Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!lll-winken!uunet!cos!hqda-ai!jay
From: jay@hqda-ai.UUCP (Jay Heiser)
Newsgroups: comp.editors
Subject: Re: Iconitis
Message-ID: <26255@hqda-ai.UUCP>
Date: 12 Apr 89 17:13:15 GMT
References: <1930@dataio.Data-IO.COM> <988@starfish.Convergent.COM> <1402@auspex.auspex.com> <5920@pdn.paradyne.com>
Reply-To: jay@pentagon-ai.ARPA (Jay Heiser)
Organization: CBSI@Washington, D.C.
Lines: 14


The reason that the international traffic signs work (although most of
them seem to be fairly intuitive) is that they are universal.  A red
circle (color helps, but isn't necessary) with a bar around it means
that whatever icon is on the inside is prohibited, lack of a bar means
that it is encouraged.

Wouldn't it be handy if computer icons were universal like that?  I
believe that OSF is trying to do just that.  If Apple succeeds in
patenting the garbage can....someone will have to think of something
else.

It will be impossible to develop a set of completely intuitive,
culturally-independant icons.  I think that making them 'standard' is
more significant than trying to make them 'guessable'.