Learned Topics from LabSim Fifth Chapter (A Response to Threaded Discussion 07)

The use of conditional formatting to highlight cells containing particular values, text sequences, or falling within a range of values was something new to me; I had seen this done many times before, but until completing LabSim 5.9, was unsure of how to employ this technique myself. I intuitively guessed that there had to be some way of automating the whole process of color-coding cells given specific conditions, rather than doing so manually, but I had never actually employed conditional formatting like that before, for spreadsheets I was actively working with.

I've already made use of this new skill in my own life. 

Recently, I started building a spreadsheet that would allow me to compare all the pros/cons of multiple options for a program I have been looking at enrolling in. One of the obvious things you look at when comparing options is cost. Having learned how to conditionally format cells, I designed a scheme where Excel would color-code cells in the "Program Cost" column of the spreadsheet, based on what percentile of the cost distribution a particular program's cost fell into. The end result was a nice, stoplight-themed color code that allows me to compare program costs more effectively, by more or less immediately disqualifying program options whose total costs' fall in the "red."

I look forward to further exploring conditional cell formatting using percentages, highs/lows, etc. in future projects.