via House of buttons
The House of Buttons is a tumblr blog based on collecting the different functional buttons that are used in various websites on the internet. I found it very interesting as usually the buttons are something that the users do not deliberately pay attention to, yet unconsciously it is usually the factor that either makes us stay on the website and see the different functions that we are suggested to explore, or, on the contrary, leave the website because it is uncomfortable to find the different paths leading to the pages.
There are many many factors that determine the successful button design, such as the size, colour, shape, fonts or symbols used, there the button is placed, etc. Most of the Windows users know how incredibly impossible it is to use Macs in terms of the 'close-resize-make smaller' buttons being on the opposite side of the display windows and vice versa for the Mac users working with Windows software.
Even though the functional buttons have to be comfortable for the eye, they still have to be instantly noticeable to perform their function. Connie Malamed in 'Visual Language' points out that primitive features that pop out and are most likely to control latter attention include colour, motion, orientation, size, depth, tilt, shape, line terminators (where a line ends), closure (an enclosed space), topological properties (such as a dot inside a circle), and line curvature. However, to perceive a feature as salient, we must be able to discriminate it from everything else - this means that in the case of the functional buttons, they have to be stand out in terms of the whole design of the website, to be noticed, yet do not alter the overall flow of the website design.
Seems like such a small thing, but lots to consider...? I am definitely going to pay more attention to those little button buddies.
/Visual Language/ Connie Malamed/ Rockport Publishers/ 2009/
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