[WEB4LIB] Re: Library Websites that use

[Genny Engel]

The most entertaining description of the problem with unlabeled icons is
in Web Pages That Suck, under Mystery Meat Navigation:

http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com/mysterymeatnavigation.html


Genny Engel
Internet Librarian
Sonoma County Library
gengel at sonoma.lib.ca.us
707 545-0831 x581

>>> Jennifer Ward <jlward1 at u.washington.edu> 12/10/04 10:20AM >>>
On Fri, 10 Dec 2004, K.G. Schneider wrote:

:I dimly recall reading, almost a decade ago, that one issue with icons
is
:forcing the user to translate from the picture to what it means--not
unlike
:when libraries use all kinds of colored dots on books which require
patrons
:to refer back to lists to translate what those dots mean. 

I think that was part of the problem with our use of icons. It made
plenty 
of sense to us that a lock indicated it was restricted, the globe was
open 
access, the cd-rom was cd-rom on campus, etc. Again, it is forcing
users 
to first understand our wacky concepts, then to map those concepts to
an 
icon. I can see where letters for mail or a printer for printing would

work well, because those are concepts that they encounter on most, if
not 
all, sites they frequently use.