UX Fail #7: Too many icons spoil the broth.

Icons require little space and can help users to find presented content faster. But only if they are used specifically and unambiguously.

What exactly is the problem?

• Icons can significantly improve the findability of content - but only if they are unambiguous and can be understood without much thought.
• In the best case, the icons used are known from other interfaces (e.g. magnifying glass = search function, envelope = e-mail).
• If this is not the case, special challenges in selection and design have to be considered:
• The icon itself must be recognized. However, icons are rarely really universally understandable.
• Users must be able to anticipate the result after clicking on the recognized icon. To do this, the user must relate the icon to the content. However, this should not take too much time.
• If the decoding of the icons takes too long, they are rather obstructive and impair the user experience.

Recommendations from usability research:

• To strengthen the understanding of icons, they should always be labelled, at best with a caption. A hint only by mouseover forces additional effort and is not compatible with touch devices.
• Furthermore, the following applies to the use of icons: As much as necessary, as little as possible.