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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    About KMail Toolbar Mail Icons (ATD)
From:       Sébastien_Laoût <slaout () linux62 ! org>
Date:       2005-09-29 12:36:02
Message-ID: 200509291436.02794.slaout () linux62 ! org
[Download RAW message or body]

Hello,

NOTE: I'm using Nuvola icons and will apply the reasonning to Crystal SVG 
too...

I was looking at the KMail toolbar to "Send Queued Messages".
And then seen that:

* The icon for "Send Queued Messages" show a mail with the stamp face
* The icon for "Reply" show the other side: with the "triangle";
* The icon for "Get Mails in" show that "triangle side" but the mail
  is open, this time (triangle pointing to the top);
* The icon for "New Message" also show that side, the mail is closed, BUT
  the mail icon is not rotated of 45°.

All those mail icons are inconsistent.

When seeing the "Send Queued Messages" icon, I first thinked that we see the 
stamp face because the mail « is already written, have a stamp, and READY to 
post ».

I tought it was a good idea but the other icons don't follow the reasonning.
So here is what I propose to have consistent mail icons that are both 
differenciable and recognizable as a particular action:

* The icon of "Reply" should be open, because we haven't written the mail yet,
  so it is open to "put the letter we haven't written yet into the mail";
* The icon for "Get Mails in" should be closed, because by clicking this
  button we will retreive the mails and in real life they are closed.
  In the counter case, someone spyed your mails! ;-)
  It should also illustrate a pile of messages: we often don't get one message
  when fetching mails, but two or more (if we haven't done so in a while).
  This addition would also make the difference between "Reply" (illustrating
  one mail) and "Get Messages" more visible.
* Idem: "Send Queued Messages" should illustrate several mails, as the term
  in a plural one, the icon should reflect that!
* The icon for "New Message" should be open too (like the "Reply" one) and
  perhapse also 45° rotated (but for that one I'm not sure: it perhapse help
  some diversity in the icons if it's not).

Is such detail OK from a usability point of view?
Does such "Attention to The Detail" (ATD) is worth bothering?
Is there some usability study that state such icon detail is worth bothering?

Then, I remembered I was using Nuvola icons :-)
Switched to Crystal SVG and the situation is... different:

* Every icon show the same face;
* They are ONLY differencied by the little arrow direction in the small green
  circle!

So perhapse we should apply this ATD, so we get both benefits:

* Icons aren't nearly-the-sames anymore;
* They are more doing theire job: they are identifiable to a logical action.

We can also go further:

* "Send now" should show the "triangle face" but the triangle should be
  curved: as if we took a shot during the user closing the mail...
  If you get my point.

Attached a screenshot of those icons, for people not having Nuvola installed:

* Top row:    Crystal SVG
* Middle row: Nuvola
* Bottom row: A mockup of the suggestions I made

Is there some HIG/recommandation for icons building?
I think I heared about such thing but is it done?
This recommandatio could be put in such guide, so we don't loss the meaning of 
the icons when installing another icon theme...

Best regards,
Sébastien Laoût.

["kmail-icons-proposal.png" (image/png)]

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