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kaigou) wrote in ![[site community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/comm_staff.png){kind=small}
dw_suggestions2009-08-20 05:06 pm
icons used in transmogrified
Title:
icons used in transmogrified
Area:
icons, usability
Summary:
The icon used for "filtered post" in transmog style is identical to the icon traditionally used to indicate "protected from viruses": a shield.
Description:
Could we possibly get that "filtered" icon* changed to something more intuitive? Or at least to something less misleading?
I know the notion of "filter" is a hard one to create an intuitive icon for, but honestly, the one being used doesn't make me think "filter"; it's too much like the MacAfee and DiskWarrior styled shield icon/badges. Every time I see a post with that on it, my first reaction is, "how the hell did a virus get into my post?" as though the icon is trying to alert me that my post has been cleaned. I see the icon nearly daily, yet it's still losing its uphill battle against nearly a decade of "shield = VIRUS!!" reinforcement.
ETA: icon in question is 
Other applications using a variation on the shield-shape: Norton Antivirus, Windows Network Security, eScan Virus Check, Windows Anti-Virus Software, Hotspot Shield, Symantec Antivirus, A-Squared Anti-Malware, Spy Sweeper, Windows Updater (tray icon), Ewido Anti-Spyware, AVG Anti-Spyware, Anti-Malware 2009, Sophos Anti-Virus, USB Disk Security, Orbasoft ApS [...and more but I got tired of typing.]
UPDATE 8/21: proposed icon on the boards (see comments) is by Turlough, using two silk icons together: 
From a usability perspective, "filter" is one of the hardest concepts to iconify, because it's not a concrete thing. (I've even seen "flour sifter" used as "filter"-icon, and how many people still know what that is?) The difficulty is perfectly illustrated by the fact that DW's "filter" icon isn't even "filter"-like, but instead is trying to riff off the idea of "shielded".
In a new application, we can and do learn new icon-meanings, which may complicate the learning curve but afterwards we're savvy. In this case, though, DW is trying to pre-empt an icon that has a well-established meaning. That makes for some major cognitive dissonance. I'd say I'm pretty savvy usually, but I keep stumbling when I check the settings after posting. If it's late, or my eyes are tired, a few times I've even automatically clicked on the little shield, nervously expecting a message to pop up from DW about how I just got stopped from sending the I-love-you-virus to everyone on my flist. Or something equally horrendous.
Either come up with an icon that does relate to the concept of "filter" (good luck, because it is hard) OR shift the semantics to a word that can be illustrated more easily (much as 'shielded' -> 'protected' does) and transition in a new/unfamiliar icon to go with it.
* I have no idea whether the icon is consistent in all styles; I'm only familiar with transmog to any degree.
This suggestion:
Should be implemented as-is.
19 (38.0%)
Should be implemented with changes. (please comment)
12 (24.0%)
Shouldn't be implemented.
10 (20.0%)
(I have no opinion)
9 (18.0%)
(Other: please comment)
0 (0.0%)
no subject
no subject
At least the tag makes some kind of intuitive sense, that the lock itself has been tagged in some way, just like filtering basically locks the post but does so via a tagging-method (tag: group1, tag: bestfriends, etc).
Which means to my mind, it's close enough to LJ's style that it is somewhat familiar/comfortable to folks being introduced to DW, but it's just far enough away (and helps that it's silk icons, unlike LJ) that it's stylistically different, plus being more intuitive. That really helps in the learning curve, when similarity can be helpful so long as the basic intention is roughly the same -- like going from shift-on-the-column to shift-on-the-floor in a car. Not quite exactly but close enough you're halfway there in learning it.