessary nor useful, stick with the sequence; that too helps the reader.
--Geoff Hart, ghart -at- [delete]videotron -dot- ca
Forest Engineering Research Institute of Canada
580 boul. St-Jean
Pointe-Claire, Que., H9R 3J9 Canada
“Wisdom is one of the few things that look bigger the further away it
is.”--Terry Pratchett
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