Icons
Icons are
most often used to represent objects and actions with which users can interact
with or that they can manipulate
Kinds of Icons
Icons
fall into these categories by Marcus:
Icon. Something
that looks like what it means.
Index. A sign
that was caused by the thing to which it refers.
Symbol. A sign
that may be completely arbitrary in appearance.
An expanded definition by Roger’s icon kinds are
Resemblance—An image
that looks like what it means. a book, for example , to represent a dictionary
Symbolic—An
abstract image representing something. A cracked glass, for example, can represent something fragile
Exemplar—An image
illustrating an example or characteristic of something. a knife and fork has come to indicate a restaurant
Arbitrary—An image
completely arbitrary in appearance whose meaning must be learned.
Analogy—An image
physically or semantically associated with something. a wheelbarrow full of bricks for the move command
Characteristics of Icons
An icon
possesses the technical qualities of syntactics, semantics, and pragmatics
Syntactics
refers to
an icon’s physical structure.
Semantics
is the
icon’s meaning.
Pragmatics
is how
the icons are physically produced and depicted.
Icon Usability
Provide icons that are:
o
Familiar.
o
Clear and Legible.
o
Simple.
o
Consistent.
o
Direct.
o
Efficient.
o
Discriminable.
Also consider the:
o
Context in which the icon is used.
o
Expectancies of users.
o
Complexity of task.
Choosing Icons
A
Successful Icon
Looks different from all other icons.
Is obvious what it does or represents.
Is recognizable when no larger than 16 pixels
square.
Looks as good in black and white as in color.
Size
Supply in all standard sizes.
o
16 X 16 pixels.
§ 16- and
256-color versions.
o
32 X 32
pixels
§ 16- and
256-color versions.
§ Effective:
24 X 24 or 26X 26in 32 X
32 icon.
o
48 X 48
pixels
§ 16- and
256-color versions.
Use colors from the system palette.
Use an odd number of pixels along each side.
o
Provides center pixel around which to focus design.
Minimum sizes for easy selection:
o
With stylus or pen: 15 pixels square.
o
With mouse: 20 pixels square.
o
With finger: 40 pixels square.
Provide as large a hot zone as possible.
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