Back in my finance analyst days at a major pub and hospitality company, we had an intriguing training session about menu layouts. It was fascinating to learn that humans naturally read menus in a "Z" pattern – from top left to bottom right, like following a zigzag. Sounds familiar, right? That's because we do the same thing with dashboards!

Menus, like dashboards, are designed to catch our attention and guide our eyes across the page. Just as bold borders and containers on menus draw our focus to specials or popular items, dashboards use colours, formatting, and visual cues to highlight important data points or trends.

The similarities don't stop there. Just as a well-organised menu helps us quickly find what we're looking for, a thoughtfully laid out dashboard makes it easy to navigate through complex data. We scan from left to right, then top to bottom, taking in key insights along the way.

What's truly fascinating is how these design principles tap into our subconscious, influencing our decision-making process without us even realising it. Whether we're ordering from a menu or analysing data on a dashboard, our brains follow the same patterns, making it easier for us to process information and make informed choices.

So, next time you're creating a dashboard, think about the psychology behind menu layouts. By understanding how humans naturally consume information, you can design dashboards that are not only informative but also intuitive and engaging. After all, whether it's choosing a meal or making a business decision, we all appreciate a little guidance along the way!