Components & actions
Icon + label for ambiguous actions
Icons are only universal for a few actions. Add labels for everything else to avoid guesswork.
Icon + label on every toolbar action
Icon only on every toolbar action
How to apply it
- 1
Pair every ambiguous icon with a visible text label, like Icon + Archive.
- 2
Reserve icon-only treatment for a short list of truly universal icons.
- 3
Test each icon by asking if a first-time user could name its action unaided.
- 4
Add labels to toolbar actions rather than relying on tooltips alone.
Why it works
Recognition beats recall for only a handful of icons, like a trash can or a search glass, that decades of software have made truly universal. An archive icon without a label asks users to recall an uncommon meaning from memory, so pairing Icon plus Archive label turns a guess into instant recognition.
What breaks
An icon-only toolbar with an ambiguous archive glyph gets clicked hesitantly or hovered repeatedly as users try to decode its meaning, slowing down routine actions across the whole toolbar.
Review questions
- 1
Does the archive action show both an icon and a text label?
- 2
Is the toolbar free of icon-only buttons for non-universal actions?
- 3
Could a first-time user name each icon's action without hovering?