Iconic meaning
Title
Iconic meaning
Short, concise description of the idea
Distinguished icons between editing and posting new.
Full description of the idea
Why does LJ use the same icon http://stat.livejournal.com/img/btn_edit.gif for posting and editing? To me seeing the same icon in different contexts is confusing when the icon doesn't have the same function.
I'd like to suggest that the pencil lean to the right for creating new posts (such as in a community), and lean to the left for editing a post. The reason why turning the pencil over to be used as an erasor is not a good idea because that could be thought to mean to delete the entire post, and editing has a much more general meaning here then the literal definition of "cut or eliminate."
I think the left-leaning pencil can mean to go back in time to when the post was written. This works well because posting to LJ is a very linear process.
An ordered list of benefits
- No mouse-over reaquired to see the function of the pencil icon.
An ordered list of problems/issues involved
- Misinterpretation by a left-handed person.
An organized list, or a few short paragraphs detailing suggestions for implementation
- Have someone edit the image and mirror just the pencil, not the shaded border.