Article Idea:
Icon Analysis
suggested by Matt Queen on 2006/03/02
How different do icons need to be in order for users to easily distinguish between them? Can a user easily find this icon among many in a UI? The standard answers have relied on differences in visual qualities such as outline, and color. However, the mechanics of the human visual system provide a slightly more complex answer (involving the idea of spatial frequencies). This is a “methods and approaches article” that aims to explain how we discriminate among and search for icons in a user interface. Also, I’ll provide a method using image editing software to test icons for efficiency in discrimination and search tasks.
This icon analysis technique has proven very successful informally and in pilot studies for the experimental validation stage. This article aims to present a high level discussion of the technique and show how it could be used in your work.
Want to see this idea turned into a story?
1 person said yes. | 0 people said no.
Patrick Stapleton
9 Reputation points
Posted 2006/03/05 @ 21:41PM with
I am not a huge believer in icons, at least in the web application arena which is where most of my software design experience lies. To my mind they tend to add download weight without any major value add. However I been interested for a long time in the idea of building English weighted but language agnostic applications that would use icongraphy to point non-english reading users towards most common use cases.
As such my interest in such an analysis would lie with understanding what functional imagery could be considered universal. If indeed there was any.
Matt Queen
130 Reputation points
Posted 2006/03/07 @ 15:52PM with
Your concerns seem more closely related to semiotics. I am certainly no semiotics expert. Also, I agree with your comments about the usefulness of icons on the web. I completed a draft of this article a few days ago, here is an excerpt that explains a use and setting for this analysis:
“Systems used by first responders in hazardous materials incidents (see MARPLOT for example) rely on icon design to signify entity classification (e.g. small icon of a schoolhouse) and level of critical danger to an entity (e.g. a school icon is painted red on a map). Immediately recognizing danger to a school amongst lumber yards, garbage dumps, and plant nurseries is imperative. Any time slip in the search and discrimination task could delay notification and evacuation of hundreds of children. How then can we diagnose problems with icons that fail in this regard?”
There are a host of web applications that fit this characterization:
http://yosemite.epa.gov/oswer/ceppoweb.nsf/content/ds-noe…
I agree the study of semiotics is important yet the field is not very well worked out. There are some good authors to recommend though:
Or for review of the seminal lit.
Anglin, G., Towers, R., & Levie, H. (1996). Visual message design and learning: The role of static and dynamic illustrations. In D.H. Jonassen (Ed.), Handbook of Research for Educational Communications and Technology. New York: Simon and Schuster Macmillan.