Projects/Usability/HIG/IconDesign

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    Purpose

    Icons are pictorial representations of functions and objects, important not only for aesthetic reasons as part of the visual identity of a program, but also for utilitarian reasons as shorthand for conveying meaning that users perceive almost instantaneously. Well-designed icons improve the visual communication and strongly impact users' overall impression of visual design. Last but not least, icons are space-saving and improve usability by making programs, objects, and actions easier to identify, learn. Icon use should be consistent throughout the interface.

    Guidelines

    • Design icons with a small number of metaphors [1].
      • Apply metaphors only once (e.g. do not use a brush twice for different options).
      • Rethink conventionally used metaphors (e.g. the clipboard icon of paste).
      • Antiquated metaphors might work well (e.g. a floppy is not necessarily outdated to represent save).
      • Adjust the degree of abstractness according to familiarity of the metaphor.
      • Use arrows only if they can easily be related to spatial features such as Previous/Next in a sequence or Up/Down in a hierarchy. Avoid using arrows metaphorically (such as for Reply/Forward or Undo/Redo).
      • Attempt to use metaphors that are independent of language and culture.
      • Make icons simple.
    • If an icon has important details at larger sizes, rather than simply scaling it down, create unique versions of the icon at smaller sizes. Critical details may become unrecognizable when scaled down.
    • Avoid using text in icon designs; it may not scale well to smaller sizes.
    • Icons of a similar type share a consistent visual language (mimetypes, folders, devices, etc.).
    • Follow the guidelines for presenting icons with text
    • Test your icon set on strength of association, discriminatory power, conspicuousness, and, if applicable, on accessibility.

    Monochrome Icons

    • Used for application toolbar and button actions, menus, and status and notifications. Also may be used for small (16x16) devices and places icons (folders, usb drives, etc.).
    • Rely on a distinct shapes instead of fine details to distinguish between them.
    • Color can be used for distinction (change of state, destructive actions, etc.).

    Application icons

    • Unique and easily recognizable.
    • Have the widest variation of color and visual style to represent the visual identity of the application.
    • When creating an system icon theme, respect trademarks by avoiding significant alterations to application icons.

    Implementation

    References

    [1] http://user-prompt.com/semiotics-in-usability-guidelines-for-the-development-of-icon-metaphors/