Today, we will take a detour to world-wide web and learn how we can improve our dashboards, reports, presentations or workbooks by using one of the ideas, called as Golden Triangle.
Golden what?!?
Website designers all over the world are always asking,
- What areas of my webpage get most attention?
- Should I get another cup of coffee?!?
During one such coffee breaks, they had a break!. Eye-tracking.
Eye-tracking is used to learn where our eyes focus when we look at a website. Imagine your eyes as spray paint cans. Now, when you look at something, your eyes would spray paint, at the point of focus. So, when you look at a webpage, at the end of first few seconds, your eyes would have painted something like this, (source: Google)
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You see the triangle? that is what web-designers call as Golden Triangle – the place where your users attention will be.
How do we apply golden triangle to our Reports, Dashboards or Workbook Models?
Simple! Just place the important content, metrics, messages or charts at the top-left corner. A few more important stuff can be placed at top-right too.
Based on my extensive eye-tracking studies conducted on my own eyes, I present you the first-ever Excel eye-tracking results.

What is the best place to show important info on reports and dashboards?
In my opinion, top-left corner & top rows are good place to show summaries & important info. Whenever I followed this rules, my clients loved the output.
What about you? What is the best place for key information according to you? Do you agree with the golden triangle idea? Share your ideas & insights thru comments.
Resources on Dashboard / Charting Best Practices:
If you make a lot of reports, charts or presentations, then go thru these additional material to learn more.
- Articles on Visualization Principles
- Selecting right chart for your data & needs
- 5 Rules for making better charts
PS: Further eye-tracking studies have revealed that you will never click here if you do not want to learn more about making awesome charts.

















6 Responses to “A quick personal update”
Thank you for the personal update. It was quite encouraging and a breath of fresh air in my Inbox. Take care and stay safe.
David
Doctors advise:
Virus obstructs lungs with thick mucus that solidifies.
Consume lot hot liquids like tea, soup, and sip of hot liquid every 20 min
Gargle w antiseptic of lemon, vinegar, & hot water daily
It attaches to hair/clothes detergent kills it, when come from st go straight shower
Hang dirty clothes in sunlight/cold overnight or wash immediately.
Wash metal surfaces as it can live on them 9 days
Do not touch hand rails
Do not smoke
Wash hands foaming 20 sec every 20 min
Eat fruit/veg and up zinc levels.
Animals do not spread it
Avoid common flu
Avoid eat/drink cold things
If feel sore throat do above immediate as virus is there 3-4 days before descends into lungs
Would love help with my database mgt in excel.
Thanks for being thoughtful of us.
BTW How do you track your expenses/income in excel? Can you share the worksheet please.
Stay safe you and your family, best wishes.
Thanks for the update and happy to know that you and family are doing good. A 21 day lockdown has now been announced in India (I live around Kolkata) so it's uncertain times ahead. I check up on your wonderful articles often and will do so even more regularly now. Stay safe and God bless.
Hi from Argentina, I follow you for a lot of years now. We here are in a quarantine for 2 or 3 weeks, because the pandemia.
Excel is also my passion and I came here looking for a Num2Words formula, but in spanish. If anyone have it, please let me know.
Best regards.
Pablo Molina
La Rioja - Argentina
I'm glad to have your personal update. I'm from India & following you for so many years. Cheers to have any further personal update.