May 17, 2012 at 01:03Outdated icons that have lost their meaning
When was the last time you put a rag bookmark in a paper book? And when was the last time you saw a TV with antenna-arms? Do you often use binoculars to search for information? Scott Hanselman of Microsoft is genuinely indignant that such archaic characters are used as standard icons.
Surprisingly, an entire generation of people has grown up who have never seen a real floppy disk but know the Save icon very well.
1. Radio buttons
Did you know that radio buttons (Radio Buttons) are called like that because on the ancient radio tape recorders only one key could be pressed? By analogy, they called a computer switch, where you can make only one choice.
2. Disk telephone
Have you held such a pipe in your hands for a long time? But every day we click on this icon in a modern smartphone.
3. Wooden tablet for "transferring information"
Interface developers are persistently using a wooden tablet as a symbol of the "insert" operation. The question is, why not “copy” or “fill out the form”, why exactly “paste”?
4. Bookmark in a paper book
Previously, such rags were used for bookmarks between pages of a book. This archaic symbol will remain with us for a long time.
5. Diary and tear-off calendar.
Such artifacts can still be found in the house of parents or grandmothers. Well, or in any computer where a bundle of paper with a metal spiral symbolizes a list of contacts or dates.
6. Voicemail
The voicemail icon is drawn from ancient bobbins on which our grandfathers recorded sound.
7. Cardboard folders
Documents were previously stored in folders of this form. They say that some people still use them offline. Well, in the digital world, this is the ubiquitous symbol of the file directory.
8. Magnifying glass and binoculars
For some strange reason, binoculars began to mean searching through a document, and a magnifying glass meant “searching everywhere,” although it would be logical to do the opposite.
9. Envelopes
Soon, envelopes will disappear forever, and our children will ask, what does this rectangle have in common with email? But designers still draw on top of the envelope all sorts of arrows and icons for received, sent, deleted mail, etc.
10. Gears and wrench
Want to design a settings panel in the style of the 20th century? Show the youth an instrument they have never used in their life.
11. Microphones
Only the historical section of Wikipedia will tell the modern user what professional microphones looked like.
12. Photography
Not a single person under 30 years old held the Polaroid camera, but these square pieces of paper are still used as a symbol of photography.
13. Televisions with horns
Horns over the TV - an indispensable attribute of the digital video icon.
Surprisingly, an entire generation of people has grown up who have never seen a real floppy disk but know the Save icon very well.
1. Radio buttons
Did you know that radio buttons (Radio Buttons) are called like that because on the ancient radio tape recorders only one key could be pressed? By analogy, they called a computer switch, where you can make only one choice.
2. Disk telephone
Have you held such a pipe in your hands for a long time? But every day we click on this icon in a modern smartphone.
3. Wooden tablet for "transferring information"
Interface developers are persistently using a wooden tablet as a symbol of the "insert" operation. The question is, why not “copy” or “fill out the form”, why exactly “paste”?
4. Bookmark in a paper book
Previously, such rags were used for bookmarks between pages of a book. This archaic symbol will remain with us for a long time.
5. Diary and tear-off calendar.
Such artifacts can still be found in the house of parents or grandmothers. Well, or in any computer where a bundle of paper with a metal spiral symbolizes a list of contacts or dates.
6. Voicemail
The voicemail icon is drawn from ancient bobbins on which our grandfathers recorded sound.
7. Cardboard folders
Documents were previously stored in folders of this form. They say that some people still use them offline. Well, in the digital world, this is the ubiquitous symbol of the file directory.
8. Magnifying glass and binoculars
For some strange reason, binoculars began to mean searching through a document, and a magnifying glass meant “searching everywhere,” although it would be logical to do the opposite.
9. Envelopes
Soon, envelopes will disappear forever, and our children will ask, what does this rectangle have in common with email? But designers still draw on top of the envelope all sorts of arrows and icons for received, sent, deleted mail, etc.
10. Gears and wrench
Want to design a settings panel in the style of the 20th century? Show the youth an instrument they have never used in their life.
11. Microphones
Only the historical section of Wikipedia will tell the modern user what professional microphones looked like.
12. Photography
Not a single person under 30 years old held the Polaroid camera, but these square pieces of paper are still used as a symbol of photography.
13. Televisions with horns
Horns over the TV - an indispensable attribute of the digital video icon.
