he Importance of Icons
Icons are small but vital for any application or website. They look simple but take enormous effort to feel that way. They follow you on any step of interaction with a product although users rarely think how important they are for the success and speed of their interaction. They have the power to do anything with a user: help, support, engage, encourage, clarify, and simplify.
Basically, app or desktop icon is an image that becomes the element of navigation in the process of interaction. In deeper explanation, an icon is a visual symbol representing some action, thing, person, real or virtual. In many cases, icons are able to stand up for the text, and this ability makes them so popular in the world of modern design. It makes interaction faster since most people need less time to see and understand the icon than to read and understand the piece of text. Icons can be interactive, clarifying and entertaining.
An icon is a graphic element which has high symbolic potential. A designer should define what is its role and meaning as the separate element and as the part of the general layout. The best chefs always say that everything that is put on the plate should be edible, same thing goes with icons, icons should be functional. Any icon used in the interface should have its meaning and function.
Make the icon understandable. What it the point of being meaningful if nobody understands the meaning? An icon should be as simple, omit any unnecessary details that can overload the image. Icons should be recognizable. Make the effort to analyze existing icons. If a designer finds the way to make the icon recognizable without losing its main meaning, it will go a long way with the user experience.