Icons

• Icons are pictorial representations of objects. The template includes a standard icon set that should be repurposed for iterations of your interfaces. Icon states are the result of an action taken. Once an action is taken on an icon, the icon reflects that action by showing its state. An enabled icon state is consistently the same color and style throughout the interface. This state indicates that a command is active and available for use. A disabled icon state is a dimmed version of the enabled. This state indicates that a command is inactive and not available for use. User recognition and recollection are two important factors to consider in icon design. Recognition means that the user can identify the icon and easily associate it with a particular object. User recognition is supported by using effective metaphors, using real-

world objects to represent abstract ideas allows the user to draw from previous learning and experiences. Recollection is created by designing icons to be simple and distinct, and by using them consistently to build recognition. Icons

are primarily intended to represent objects with which users can interact. Therefore, reference Fig. 5a and Fig. 5b as examples and follow these guidelines for the use of icons:

• Use an icon as the representation of an object — for example, a phone icon in the telephone area of the interface.
• Use an icon to reinforce important information — for example, a warning icon in a message dialog box.
• Use an icon to provide visual anchors to help users quickly navigate through a task
• Icons are designed within an area of 60x60 pixels or a proportion thereof (A 50x50, or 110x50 for rectangular, pixel space is reserved for the image itself; leaving a 10 pixel spacing between the outer edges of the icon and the image to allow for proper alignment of the image within the user interface.)