Facets of Interaction: Icons

1. Facets of Interaction:Icons Chapter 12 Mohamad Eid

2. Icons • Human Issues Concerning Icons • Using Icons in Interaction Design • Technical Issues Concerning Icons • Design Guidelines Mohamad Eid

3. Human Issues Concerning Icons • Novice User • Icon-based systems do not necessarily afford novice users a self-explanatory interface • An icon’s functionality must be learned and understood Mohamad Eid

4. Human Issues Concerning Icons • The Dual Nature of Icons • People relate to icons as the representations of objects • They also perceive icons as the objects themselves • The symbols and metaphors we create should not prevent people from moving between these two perspectives Mohamad Eid

5. Human Issues Concerning Icons Icons should not be created in isolation • Consider the entire interface as a global entity, a visual ecosystem Mohamad Eid

6. Human Issues Concerning Icons • Real-World Expectations • The associations that people have create expectations that affect their perception of an icon’s physical properties Mohamad Eid

7. Human Issues Concerning Icons Recall/Recognition Icons have an advantage over text in terms of recognition and recall • Recall of images is superior to that of text • Images are more easily distinguished than text • People have almost perfect image recall Mohamad Eid

8. Human Issues Concerning Icons • Icon Analysis Chart Mohamad Eid

9. Using Icons in Interaction Design - Search • Search – do icons aid search activities? Humans respond first to the physical qualities of icons and then to their semantic associations • The intensity of an icon’s physical characteristics is an important factor in search activities • People perform better with icon targets than with text targets • The icons must be sufficiently differentiated Mohamad Eid

10. Using Icons in Interaction Design - Search • Physical attributes that can affect the way we perceive icons • Detail • Color • Size • Shape • Location Mohamad Eid

11. Using Icons in Interaction Design - Search There is a range of acceptable detail that will benefit icon search Varying the color, size, or shape of an icon will make it easier to locate When applying color, start with fewer colors; additional ones can be added later Mohamad Eid

12. Using Icons in Interaction Design - Search Icon images should have distinctive shapes Icons may facilitate search if their location is properly designed Mohamad Eid

13. Using Icons in Interaction Design - Screen Real Estate • Screen Real Estate Icons can save screen real estate Mohamad Eid

14. Using Icons in Interaction Design -Conventions • Conventions Icon conventions should be used whenever they are appropriate Amazon.com shopping cart Mohamad Eid

15. Home icon Audio icon—notes Audio icon—speaker Web Search icon Secure Connection icon Amazon.com Search Using Icons in Interaction Design -Conventions • Conventions Mohamad Eid

16. Using Icons in Interaction Design - Context • Context supplies a frame of reference • We perceive icons in relation to all the other screen elements Icons have no meaning without context • Iconi+ contextj + viewerk= meaningijk • Horton (1994) Mohamad Eid

17. Using Icons in Interaction Design - Context • Icons can be seen in many different contexts: • Physical • Location • Contrast • Juxtaposition • Density • Cognitive • Metaphorical • Temporal Mohamad Eid

18. European Union traffic signs Using Icons in Interaction Design - Context • Globalization–Localization • Images are often considered to be “language agnostic” Italian street signs Mohamad Eid

19. Using Icons in Interaction Design - Context • Globalization–Localization • Signs can also be localized and reflect very specific conditions that do not exist in other locations Cow warning sign Deer warning sign Mohamad Eid

20. Technical Issues Concerning Icons - Terminology • Icon Terminology • Phonogram: a sign or symbol representing a word, syllable, or speech sound • Pictogram: a picture that resembles what it signifies • Abstract Shapes • Ideogram: a symbol that stands for an idea or concept • Logogram (Logograph): a symbol that represents a word Mohamad Eid

21. Technical Issues Concerning Icons – Principles for Icon Creation • Principles for Icon Creation (internal syntax) • Simplicity/complexity • Signal to Noise Ratio • Leveling • Cohesiveness • Icons that perform related functions should be created as a family and should share some visual characteristics • Distinctiveness • The icons within each family must communicate their unique identity • Familiarity • Icons should be familiar to the user Mohamad Eid

22. Technical Issues Concerning Icons - Deconstructing Icons • Deconstructing Icons • Basic shapes • Indicators • Styles • Canonical view • Aggregate symbols Mohamad Eid

23. Technical Issues Concerning Icons - Deconstructing Icons • Basic shapes Complex shapes can be created from a few basic elements • Horton (1994), all graphics can be decomposed into points, lines, and areas Mohamad Eid

24. Technical Issues Concerning Icons - Deconstructing Icons Basic lines and points Basic shapes Basic combinations Real-life symbols Enter/Exit symbols Mohamad Eid

25. Technical Issues Concerning Icons - Deconstructing Icons • Basic shapes Indicators can be used to convey action, state, and direction Light rays Sound waves Speed lines Shake lines Ghost images Save to folder Blissymbols: Look Listen Mohamad Eid

26. Technical Issues Concerning Icons - Deconstructing Icons • Styles Photograph Drawing Caricature Outline Silhouette Mohamad Eid

27. Technical Issues Concerning Icons - Deconstructing Icons • Canonical view • The most common view of an object • The view that typifies the object • That is most easily recognized • A box is more recognizable in a 3D rendering than in a 2D one Mohamad Eid

28. Technical Issues Concerning Icons - Deconstructing Icons • Aggregate symbols Symbols can be combined to communicate complex information Search symbol “No Smoking” sign Information symbol Mohamad Eid

29. Technical Issues Concerning Icons - Deconstructing Icons • Aggregate symbols • Overlap • Addition • Antithesis • Specification Mohamad Eid

30. Technical Issues Concerning Icons - Deconstructing Icons • Icon Size Icons are always square and standardized at fixed dimensions • Supply icons for your application in 16-color and 256-color versions and in three sizes: 16x16 pixels, 32x32 pixels, and 48x48 pixels (Microsoft Co., 2006) • You need to provide at least the following files: * A 128 x 128 image (for Finder icons) … For the best-looking icons at all sizes, you should also provide custom image files (“hints”) at two other sizes: 32 x 32, and 16 x 16 (Apple, 2007) Mohamad Eid

31. Technical Issues Concerning Icons - Deconstructing Icons • Transparency and Background To make areas of an icon transparent, include a mask • A mask may be applied to application icons that appear on the desktop • There is no way to predetermine what the background color will be Mohamad Eid

32. Guidelines: Use of Icons • A few good icons help reinforce the user’s mental model • Always, always, always user-test all icons!!! • Don’t use an icon unless 95% of users familiar with the task can identify it • Keep icons as simple as possible • Enough information to convey the message and no more • Don’t use fancy borders or frills • Too much detail causes users to • take longer in recognition • become interested in the pretty picture • Keep icons distinct from each other • Perform tests to ensure each icon can only be interpreted as meaning one command Mohamad Eid

33. Guidelines: Use of Icons (Cont’d) • If using perspective or ‘lighting’, keep the direction and orientation consistent • Keep the number of icons on a screen low ( <= 7) • Carefully think about the size of icons • Make icons small when: • They are permanently displayed • There are many possible options the user can choose • Make icons big when • The user has to chose from just one or two icons • The icon is a central part of a message the user must look at now • Only add colour to icons as highlight • Base icons on black & white wire-frames • Only use one or two colours per icon Mohamad Eid

34. Guidelines: Icon Screen Design Issues • Allow for different icon states • Avoid jaggy lines • be aware of background patterns • Consider different pixel shapes • Stick to a platform's graphical style • Design with the lowest screen quality in mind • Be careful of colour • Use subtle colours • Use a small palette • Don't rely on colour to convey information • Don't forget monochrome monitors • Design distinguishable icon sets Mohamad Eid

35. Disadvantages of using Icons • Ambiguity • If the icon has not been well designed, there may be no way for the average user to even guess what it represents. • Dependency • on user, task & context • Every individual assigns their own meaning to an icon, and this meaning will depend on what that individual already knows • Cannot always completely replace words • In complex situations • Cost • It is difficult and costly to design a brand new icon that one can be sure will be interpreted properly by the users Mohamad Eid

36. Ευχαριστώ 谢谢 DMnvwd Dankie go raibh maith agaibh ありがとう متشکرم WAD MAHAD SAN TAHAY GADDA GUEY Asante Urakoze Mohamad Eid