Fundamentals of Designing User Interaction - The Windows Environment

Icons

Icons can appear on the desktop and in windows. Icons are pictorial representations of objects. Your software should supply and register icons for its application file and for any of its associated document or data files. For more information about the use of icons, see Chapter 11, "Integrating with the System." For information about icon design, see Chapter 14, "Visual Design."

Windows includes a number of icons that represent basic objects, such as the following.

Icons that Represent Basic Objects
Icon	Type	Function
	System folder	Provides access to a user's private storage.
	System folder	Provides access to the network.
	Folder	Provides organization of files and folders.
	Shortcut	Provides quick access to another object. A shortcut icon uses the icon of the type of file it is linked to, overlaid with the link symbol.
	Application	Displays the content on a user's computer or on the network.
	System folder	Stores deleted files and folders.
	System folder	Provides access to the properties of installed devices and resources (for example, fonts, monitors, and keyboards).
	System folder	Provides a standard location for storing user-generated document and data files.
	System folder	Provides a standard location for storing user-generated picture files.

Fundamentals of Designing User Interaction

Windows Interface Components

Design Specifications and Guidelines

Appendixes and References