Overlapping Hotspots

Stefan,

I'm not sure I agree with your numbers. If you have 50 triggers, you can only have 50 actions. In that case, you could have two different actions for each row, and a few left over. It wouldn't matter which column was chosen. If you need a different action for each of the intersections, you have 600 intersections, and that means 600 triggers, no matter how you initiate them.

I made a mockup, with two rows and thee columns, one-tenth of what you suggest. One slide is named 600 triggers, and it allows for a distinct interaction for each intersection and takes six triggers (plus a couple of overhead for the text box).  Multiply two by ten, and three by ten and you have 600.

Another slide is named 50 triggers. It still has 600 intersections, but if you are going to use only 50 triggers, you are going to be limited to 50 actions..

All triggers change the value in the text box but you can create them with any action.

The third slide is named 1200 triggers, and it works the way I think you are envisioning it. It has 12 triggers, but one is used to clear the states back to blank. If you don't need it, it cuts the total triggers needed for a matrix of 20 X 30 from 1200 to 1100.

Here are two samples that allow you to hover, and one that allows you to click on one spot, and choose a row with the first click, and a column with the second.

I strongly agree with Joe's suggestions.