Labels, icons and symbols Sample Clauses

Labels, icons and symbols. Icons and other symbolic displays can be effective ways to convey information if the older adult is already familiar with the meaning of the icon or symbol. Research on perception of traffic signs indicates that as long as the symbols are well designed (do not require the ability to process high frequency spatial information, that is, acuity for fine detail) they can be processed as or more effectively than text messages. However, they also become useful only after an opportunity to learn their meaning. Older adults can be expected to take longer to learn arbitrary symbol sets and to be less likely to remember them. Some icons used in current software packages are ambiguous and the symbols give little indication of their meaning – this defeats the utility of the icon. Icons and symbols must also be easily discriminable (Xxxx et al., 2004). Text and icons must be clear, not too small and have sufficient contrast to help people with impaired vision. The position of labels with text or icons is crucial for an unfamiliar user with impaired vision. Labels are often positioned in a way that they are obscured from the user’s view when the controls are being operated. The problem is particularly common when the control panel is at an acute angle to the user’s line of sight or at an inappropriate distance. Allowance should be made for the 10% of the population who are left-handed. Many people with low vision like to get their face close to the control panel to read the labels, or use face-mounted or hand-held magnifiers (Xxxx, 2004). The selection of labels for menus is also relevant to the issue of compatibility. The user’s label for the task must correspond to the menu label for that task. The use of jargon or unfamiliar terms may be especially problematic for older adults because the need to decipher the terms and determine which one matches their goal adds extra demands to the task and may overload their working memory capabilities. Help and instructions must be provided in non-technical language, possibly suggested by older, novice computer users (Xxxxxx & Xxxxxxxxx, 2006). Similarly, text on buttons should be as descriptive as possible, e.g., ‘‘send message’’ rather than ‘‘send’’, making the outcome of a user’s action more predictable. However, the general organization of well-learned information is comparable across age groups and well maintained into old age. Designers should capitalize on older adults’ knowledge base to select the most compatible labels. T...