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Common GUI design mistake
12.02.2006 | |
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Do you know what's this thing in the image? I'm sure you probably didn't seen one of those in some months.. Yes, we now use CDs, or even DVDs to save our data. So, I wonder, why the Save file icon is still being a Floppy disk in 99% of the programs out there?! Who had the brilliant idea of using a floopy disk as an icon? And why everyone is still following it nowadays?
Would be fun if in 5years we're still using that icon as for Save file option.. | | posted by mr.doob at 06:46 | | 13 comments written so far |
| that's been quite acute!
please find out more of those interface mistakes.. they are very funny :P
| posted by sole
12.02.2006 , 11:36 |
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| I don't think this is a mistake. It's all about user's habits. When I see Floppy, I think "Save". If there was CD icon I would be very confused. What should it mean? "Burn my data on CD/DVD"? I agree that in future there will be more and more people using computers who never used a floppy. Maybe hard drive icon would be better?
| posted by vorg
12.02.2006 , 12:03 |
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| vorg:
I think the best solution is an opened folder with a bent arrow going inside.
I guess we will use folders for more time than not floppy disks.
| posted by mr.doob
12.02.2006 , 12:53 |
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| Ok hard drive wasn't the best choice but folder also isn't. With technologies like Spotlight (MacOS), Beagle (Linux) and increasing popularity of web based applications I can't tell if in near future I'll be associating my files with any particular folder. Why "Save" should mean "Save in folder". File icon with a star or 'plus' sign means 'new' so maybe file icon with arrow going down should mean 'save'.
| posted by vorg
12.02.2006 , 14:22 |
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| I think, file icon with an arrow means "add file". Also, file icon with a arrow down, means download (any arrow down means download nowadays.
As you can see it's a tricky one. that's why I think, if you have a folder with an bent arrow going outside of it (open), and another one with the arrow going in (save), makes the GUI quite logic.
| posted by mr.doob
12.02.2006 , 15:01 |
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| Sorry, I meant, "file icon with a plus symbol means add file".
| posted by mr.doob
12.02.2006 , 15:02 |
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| Well, I agree with both mr. doob and vorg. Even if I would like to see an updated icon, a more generic one, you just can't battle against habits. If you remove the floppy icon right away, the +40 years old user will get confused, maybe even us would, too. Pictograms in the so-called digital age are still in a very early phase. Give them time.
Still, I vote for an arrow pointing to a surface, not a folder. Think of a square (or even better, a circle -hdd, optical media-) in a kind of isometric view, thus summarizing the idea into a single concept. Putting something (arrow) into a place (shape).
Zomb dixit :D
(interesting topic, btw)
| posted by Zombo
12.02.2006 , 17:43 |
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| La semántica avanza más rápido que el léxico...
| posted by sergeeo
12.02.2006 , 23:55 |
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| what about a case? a cupboard??
we use these to put thing inside them, to "save" things..
And, also, a cupboard will be a cupboard anytime.. as i has been through time...
| posted by jaume mora
20.02.2006 , 19:54 |
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| Actually, why do we need to save anything at all? A computer is capable of keeping track of all input. Hopefully, in the near future, the file system will be completely transparent. I would like to create, edit, post and publish, but I don't want to be required to save all the time.
| posted by mediamixture
21.03.2006 , 09:48 |
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| Ok genius, what do you suggest we replace it with? People know what the save icon is, you want to change it?
| posted by TJ
30.05.2006 , 17:05 |
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| As I said previously...
"I think the best solution is an opened folder with a bent arrow going inside.
I guess we will use folders for more time than not floppy disks."
| posted by mr.doob
30.05.2006 , 19:23 |
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| the floppy, a fairly mecanical robust device that we use to save the data since the erly days of computers whe we didn't need the paper tape any longer.
I think that by the time this icon (icon for loads -ask ol'skool) becomes obsolete the concept of saving (or physical saving at least) will be obsolete as well...
so why worry about it?
It's still a nice fact of the computer idiosyncrasy though ;P like the concepts of terminal(hyperterminal), console, bookmark...
| posted by Carles
30.05.2006 , 23:16 |
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SORRY!
Is not that I don't care about what you have to say, of course I do, but they are speaking louder and I lost my patience :(
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