Visual language:the use of icons in graphical interfaces

My background● ~10 years in varying roles: graphic designer, web

designer, site builder, programmer, researcher, UX designer, lecturer, account manager.

● Crasman Oy, Crucible Studio, Bolder Helsinki● MA in New Media (TAIK), BA in Multimedia Production

(Lahti Design Institute)

My plan is...to explore different taxonomies of icons used in interfaces and to discover what type of thought processes users facilitate while trying to understand the meanings of icons and interface metaphors.

More than an iconIn semiotics an icon is a representation that resembles its object.

Interface icon = icon + index + symbol

History● The main focus of the research is on digital interfaces.● Icons are not only used in digital displays, but also on

physical controls. ● The history of an icon can extend to analog devices. ● Also necessary to understand the history of visual

communication all the way back to prehistoric times.

Starting from...the second industrial revolution, as the starting point of interface design as we know it. It led to a demand for graphic signs which were not bound to any one language.

1913 Ford Model T Speedster dashboard || http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1913_Ford_Model_T_Speedster_dashboard.JPG

Taxonomies● Rogers' system: "resemblance", "exemplar", "symbolic"

and "arbitrary" icons. ● Lidwell et al’s classification: "similar", "example",

"symbolic" and "arbitrary" ● Per Mollerup (1997) taxonomy system for trademarks

Taxonomy of trademarks according to Per Mollerup. Adapted to a conceptual map: http://www.infovis.net/printMag.php?lang=2&num=147

Why is it important● Media convergence is leading to a need for more

uniform interfaces across different devices. ● Interface design is becoming a major factor in the

competition for consumers.

Online community● Platform for surveys used to collect data related to the

research questions.● A wiki for everything related to icons● Community for open discussion● Research results openly distributed through the website

That’s all for now.

1965 Grundig C100 Cassette Recorder || http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/recording.technology.history/tape5.html