undefined | Better HN

0 pointsnntwozz1y ago0 comments

"A word is worth a thousand pictures".

— Apple HIG

In 1985, after a year of finding that pretty but unlabeled icons confused customers, the Apple human interface group took on the motto "A word is worth a thousand pictures.

https://www.asktog.com/columns/038MacUITrends.html

Linked from Daring Fireball back in the day.

https://daringfireball.net/linked/2010/05/12/tog-word

0 comments

gcau1y ago

This is advice many modern designers need to know - I don't like seeing an icon and having no idea what it does without clicking it, and having to guess what the icon might mean, where a label could easily fit, or replace the icon, and be a vastly better UX, but "looking good" is more important to most designers.

thfuran1y ago

>I don't like seeing an icon and having no idea what it does without clicking it

And that's assuming you're lucky enough to be using a UI that clearly marks what's interactible instead of being maximally flat.

nemomarx1y ago

I always assumed it was to avoid translation work?

zerocrates1y ago

I've seen some contexts where this is what's happening. IKEA instructions would be one, or I've also seen it in some board games, where things like cards will use icons so only the instruction book needs to be translated.

But in UIs you usually have to have some text equivalent somewhere, on hover or long-press or in a menu or just as text for screenreader users, so you don't generally get to avoid translation even if you take visible labels away.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse