Returning player: new icons are terrible, not easy to differentiate

dilbart · February 2015

Fire your UX team.

The old icons were great because you could scan across your tray and quickly find things. These new ones require you to actually stare and resolve each one.

I applaud your effort. But like when we were in school, just because you spent two weeks writing a 5% paper doesn't mean you deserve an A+.

senatorvreenak · February 2015

Kinda have to agree, they are terribly cluttered.

starkaos · February 2015

Matter of opinion. The old icons are abstract art while some of the new ones are a pictographical representation of what the power does. The change is for players new to the game not veterans just like redoing the old story missions. Some veterans are used to the old designs so that is why they think they are better. New players would be completely lost with the old icons until they got used to them.

tyler002 · February 2015

The old ones weren't better, they were more familiar because they've been around longer. Once these have time to settle in, they'll be just as easily recognizable as the past ones (probably better in some cases).

dilbart · February 2015

starkaos wrote: »

Matter of opinion. The old icons are abstract art while some of the new ones are a pictographical representation of what the power does. The change is for players new to the game not veterans just like redoing the old story missions. Some veterans are used to the old designs so that is why they think they are better. New players would be completely lost with the old icons until they got used to them.

There's way too much detail in some cases for an icon. The team put too much detail into something that occupies less than 1cm x 1cm area hence contributing to apparent clutter.

starkaos · February 2015

dilbart wrote: »

There's way too much detail in some cases for an icon. The team put too much detail into something that occupies less than 1cm x 1cm area hence contributing to apparent clutter.

So what is Stasis Field supposed to do by just looking at the old icon? The old icon is abstract art with no meaning whatsoever while the new icon has a man trapped in a bubble. Or Tricorder scan, with abstract art for the old one and a tricorder icon for the new one.

pottsey5g · February 2015

starkaos wrote: »

So what is Stasis Field supposed to do by just looking at the old icon? The old icon is abstract art with no meaning whatsoever while the new icon has a man trapped in a bubble. Or Tricorder scan, with abstract art for the old one and a tricorder icon for the new one.

Abstract art works better as its easier to spot and less cluttered. They put to much information into the new icons which makes the icons worse. As single icons the new ones might be better but once grouped they don't do the job very well.

questerius · February 2015

I would not mind having the option to use either the old (classic) icon set or the new icon set.

blakes7tvseries · February 2015

dilbart wrote: »

Fire your UX team.

The old icons were great because you could scan across your tray and quickly find things. These new ones require you to actually stare and resolve each one.

I applaud your effort. But like when we were in school, just because you spent two weeks writing a 5% paper doesn't mean you deserve an A+.

I have no idea why they even made the last change the scheme is awful.
I would love to have the old icons back.

aelrhiana · February 2015

questerius wrote: »

I would not mind having the option to use either the old (classic) icon set or the new icon set.

This is a really good idea.

I don't play as much as I used to, and being blessed (cursed) with a learning disability, along with a degenerative neurological disorder makes learning these new icons just about impossible for me. Believe me, I'm trying to learn them, but I probably won't be able to grasp more than a few at best.

And no, because I know some people will say it, I will not quit the game because of it; I shouldn't have to.

I love the idea of being given an option, between new and classic. It would make things much easier for more of us than some people realize.

baudl · February 2015

Just a matter of getting used to it, unfortunately I have yet to find out why they felt the need to change the icons.

bobtheskull99 · February 2015

totally disagree, with a few exceptions the new ones are better/easier to recognize

pottsey5g · February 2015

baudl wrote: »

Just a matter of getting used to it, unfortunately I have yet to find out why they felt the need to change the icons.

Its not just a matter of getting use to it. Even after getting used to them they are much harder to use. There are a few like torp spread and FaW which are better but on the whole I find the new icons a massive step backwards.

lessley00 · February 2015

This abstract art was probobly supposed to look "abstract". Has anyone watched the Voyager episode "Message in a bottle"? okay... so you remember when Doc and the Mk ll are trying to operate the Prometheus and all the controls and icons were hard to understand? okay good

Time to flame 3...2...1: NOW WHY IN HELL DID THEY CHANGE THE ******NN ICONS??!! THEY WERE PERFECT THE WAY THEY WERE!!

Okay now that thats out of my system i want to apologize to a mod so that I dont get banned

admrenlarreck · February 2015

I disagree The new icons are much easier for me to glance at and know what is going on. I have been playing since just before the game went F2P and I still couldn't tell you what most of the old icons were for. The new ones are much easier for me to understand.

That being said I agree that there should be a toggle for people that would like to use the old set. although my guess is that they have been deleted from the code at this point, and are no longer recoverable.

jarfaru · February 2015

Lol i find it so silly that they keep changing them. They must need to give people something to do.

colonelchenchuan · February 2015

the old ones were bad but these are worse.

at least the old ones had a larger graphic. the news ones try and cram too much "art" into a tiny space.

I spend most of my time trying to figure out what stuff is so I know what button to push.

If something isn't in the tray slot that its supposed to be in, I couldn't tell you what anything is.

if anything, they all need to be simplified.

taylor1701d · February 2015

I only have just started getting used to them, and ONLY because I set my trays the same way for everyship I fly.
Row3: Heals, and resistance buffs, batteries.
Row2: Sci debuffs, Rom rep trait, photonic fleets/pirates ...exotic skills like TBR/GravWell
Row 1: All offensive skills/buffs, Evasive, ramming speed

Otherwise I'm sure I'd still be getting adjusted to the new look.

a3001 · February 2015

dilbart wrote: »

Fire your UX team.

The old icons were great because you could scan across your tray and quickly find things. These new ones require you to actually stare and resolve each one.

I applaud your effort. But like when we were in school, just because you spent two weeks writing a 5% paper doesn't mean you deserve an A+.

You'll get used to it.

azniadeet · February 2015

I don't see how the new icons are any less abstract than the old ones.

The icon picture doesn't matter so much as it matters whether or not we understand it. We understood the old ones, and nobody- nobody- was complaining about it.

I don't get why they changed this. It's a prime, if benign, example of the tone-deaf quality of life focus that the players have become so upset at Cryptic over.

And just adding- the new icons look fine... but so did the old ones. There was just no need for it.

colonelchenchuan · February 2015

azniadeet wrote: »

I don't see how the new icons are any less abstract than the old ones.

The icon picture doesn't matter so much as it matters whether or not we understand it. We understood the old ones, and nobody- nobody- was complaining about it.

I don't get why they changed this. It's a prime, if benign, example of the tone-deaf quality of life focus that the players have become so upset at Cryptic over.

And just adding- the new icons look fine... but so did the old ones. There was just no need for it.

apparently the old icons caused lag........ so of course the new ones added so much lag it made the game unplayable and no fix in site

farmallm · February 2015

To me some looks better. However I love the rank numbers on them. So I can easily put them in the tray easier.

I don't see why the fuss. Once I put them where they need to be. Rest is just memory. So I adjusted to them during the 1st mission. No issues what so ever.

lordatrocities · February 2015

dilbart wrote: »

Fire your UX team.

The old icons were great because you could scan across your tray and quickly find things. These new ones require you to actually stare and resolve each one.

I applaud your effort. But like when we were in school, just because you spent two weeks writing a 5% paper doesn't mean you deserve an A+.

I like the new icons actually. Hope one day you will too.

millimidget · February 2015

azniadeet wrote: »

I don't see how the new icons are any less abstract than the old ones.

The icon picture doesn't matter so much as it matters whether or not we understand it. We understood the old ones, and nobody- nobody- was complaining about it.

I don't get why they changed this. It's a prime, if benign, example of the tone-deaf quality of life focus that the players have become so upset at Cryptic over.

And just adding- the new icons look fine... but so did the old ones. There was just no need for it.

I don't understand why developer time was wasted on this.

We're always told we can't have nice things because it costs money to develop, takes time to develop, etc.

And yet time and money was wasted on this totally unnecessary change.

colonelchenchuan · February 2015

farmallm wrote: »

To me some looks better. However I love the rank numbers on them. So I can easily put them in the tray easier.

I don't see why the fuss. Once I put them where they need to be. Rest is just memory. So I adjusted to them during the 1st mission. No issues what so ever.

maybe because I have to redo the tray every 5 minutes .......

lordkasu · February 2015

I like the rank indicators, but I really don't like the new artwork.

farmallm · February 2015

colonelchenchuan wrote: »

maybe because I have to redo the tray every 5 minutes .......

Even that don't take long. Where I have done that a couple of times. Since I have memorized them already. And even that don't take long.

Its really not that hard....

nileight1 · February 2015

dilbart wrote: »

Fire your UX team.

The old icons were great because you could scan across your tray and quickly find things. These new ones require you to actually stare and resolve each one.

I applaud your effort. But like when we were in school, just because you spent two weeks writing a 5% paper doesn't mean you deserve an A+.

Fire yourself.
I like the new icons better and think they make more sense.

gerwalk0769 · February 2015

dilbart wrote: »

There's way too much detail in some cases for an icon. The team put too much detail into something that occupies less than 1cm x 1cm area hence contributing to apparent clutter.

There is too much detail (information and art) in most of the new icons, especially given the icons small size. In this case less is more, in my opinion.

A call to fire people comes across a harsh.

starkaos · February 2015

millimidget wrote: »

I don't understand why developer time was wasted on this.

We're always told we can't have nice things because it costs money to develop, takes time to develop, etc.

And yet time and money was wasted on this totally unnecessary change.

For the same reason that the devs removed exploration clusters, new players were getting lost in them. The new icons give a pictographical representation of the power so new players can tell what a power is by looking at it while that would be impossible with the old icons. So it is not a totally unnecessary change.

As far as icons wasting time and money, it takes far less time to design icons than it does for costumes, ships, or maps.

millimidget · February 2015

starkaos wrote: »

The new icons give a pictographical representation of the power so new players can tell what a power is by looking at it while that would be impossible with the old icons.

So did the old ones.

starkaos wrote: »

As far as icons wasting time and money, it takes far less time to design icons than it does for costumes, ships, or maps.

And that someone makes wasted time better? Resources are finite; Cryptic actively cracks down on rewards/content/players so they can squeeze a little more money out of the whales to pay for this months operating expenses.

Is this really what the nerf to rep turn-ins during dilithium weekends paid for?

Returning player: new icons are terrible, not easy to differentiate

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