Two by two
Trade two axes off against each other and place items.
Variants
- default
Data fields
The fields a spec's page can set for this component (see switchback show matrix-2x2 --json):
x_axisy_axisquadrants
Grounding
Helps: when items need comparing on two values at once; laying them on two axes is diagram craft with no direct test, so treat the quadrants as a prompt to argue with, not a measurement
Backfires: when an axis does not discriminate and everything crowds one quadrant, or when "nothing on a line" forces a false either-or; neither risk has been studied, and in classroom studies the gains from graphic organisers did not carry over to later tasks
- DPlacing items on a spatial layout defined by two explicit dimensions makes their relative standing on both dimensions easier to judge and compare than a list or table does.Larkin & Simon (1987)
- CItems placed inside the same bounded region are perceived as belonging together, even against other grouping cues, so labelled zones make category membership readable at a glance.Wagemans et al. (2012)