Re: [Usability] File Dialog Add/Remove Places Mockup

[Kirk Bridger <kbridger shaw ca>]

Thorsten Wilms wrote:

On Sat, Feb 24, 2007 at 01:58:16PM +0100, David Christian Berg wrote:
  

The icon-buttons are about exactly that. Offering discoverability  
without wasting space.
      

I guess this is just, where we disagree :) I don't think they are discoverable.
    

If you just say there might be a problem with expectations, ok.
But to say buttons on screen are not discoverable ...?

I'd say, if something sets the right expectations, you might call 
that intuitive. Discoverable to me means that functionality can be 
found and how easy that is. While always present buttons would 
score higher, I can't accept a claim it's zero here.
  

I think the problem is that the icons are not expected to actually allow actions.  Typically (and in most people's experience) an icon is used to indicate a type for the most part:  folder,  PDF,  ODT, etc.  There may be some icons that indicate state.  But I'm not sure I would expect an icon to tell me what actions I can do on an object.  The mockup demonstrates this actually.  I look at that and I wonder what kind of object is showing up with the strange icon rather than thinking I can actually interact with the object via its icons.

Are there any other examples of icons providing functionality directly?  I know there were some mockups of the eject functionality appearing on the icons and there was the same timidity I believe.


Kirk