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The title says pretty much it. But here a little more context:
There's a EXIT sign I want to improve. I should look something like this:
Fixed stairs <= EXIT => Mechanical Stairs
My questions:
1) How can I represent graphically and unequivocally the two type of stairs?
2) Should I place just graphics, just text, or both to indicate them?
A good icon for stairs with cogs or arrows pointing forward will be decriptive enough. I found the example below using google images.
I think the most simple way is to think of the action that is being taken.
Stairs 2 flights run/jog motion of person icon
Escalator 1 45° span 2 gears underneath standing position person icon
This is how I would do it. Keep it as simple as possible.
Icons are cool, but not always clear. Even Eddie A's great solution would require some interpretation by the user:
"Is that a meat-grinder stair case!?!?"
Assuming a reasonable homogeneity among the users' language, you could just spell it out. Words are often the most clear means of communicating similar options. Adding icons to aid multilingual support, would be icing on the cake.
Walk vs bike vs car isn't hard to symbolize. But distinguishing gas-powered car from electric-powered car without text asks more participation of the viewer. Unfortunately, we can't always count on users' participation.
Jun 9, 2015 at 18:01