I don't have a problem with icons in general - not at all! My issue is in this particular application. I'm not worried about users getting confused between photos and icons. I'm worried about the overall layout. I can imagine the eyetracking research for this (I wish I could get the client to do the real thing) - the user's focus will be jumping from picture to picture, as it should, but also to the icons, which it shouldn't.
Take a look at the gettyimages.com site, and you'll see what I mean. A set of consistent, small, light symbols are far less of a visual disruptor than those icons. In my experience, hunting through hundreds of photos is tiring enough. My fear is that adding the clutter will make the experience even that much more draining. I see it as comparable to why museums prefer to keep the descriptions of artwork away from the piece so that your focus is where it should be - on the art. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=39598 ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [email protected] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
