Datatable vs. object model

In most B2B teams I've worked with, the default answer to a list of data is a datatable: columns, sorting, filters. It works, and it's fast to build. But it shows the attributes of an object and never lets the user recognize the object itself. They scan rows of data. Nothing concrete.

On a recent project, the first request was exactly that: one more table to display products. It felt natural, since the request moves fast and users are used to it. Habit is not a design argument on its own. The real question is what the user should remember about the object, not how quickly it can be displayed.

Table view

Name	Genre	Year	Hours
Counter Strike	FPS	2004	2221,8
Knights in Tight Spaces	Tactics	2023	27,8
Palworld	Survival	2024	79,2
Hollow Knight	Metroidvania	2017	27,4
TUNIC	Action-adventure	2022	37,4
Thronefall	Tower defense	2023	27,5

Object view

Counter Strike

FPS

schedule

2221,8 hours played

Knights in Tight Spaces

Tactics

schedule

27,8 hours played

Palworld

Survival

schedule

79,2 hours played

Hollow Knight

Metroidvania

schedule

27,4 hours played

TUNIC

Action-adventure

schedule

37,4 hours played

Thronefall

Tower defense

schedule

27,5 hours played

Starting from an object instead of a table changes the lens entirely. What is this object? What attributes actually define it, rather than which columns fit on screen? The table still earns its place afterward, for comparing items or acting on volume, but as a secondary view rather than the entry point. Once the object view exists, most users end up preferring it to the old table.