Feature Comparison
A Feature Comparison allows a number of different objects to be compared against one another.
It consists of a large table listing each item (or person) to be compared either along the
top or the side. The other axis (along the side or the top, respectively) contains features
(or sometimes statements). For each item, a marker (usually a dot or other symbol) is
placed in the cell corresponding to each feature the item has. The result is a visual
comparison of features since the markers make it clear which items have a particular feature
and which do not.
Typical Uses
Most often a Feature Comparison is used to show how different consumers or companies react to
various aspects of one's business or product. It may also be used to compare the features of
different brands of similar products. It is best used for the comparison of a large amount of
people, each individually with a large amount of information.
Best Practices
- Determine a purpose. Determine the items to be compared and gather the appropriate information. Place an appropriately descriptive title at the top of the page.
- Create a table. Create a table with a row for each item with which to compare the other items. Then make a column for each feature to be compared. An additional column for comments may be placed at the right side of the table if desired. The table may also be created in the opposite manner: items in columns and features in rows. The choice may be dependent on the table's fit on the page.
- Label each side. Place the names or short descriptions of each item and feature in the spaces along the side and top.
- Fill in the diagram. Place markers in each applicable cell.