An image or pictogram used instead of or supplemental to textual information. Icon requests are off topic; please keep questions related to their use rather than asking what a good icon to represent a certain item/concept would be.
10
votes
2answers
420 views
Icon-only navigation bar for a desktop application?
I am working on a groupware application running as a desktop application (not in the browser). I wanted to keep the interface really simple and minimalistic so my users will not get distracted by a ...
3
votes
3answers
123 views
Does having different functionality for the same button on different screen cause a usability issue?
Within two different screens of a product I'm designing I would like to use an icon for a secondary action. In both screens using an icon with an X in it seems the most logical choice, although the ...
11
votes
6answers
1k views
Multiple choice with Yes, No and 'No answer'
I am working on a Quiz Application for Multiple Choice question. Instead of normal Multiple Choice Questions with the two answers yes and no. I am working on one that allows a user to abstain to a ...
4
votes
7answers
780 views
What icon could be used to mean 'notifications'? [closed]
As part of a web-based application, we have a toolbar at the top of the page. The toolbar contains buttons that consist of small (30x30) icons with a single word underneath (for example, a search ...
4
votes
4answers
394 views
What Is the Best Approach To Minimalist Buttons (Icons)?
My web app, like most, is trying to utilize as much space as possible by trying to use an icon as a button to perform specific tasks. I have quite a few that would make for a pretty obscure button, ...
1
vote
2answers
248 views
Do visual metaphors get outdated? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Save icon, is the floppy disk icon dead?
When designing UI, metaphors are important aspects, no doubt to that. But I often come across when picking the right metaphor is ...
6
votes
5answers
838 views
Can an icon depicting two arrows pointing in opposite direction be used as an indicator for “Follow me”
I am making an icon depicting "Follow me"
can 2 arrows pointing to either sides be used as follow me
or any other suggestions
arrows in a circle???
chain link...?
2
votes
1answer
278 views
Most intuitive settings icon [closed]
I'm designing a user interface for a WPF app. I was wondering which icon is the most intuitive to represent a Settings section. In my experience a single/multiple cog wheels seems to be the most ...
3
votes
1answer
273 views
Internal Consistency vs. Consistency across the Industry
Does anyone have any recommendations on how to balance having styles/patterns/icons being consistent to a single website vs following recommended practices/patterns/icons that are popping up across ...
1
vote
2answers
152 views
What is better better for the main buttons: icons or text? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
When to use icons vs. icons with text vs. just text links?
I'm currently making a ticket system, but I don't know what would be better, icons for the main buttons or ...
-1
votes
1answer
2k views
What icon can I use to represent Facebook share action for iOS? [closed]
I am now working on the interface for iPad app where one of the most frequently used feature is "Share to Facebook".
I am wondering what would be the best way to represent this action. Most of the ...
1
vote
3answers
154 views
Good image to represent “Publishers” [closed]
I'm looking for a symbol or image to represent publishers. In most situations it will include the text "publishers", but nonetheless I would like the symbol to make some link.
The best that I can ...
8
votes
3answers
276 views
App icons borderless or on a button?
In an app, when using icons, we can have place it on a button, or have the icon borderless. I would think that having it on a button gives better affordance, but it seems that many reputable ...
7
votes
6answers
591 views
What's the best “show navigation” icon for limited screen space
I read through the article and comments on "We need a standard show navigation icon for responsive web design" by Andy Clarke and it got me thinking about the subject and I'd like to hear your ...
6
votes
4answers
562 views
Archive of iOS / android app icons?
In creating an iOS app icons, it'd be great to see if I'm getting too close to anything that is already out there... but is there any good way to check? I haven't come across any archives out there ...
4
votes
4answers
172 views
Icon/asset catalog for development
A friend of mine currently is going through process of face-lifting existing application and it's nightmare when it comes to icons for buttons.
For example there are five different icons for ...
93
votes
10answers
6k views
Do unique icon contours help people scan?
Many years ago, I ran across a good icon design tutorial. It said that having unique contours to icons help users scan for the item they're looking for. If this is true, why don't iPhone and Android ...
1
vote
1answer
68 views
Need to learn the right way to use fonts colors on my site? [closed]
I want to learn web design to make good-looking websites. I have learned CSS, JavaScript, HTML quite well. But I need to be able to choose the right fonts, colors, backgrounds, images, etc. I want to ...
8
votes
5answers
1k views
What is the best way to graphically display item's position in a ranking?
My app has a table containing a list of financial securities. One of the columns is the security's position in a list of all available securities ranked by performance.
For example: security XYZ is ...
1
vote
1answer
176 views
What kind of iconography or image could be used to denote Beginner vs. Expert users? [closed]
I'm looking to segment users to either go down a path where there is a wizard-like UI that walks the user through a process. The alternative is a path for advanced users who are already familiar with ...
2
votes
2answers
234 views
Is there really no better icon for a “company” than a building? [closed]
I want to show the location of different companies within a Google map with icons.
Most of the time you see "buildings" used as a company icon.
Do you have an interesting alternative?
4
votes
4answers
122 views
How to explain best that there is more to a headline? (Icon, Text, etc)
We want to show "news headlines" within a google map (the news where it happend).
The news will show up in speech bubbles. Only the headline will be shown first. If a user want to read more, he has ...
6
votes
2answers
198 views
Where can I find guidelines on when to use the red octagon with exclamation mark icon in Mac OS?
This icon is shown under Mac OS when a disk is unmounted without being ejected first.
It is sometimes also used by other applications. Can someone point me to a place where the acceptable uses for ...
8
votes
7answers
664 views
Search Icon vs Search Input Box - Both Require One Click/Touch: Which to use?
I'm working on a mobile site of a rather large site. There are quite a few iA and navigation hurdles already, so I'm pushing to use a search icon instead of a traditional search input box.
My ...
4
votes
5answers
279 views
Communicating a three stage grade of alert
In our web application there's a view where we display the stress on a hardware component.
This will be displayed with a percentage value in different colour codes combined with an icon where 100% ...
2
votes
4answers
166 views
Is there an “approved” icon for jump/back five seconds? [closed]
In media players like vlc, we have the option of "jumping" forward and back by a few seconds, a feature I'v always loved.
Which icon would you use to display this option, like the triangle for "play" ...
1
vote
8answers
264 views
An icon that represents “End Game” in iPhone app [closed]
I'm stumped. I would like to have an icon in the toolbar that represents "End Game". My app is a scorekeeping app, and when the user wants to end the game and start with a fresh scoreboard, they would ...
4
votes
4answers
180 views
How to indicate a user is a full member or just a regular member?
I'm looking for some nice ways to visualize whether a user is a full member or a regular member. Assume a Facebook-style website with full membership option.
The profiles will be displayed as blocks ...
19
votes
4answers
786 views
How do you create or select an icon for a feature?
How do you work out what icon type or image you need for a feature?
There's been quite a lot of very small questions here in the form of "What is a good icon for feature X?".
Instead we should be ...
2
votes
3answers
240 views
How best to describe ranking and prizes using icons?
I have a site with an online game, there is a ranking of players.
For each game the player gets points which are summed up in their ranking.
During the game I want to show how much the player won ...
1
vote
4answers
423 views
Icon Representation Ideas. [closed]
I'm looking for some black and white/transparent icons that represent the following words and semantic concepts:
1) General. General settings area.
2) Header. Settings for a site's header.
3) ...
0
votes
11answers
463 views
Icon resembling “History” [closed]
I wrote a application for smart phones (it'll be opensource, so no money involved in case you mind) which displays historic events which happend today some years ago, in other words, you would call ...
3
votes
3answers
155 views
Is it better to use generic icons for 3rd party branded software or system specific icons?
I am developing a program that saves Word documents.
We develop on Mac OSX (in a Virtual Machine) and as such the Word Icon we have used is the Mac-specific word icon (which makes no sense when ...
7
votes
3answers
294 views
Do icons need labels on mobile apps?
There have already been studies that prove labelling icons enhances usability on desktop applications. This is why Microsoft Outlook started labelling its icons.
Does the same logic apply to ...
0
votes
1answer
169 views
funnel or checklist icon [closed]
I am looking for an icon to act as filter button (which on click will show a box with the filter options)
So I've seen a couple of results on google for filter icon and I've only seen by now funnels ...
-1
votes
5answers
261 views
Appropriate Icon for “Load” Button? [closed]
I'm tasked with redoing part of the UI in one of our desktop applications. I've specifically been asked to replace a "Load" button with an icon. Are there any conventions for this style of icon? ...
0
votes
4answers
728 views
What symbol(s) best represent the action of “connecting”? [closed]
What symbol(s) best represent the action of "connecting"? I need an icon that represents a "connection" - specifically, a connection between people.
Let's say there is a button to "connect" with ...
1
vote
3answers
198 views
Icon for Active (open) document/record [closed]
I am working on creating an icon that depicts active/inactive state.
On this system the user will be working with a number of people records. There is a list with various peoples names and an ...
0
votes
3answers
950 views
Detail disclosure button for non-iOS devices
On iOS devices, Apple uses a Detail disclosure button for additional details that are aside from the main list navigation. The image below is taken from the iOS HIG.
Another example of this can be ...
5
votes
11answers
474 views
How to indicate the word “interesting” with an icon? [closed]
In the project I am currently working on everything is based around the essence of "interests". One of the most important and bold UI elements in this project, is a button that when pressed gives us ...
19
votes
7answers
917 views
Are grayscale buttons with icons usable and effective?
The image here is
old gmail
new gmail, when no mail is selected
new gmail, when mail is selected
new delicious
To me, the buttons are unlabeled and tough to discover.
I don't believe the ...
-1
votes
1answer
242 views
What is a good icon for sorting reddit links? [closed]
In a Reddit client for iOS I'm writing, the user must be able to sort links by popularity, creation date, score and controversial.
The user must tap a button to get to a sheet allowing him/her to ...
4
votes
2answers
176 views
What indicates Zoom uniquely?
While reading a slideshow on How People Really Use the iPhone. It seemed a lot of users are confused when looking for a "zoom" icon; finding the magnifying glass to mean "search" and the plus sign to ...
0
votes
6answers
210 views
Appropriate icon for: Activate [closed]
In an application were developing there is a window containing a table holding 2-5 rows.
A metaphor for the context could be that the table identifies a gearbox of a car and each row is a gear in the ...
0
votes
0answers
70 views
What would be an appropriate icon for “browse”? [closed]
What would be an appropriate icon for browsing different pieces of content by their category?
12
votes
4answers
2k views
Which way should arrows point in a collapsible accordion? Left/down … down/up?
What is the best way to indicate that it's possible to open and close an element accordion-style?
Arrow pointing left/arrow pointing down
Arrow pointing down/arrow pointing up
Plus sign/minus sign
… ...
1
vote
1answer
86 views
Is there an established way of representing Single Sign On with an icon? [closed]
I'm wracking my brains trying to think of representing Single Sign On iconographically. Is there a common way this is done?
2
votes
1answer
308 views
Mouse usage pictograms
Is there a set of standard pictograms to explain using the mouse to navigate the interface? I would like to have icons for dragging an object, scrolling the mouse wheel above the object and similar. ...
18
votes
14answers
2k views
What's a good icon to represent how difficult a task is to do? [closed]
I am working on an application where users get to rate various things. In one category, they are rating how "good" something is, and so I put together a little 1-5 rating system with star icons, like ...
3
votes
5answers
214 views
What's a good icon for a compilation process? [closed]
I'm building a tool that wraps around an automated compilation and testing process; the user selects one or multiple versions they want to test and instructs the software to either start the process ...
