LAY-5 — Density suits the task — neither cramped for data entry nor padded for scanning; extreme outliers in either direction are findings

Fails when: a data-entry surface is too padded for efficient tab traversal · a reading or scanning surface is too cramped to scan without error

Requirement

Match information density to the task. A data-entry surface (a spreadsheet grid, an order form, a timesheet) should be tight enough that the user can move and enter quickly without acres of whitespace between fields. A reading or scanning surface (a summary, a dashboard, a notice) should breathe enough to scan without error. Neither extreme is universal — the right density depends on what the user is doing.

Rationale

Density is not a style preference; it is a task fit. A data-entry form padded out like a marketing page forces the user to scroll and tab through dead space on every row, the week reports are due — friction that compounds across forty rows. A reference notice crammed to spreadsheet density is a wall the user misreads under time pressure. Kind Utility means the surface's density serves the user's actual job, which is why this control is judged against the page type, not a fixed metric.

Passes when

A data-entry table is compact: rows close, tab order tight, minimal chrome between fields, so a full batch enters fast.
A summary dashboard is open: cards and figures spaced to scan in seconds.
A settings page sits in between — grouped, readable, not cramped.

Fails when

A data-entry form so padded that entering a batch of records means constant scrolling and long tab jumps.
A scanning surface so cramped that figures and labels run together and the user mis-reads.

How to verify

Judgment. The evaluator judges density against the declared page type and task from the screenshots — a data-entry form and a summary dashboard legitimately differ. There is no fixed spacing metric; the question is fit, not a number.

Evaluator guidance

Flag: a data-entry surface too padded for efficient traversal; a reading surface too cramped to scan without error. Name the surface and the task it serves.

Do not flag:

Legitimate density differences between page types — a tight data grid beside an open dashboard is correct, not inconsistent.
A deliberately spacious surface where the task is genuinely low-volume reading.

Deconfliction. SLP-7 bans uniform spacing (everything at one value); LAY-5 asks that density fit the task — they point in different directions and both can apply. SLP-5 targets the identical-card-grid template; LAY-5 targets the density mismatch when a template is applied to the wrong task. This is L2: a reasoned deviation takes an inline dx-waive LAY-5 reason="…".