What do you think would be the best Save Icon instead of the old Floppy?
-
@Catweazle
Hi, I guess legions of designer think about how a save/load icon should look.
I found one very similar to yours:My image search for "Save" found many disks but also the Vivaldi bookmark icon.
If one use this for "Save" what is the complement for "Load"?
-
In the end, it boils down to what we agree on, then this becomes the accepted symbol. If we agree a floppy disk is a perfectly good symbol representing save/load it doesn't matter if people know what it's actually meant to symbolize historically.
Like someone said: "There's nothing intuitive about computer interfaces" - it all has to be learned.
For instance the "three dots" or "hamburger" menu:
Most anyone under the age of 40 at least knows that this means "menu".
Many older users have no idea at all there's even a menu there.
But who decided this was the most "logical" way to represent it? We all just have to learn that's what it means.Another example is the "Menu button" in Vivaldi. By default, this is just the logo - there's no indication there's a menu there and no helpful "Click here for menu" popup. People used to computer interfaces knows that usually that's the first place to look because that's where it's been for a lot of other programs. Or just try pressing the Alt key, which again is the agreed-upon way to focus a dropdown-menu and has been for several decades.
Recently of course, other browsers have started using a "three-dot/hamburger" menu button on the right of the address bar. Users coming to Vivaldi from these browser risk not understanding there even is a menu in Vivaldi. Unless they accidentally hit the Alt key or have the understanding of interfaces to at least try clicking the icon.
-
New UI icons/signs need A/B tests with a group of testing people from all ages and cultures.
But that is what most "cool" designers do not think about. I do not know what they learn about industrial design and usability.I think, if you can not see fast what a sign means, you steal people seconds from their life time which users are not paid for and do not get this time back in reality.
Bad UI and OS design is so familiar to us that we accept such shit. Oh, and i am ranting on bad usability of technical devices, IT and other since decades.
-
@Catweazle For me your symbols looks like Input and Output.
-
@Catweazle I had the same debate when discussing a new theme for an application some months ago (one icon for saving a file and another for downloading)
The designs that were better recognized by most people I asked for opinion were something on the lines of an arrow indicating content being moved somewhere:
Here are some of the designs that served as inspiration:
- https://cdn-icons-png.flaticon.com/512/6324/6324597.png
- https://www.citypng.com/public/uploads/preview/save-to-folder-download-icon-png-116645005514cvquvxxqr.png
- https://cdn.iconscout.com/icon/free/png-256/free-save-1779882-1518534.png?f=webp
- https://cdn.dribbble.com/users/71134/screenshots/1020838/save-icon.png
-
@pauloaguia for me with a fast look - the first two: "put in folder"; the last two : "throw away"; the last "Recycle".
perhaps woman and men and different cultures have different perception on what is what.
-
-
-
@Catweazle And for Open:
-
@Pathduck Kind of large for an icon.
I like the old arrow into a folder for Save, and of course arrow out of a folder for Open.