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• Icons are an integral part of the digital interface • In a broader perspective, icons are the visual images, symbols and drawings used in a work of art or a study • A more relevant and accurate meaning in UX terms would be – an illustration that represents a concept or an idea or suggests an action • Let’s dive deep to understand the concept of icons and its footprint in effective UX design
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Transformation of Icons: A timeline
• It took 30 years after the invention of computers to get graphical interface which was black & white • 1984 – First aesthetically designed icons for Macintosh • 1985 – First colored set of icons
Evolution of the icon for a calculator on Windows from 1980 to 2009 Image Source
• 1989 – Icons with gradients introduced • 90’s – Everyone started playing with colors & 3D forms • 2010 – Microsoft introduced flat icons paying tribute to earlier versions
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Informed & faster decision making
• Icons play important role especially on screens with complex, saturated information • In case of Airbnb, icons reduce cognitive load by removing the need to read the long lists of information while booking • This design provides the user with a gamut of options and suitable actions in the smartest ways possible • Smart interactive icons add value to your engagement and hooks you for the next action
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Benefits of using icons • Icons exist to facilitate better, clearer and faster communication. The main aim of icons is to help users find, understand and execute actions efficiently. One can say icons were a manifestation of – a picture can say a thousand words • Most designers rely on icons as an essential element of design. Designed well, they convey ideas more quickly than words and often take up less space
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Benefits of using icons • From the perspective of usability and adaptability, icons easily fit a finger’s area of operation and also work well with a mouse cursor • It is easier to create a brand recall and a consistent brand language, if you have a distinct icon library
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Benefits of using icons • In case of a broader audience, icons break language barriers and communicate the messages efficiently • Icons enhance your design making it look clearer, neater and appealing to the eyes • When icons are paired with text, there is a definite improvement in accessibility. Icons are an alternative implementation to put forth the information effectively – text with a visual clue. Icons help users to discover, interpret and utilize the information, without any confusion or delayed translation
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Contribution of Iconography • The important aspect to keep in mind is that, icons help make the designs more accessible to the user by guiding, informing, entertaining them and enhancing the overall user experience.
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Contribution of Iconography • Icons address the user’s convenience, comfort and need. The value addition of these smartly designed icons are increasing the product’s overall efficiency
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Contribution of Iconography
• Icons symbolize brand, product, an idea, a message
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Conclusion
• Undoubtedly, iconography is one of the most successful inclusions made to the usercomputer interface • The future of iconography lies in evolving into a multi-dimensional experience and sound is a powerful possibility that can add value to icons • These new practices are called Earcons and Auditory Icons • There is already a considerable amount of contribution in this area • You can read more about the future of iconography here
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