Xref: utzoo alt.hypertext:805 comp.cog-eng:1916 comp.graphics:17025 comp.multimedia:273 comp.software-eng:5235 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!crdgw1!uunet!igor!rutabaga!jls From: jls@rutabaga.Rational.COM (Jim Showalter) Newsgroups: alt.hypertext,comp.cog-eng,comp.graphics,comp.multimedia,comp.software-eng Subject: Re: Images vs. Text Message-ID: Date: 3 Apr 91 20:19:24 GMT References: <10292@pitt.UUCP> <1991Apr2.180348.19733@smsc.sony.com> <1991Apr02.235121.17834@convex.com> Sender: news@Rational.COM Followup-To: alt.hypertext Distribution: na Lines: 21 >Even for describing simple tasks, words can be essential. The other day, I >tried to reload the stapler built into my Xerox machine. Instead of >directions, I found a bunch of icons that were supposed to tell me how to >do it. I stood there for several minutes trying to figure these things out, >then gave up and walked to another xerox machine. A few words, like "press >here" would have been enormously helpful. Indeed! I have stared in frustration at the little ikons on the tags on clothing trying to figure out what temperature to use, whether to use bleach, etc. The little ikons are no help at best and downright misleading at worst. One could claim that this was just a lousy job of ikonography, but I ASSUME that some international standards committee agreed on them, so they must have thought they did a good job. I think companies like to use ikons on labels not because they work better than words but because it "solves" the multilingual marketing problem. -- ***** DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed herein are my own, except in the realm of software engineering, in which case I've borrowed them from incredibly smart people.