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Redesigning the Save Symbol

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Re: Redesigning the Save Symbol

#51

Post by Udo »

endlessvoid94 wrote: post #44

I think the idea of "save" may even go away. For example, there's no save button on google docs. Computers should never lose your work, you shouldn't have to instruct it.

Yet there is value in being able to decide when a versioning point should be created. This is actually a huge annoyance for me when I'm using Apple's apps that are "always and continually auto-saved". Yes, automatic integrity is nice (when it works), but not being able to make certain decisions about a file's state is pretty limiting.

Re: Redesigning the Save Symbol

#52

Post by ChikkaChiChi »

dragonwriter wrote: post #39
jacalata wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Absolutely. Anyway, if skeumorphism is bad, and the floppy icon is so unrecognisable as to be abstract (which appears to be the 'problem' these designers think needs solving), doesn't that mean the floppy icon is now good?

> Anyway, if skeumorphism is bad, and the floppy icon is so unrecognisable as to be abstract (which appears to be the 'problem' these designers think needs solving), doesn't that mean the floppy icon is now good? The short answer is "No." The long answer is that the skeumorphism is bad argument is generally that trying to imitate some kind of physical analog of the computerized process you are doing isn't an effectiv…

Agreed. Its good because its not an identifier with the action, not the object.

Re: Redesigning the Save Symbol

#53

Post by ChikkaChiChi »

xsmasher wrote: post #47
ChikkaChiChi wrote: post #27

Maybe I'm getting old, but seeing conversations like this irritate me. All I see in that wall of text are activity indicators, upload icons, and "TO THE CLOUD!!!" icons. Internet Comment Designers seem to think that skeuomorphism (a word they love using to tell the world 'LOOK, I KNOW BIG WORDS SO I MUST BE GOOD AT THINGS') must always be a bad thing...as if using the icon to save as a floppy disk is somehow less con…

FYI this is not skeuomorphism, it's more like anachronism. Different 50-cent word.

Excellent catch and you just taught me 50-cent word. I love it.

To be fair, I did just go back and search and anachronism had been used but skeuomorphism was not. Looks like I've been spending too much time on HN and Reddit!

Re: Redesigning the Save Symbol

#54

Post by ChikkaChiChi »

fryguy wrote: post #35
ChikkaChiChi wrote: post #27

Maybe I'm getting old, but seeing conversations like this irritate me. All I see in that wall of text are activity indicators, upload icons, and "TO THE CLOUD!!!" icons. Internet Comment Designers seem to think that skeuomorphism (a word they love using to tell the world 'LOOK, I KNOW BIG WORDS SO I MUST BE GOOD AT THINGS') must always be a bad thing...as if using the icon to save as a floppy disk is somehow less con…

Isn't the standby mode appropriate for power switches that are momentary toggle switches that started in ATX cases, as opposed to the on/off button which would be appropriate for the AT cases, where the switch is an actual power switch?

Yes but you see it in use incorrectly all the time (including in that thread).

In fact, the Windows 8 machine I'm on (shudder) actually represents "Shut Down" using the standby icon.

Re: Redesigning the Save Symbol

#55

Post by endlessvoid94 »

Udo wrote: post #51
endlessvoid94 wrote: post #44

I think the idea of "save" may even go away. For example, there's no save button on google docs. Computers should never lose your work, you shouldn't have to instruct it.

Yet there is value in being able to decide when a versioning point should be created. This is actually a huge annoyance for me when I'm using Apple's apps that are "always and continually auto-saved". Yes, automatic integrity is nice (when it works), but not being able to make certain decisions about a file's state is pretty limiting.

That's certainly true, but I'd argue for 99% of the time, automatic saving is what you want.

Re: Redesigning the Save Symbol

#57

Post by tekromancr »

I thought it was interesting. Not because I think the save button needs a redesign, but because it was fun to watch the design process. I think that everyone that is genuinely complaining in these comments need to chill out a bit. They admitted that the whole thing was academic.

Re: Redesigning the Save Symbol

#58

Post by Arzh »

The floppy disc rendering is already a timeless symbol for the 'Save' action. The first thing you think about when seeing it is 'Save' not 'I need to get my disc out.'

Also most apps save automatically and usually use an animation of something spinning, so you're already a tad too late.

Re: Redesigning the Save Symbol

#59

Post by kstenerud »

grinich wrote: post #15

App should just save automatically. Usually when people use save, they actually want to take an action. (ie: exporting the file somewhere, sending it to someone, etc.) This thread should focus on identifying those actions and finding more universal ways to make them ubiquitous. What if there was a universal "send this" or "invite someone to collaborate" button?

> App should just save automatically.

Oh god please no. Apps that save automatically are the worst idea ever. I want to be able to make exploratory modifications, and then commit to disk AT A TIME OF MY CHOOSING. The computer doesn't know what I'm thinking, and it can't tell the difference between "messing around" content vs "serious" content.

I can see it now: I hit undo a bunch of times to get back to a previous state, copy some content that I wanted to bring back, then redo a bunch of times to get back, except I fatfinger it and hit paste by mistake. Now my whole redo path is gone, and I can't even reload to the state I was at before hitting undo thanks to the braindead program that "helpfully" saved my document behind my back.

Or even worse: I make some exploratory changes, then decide after changing a LOT of things that it won't work. The app crashes/the computer dies, whatever. I reopen the app and it's saved all the changes I don't want anymore. Maybe if I'm lucky it would have saved an undo path (unlikely), but even then, how far do I have to undo to get back to the sane state I was in?

Save means "I'm sure this is what I want. Persist these changes".

Re: Redesigning the Save Symbol

#60

Post by n3rdy »

This must be what older generations felt like when music kept getting redefined by younger generations.

Here I am, screaming at my screen "Why can't you whipper snappers just leave it the way it is! I like the floppy disk icon! This is the devils work I tell you! You're going to ruin the internet!!"

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