OUGD504 - Icon Research

I researched into how icons have been used in existing apps. Looking closely at what worked well and could be applied to my own work as well as what was less successful and should be avoided. I looked first at social media apps as there would be similar features to what may be seen within my Monotype app.

Instagram

The icons that Instagram use are simple and reflective of its layout. They are easily recognisable yet unique to the app and will therefor inspire my own icons.

The bottom bar of icons stays the same throughout the app meaning the user can navigate to any page at any time. This is a useful feature to include within any digital interface and is something I should consider using within my own app.

Facebook

Facebook has a more complicated layout to Instagram because of its extended features however icons remain simple. There are more unique examples that don't appear on other apps however their purpose is still obvious making it easy to navigate through the app. Recognisable icons such as the hamburger (seen below) are also used recurrently, this is used to show a drop down menu (above right) where further pages within the app are made accessible.