Icons

Speeds up scanning and interaction.
Enhanced usability: icons act as visual cues, helping users understand functions and content quickly, reducing the need for extensive text labels and speeding up interaction with an interface.
Improved navigation: by providing clear, recognizable symbols for actions and content, icons guide users through an application or website, making it easier to find features and complete tasks.
Space efficiency: icons are compact visual elements that take up less screen space than text, allowing designers to fit more content and functionality on a page, especially on smaller mobile screens.
Universality and inclusivity: well-designed icons are often universally understood, transcending language barriers and making interfaces more accessible to a global user base.
Brand consistency: icons are integral to a brand’s visual identity, helping to create a cohesive and appealing aesthetic that aligns with brand guidelines and enhances brand recognition.
Reduced cognitive load: because the brain processes visual information faster than text, icons help users quickly associate a meaning or function with a symbol, reducing mental effort and improving intuitiveness.
Aesthetic appeal: beyond their functional purpose, icons add personality and style to an interface, contributing to its overall visual appeal and creating a more engaging user experience.

Icons should instantly convey their purpose without confusion.
Familiarity: Use universally recognized symbols to reduce the user’s learning curve, adhering to Jakob’s Law.
Simplicity and minimalism:
Avoid excessive detail, as complex icons lose legibility at smaller sizes and can be distracting.
Cultural differences: Be mindful of cultural variations in symbol interpretation.
Target audience: Understand your users’ technical proficiency and age, as this impacts their familiarity with certain icons
Visual clarity: Ensure icons are legible and easily recognizable even when scaled down for different screen sizes.
Scalability: Use vector formats (like SVG) so icons can scale without losing quality, which is essential for responsive design.
Consistency: Maintain a uniform style, size, and color palette across your entire icon set to create a harmonious visual experience

Provide aria-label for icon-only buttons.
Don’t rely on color alone to convey meaning.
Touch targets: Icons on touch devices need a sufficient touch target size (e.g., 48x48px) to prevent mis-clicks.
Spacing: Provide adequate padding and whitespace around icons to make them distinct and easy to tap.
Pair with text: For functional or less-common icons, use text labels to provide definitive meaning and ensure clarity, especially for complex task

Overview