Comments on: KMail icon test #2 – have you participated?

By: Björn Balazs

Björn Balazs — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 10:39:06 +0000

@next_ghost: Sorry, but no: not this test should be different – there should additionally be different tests. This test has one big stregth you cannot achieve in a setting you propose: it can meassure the time participants need to select an icon. This is not possible in an multiple “best fit” test. We have tested these options and they lead to worse results than the current testing methodology.

By: next_ghost

next_ghost — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 15:51:59 +0000

I agree that the icon test should be a little different.
1) You should be able to select multiple “best fit” icons so that it’s obvious which ones are easy to confuse with others for a particular user (not just statistically to a group of users).
2) Another part of the test should show an icon and a list of possible task descriptions this icon might represent (multiple choice again) so that it’s obvious which icons don’t have a clear meaning.

By: Luca

Luca — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 09:31:16 +0000

hi,
very helpfull test, even if I don’t like I have complete it with iceweasel because konqueror 3.5.9 on my machine don’t menage the site very well.

bye

By: Björn Balazs

Björn Balazs — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 08:57:29 +0000

Hey, cool – thanks for inspiring and motivating comments

This is ONE approach to usability testing. Not the ONLY one. And, hey – this is open source: you are free to make it any better!

The results of the past tests proved to be very useful indeed – please wait for a summary of the results or take a look at the results of the last test here in the blog.

By: John

John — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 21:07:02 +0000

I think this test is really flawed.

1) The icons are confusing, even when you can “sort of” tell that the icon matches what you are searching for.

2) For a usability test, I would have expected a “pick the best metaphor” approach where you have several icons that might be associated with the term.

3) There is no “I have no idea” option, when none of the icons make any sense.

4) The test takes a really long time, and just shows the same 8 icons over-and-ver again…

By: Panke

Panke — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:54:08 +0000

I don’t think, that this test generates any usefull information. Presented with 8 (or so) icons finding the only one that might be the right choice isn’t hard at all. For example: Sending later. Why the hell should i choose the cross in the red button?

Show me some icons for the same purpose and i will tell you, which one does the job best – for me.

By: purple-bobby

purple-bobby — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:28:10 +0000

Icons should be visually different, so that you can quickly locate the command you wish to perform, from this point of view, it does not matter what symbol appears, so long as it is different. The ‘open’ icon looks too like the ‘save’ one.

The icons should NOT have an inappropriate metaphoric symbol.To me:
an ‘open envelop’ implies opening/reading a received message;
does ‘sign’ mean add your signature: name, address, etc., or add a tamper proof code number;
several views to the same data/document does not make much real-world sense, but ‘paper’ folded over to hide and reveal other parts of the document is perhaps more real-world;
…