The Daily Occurrence of Symbols & Icons
Charles Sanders Peirce’s describes the relationship that the object, interpretant, and representamen has on a sign. He also categorizes them into three main modes.
- Symbol or Symbolic sign — assigned arbitrarily or accepted as societal convention
- Icon or Iconic sign — resembles or imitates the object, and possesses some of its qualities
- Index or Indexical Sign — the relationship between the sign and the object are linked in a way that makes sense, but in a way that needs to be learned or interpreted
Symbols and icons are so integrated into our daily lives that we don’t even acknowledge the importance of them nor how they came to be widely recognized. In ten minutes, I encounter at least 5 signs on my mini walking commute from my company’s parking garage to my cubicle.
#1: Dialight Pedestrian Crosswalk
As I exit the parking garage, I need to cross the street. The Dialight Pedestrian Crosswalk alerts pedestrians that it is safe and okay to walk across the street. It also switches to a red hand when you’ll most likely by hit by a car and definitely not safe to walk across the street. This sign is extremely easy to understand. The human walking indicates exactly what the picture shows … that humans should walk across the street now!
#2: Do Not Enter Street Sign
Right next to the Dialight Pedestrian Crosswalk, I also encounter a Do Not Enter Sign meant for drivers. The direction of the road is going the opposite way, indicating the driver should not enter that road. Yes, you will unfortunately crash the other car if you drive into this road. Don’t say the Do Not Enter Sign didn’t warn you!
#3: Handicap Sign
I’m finally inside my office building and have to go to the restroom really quickly. As I open the door to the ladie's room, I am faced with Handicap Accesible Signs. This sign indicates that the bathroom is accessible for someone with disabilities or handicapped.
#4: Elevator Call Buttons
I am done using the restroom and can go upstairs to my cubicle on the 6th floor. I walk to the main elevators in the company’s lobby and see two more closely connected signs. These signs in front of elevators allow me to switch floors by indicating if I want to go up or down. The arrows utilized in the elevator call buttons are easily and widely understood.
#5: Recycling Bin
Exiting the elevator and walking a couple steps, I am finally at my cubicle! Success! Near my cubicle are mini trash cans and recycling bins. A prominent sign is the recycling symbol. Along with the blue-colored bin, users are aware they should place reusable materials, such as paper, glass, and plastic, inside.
Symbols & Icons in Web and Mobile Design
Once I began studying UX Design, I began seeing signs in a different light. I began appreciating symbols and icons for their simplicity and universal acceptance and understanding amongst society. Similar to the signs in day-to-day life, many signs are widely accepted across various technological platforms. These signs include icons, such as play/pause, ‘x’ for close, reply, and shopping cart. The hamburger menu icon is another icon that is slowly gaining traction and being understood, but not quite there yet.
Symbols and icons that are universal allow for quick navigation and thus, an overall better user experience. However, it is important to label icons that have not yet been established before utilizing it in your web or mobile design. Otherwise, it will be detrimental to the user’s experience with your application.
