Waterfall Chart Column Configuration Automation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Creating waterfall charts in spreadsheet programs is complex, requiring intricate formulas and the use of stacked invisible columns to achieve the floating effect of change columns, which can be cumbersome and visually confusing.
Innovation Solution
A computing device with a user interface allows users to configure and render waterfall charts by automatically converting columns between total and change columns based on user input, using color options, and adjusting the vertical axis, simplifying the process and enhancing visual clarity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If professionals use complicated formulas and stacked invisible columns to create waterfall charts, then the chart can be generated, but the process becomes cumbersome and visually confusing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the invisible columns from the final visualization, keeping only the necessary visible columns that display the waterfall effect. By removing the hidden structural elements (invisible columns) that complicate the process, the solution simplifies both creation and visual presentation while maintaining the chart's functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a simplified representation where visible columns copy the essential visual effect of the traditional waterfall chart without requiring the complex stacked invisible column structure. This allows the chart to be created more easily while producing the same visual outcome.
2Ease of operation
If change columns are made to float relative to first and final columns, then visual clarity is improved, but the requirement for invisible columns increases complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the invisible columns from the implementation while preserving the floating visual effect of change columns. By extracting only the necessary visible elements, the solution achieves visual clarity without the complexity of managing multiple invisible structural components.
3Loss of information
If color coding is used to indicate positive or negative changes, then information clarity is improved, but the number of configuration options increases complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies consistent color coding rules where positive changes are uniformly represented by one color and negative changes by another. This homogeneous approach maintains information clarity while avoiding the complexity of multiple color configuration options, as the coloring is automatically determined by the sign of the change value.
Data Source
AI summary
A computing device (e.g., a processor executing instructions on the computing device) receives an input (e.g., from a user or from a data stream) into a cell of a table (e.g., a cell of a spreadsheet, worksheet, or workbook). If the input is a sum (e.g., a formula whose result is the sum of previous cells), then the computing device renders a total column representing the sum on a waterfall chart (e.g., on a user interface rendered on an electronic display). Otherwise, if the input is a static value (e.g., an integer or decimal number), then the computing device renders a change column representing the static value.