# Table or Cards
> Tables for comparing values across items. Cards for judging items by what they look like.

## Situation

Do people compare values, or judge items one at a time?

## Decision

### Use Table when

People compare the same attributes across many items, sort them, and scan down columns.

- Same attributes on every item
- Sorting and filtering by value
- Numbers, dates, statuses
- Many items, read side by side

### Use Cards when

Each item is judged as a whole, often visually: a listing, a template, a project with a cover.

- Images carry the decision
- Few attributes per item
- Browsing, not comparing
- Items vary in shape

**The numbers:** People compare 3+ attributes across items: table. The image is the main reason to click: cards. Unsure? Ask whether people would want to sort it.

## Why

Finance compares amounts, dates, and statuses across hundreds of payments, so it’s a sortable table. Cards would turn every comparison into a scroll.

## Edge cases

Tables collapse badly on phones. On mobile, a table often becomes a list of compact cards with the two most-compared values up front.

Source: https://productfordesigners.com/cards/table-cards
Author: Alex Dovhyi