The Future History of Icons by Zora Wan

This project aims to understand the popularity and interpretation of the 30 commonly used human-computer interaction icons and predict their future usage to guide designers on using and creating icons wisely so that users do not experience poor design and confusion when browsing websites and using applications. Analyzing data are from two resources: user testing data and creation count from two open-source icon libraries, The Noun Project and Icon Scout. While user testing is a standard step in the UX/UI design process, icon user testing is often exclusive to the app or website, making it difficult to reuse the testing outcome for other purposes. This project seeks a more general testing approach to provide designers with a reliable reference for future products through visualization. In conclusion, a unique perspective on the 30 target icons and the methodology used in the project could be extended to the future of icon design to provide more reliable and accurate design guidance.