Learning to Use Icons with Clarity

After working on typography, my design felt more structured and readable. It was definitely an improvement, but as I tested my app, I kept noticing moments of hesitation. Even with clear text and better spacing, some interactions didn’t feel as intuitive as I had hoped. It all made sense in my head—but would it make sense to someone seeing it for the first time?

I started paying attention to how I, as a user, moved through different apps. Some felt effortless, like they were guiding me without me even realizing it. Others made me hesitate, second-guess, or tap the wrong thing. I wasn’t sure what made the difference, but I wanted to figure it out.

A Look at Where I Started

One of my early screens had a navigation bar with icons I had chosen because they felt right in the moment. But looking at them now, without the context I had in my head, some weren’t as obvious as I thought.

For example, the bottom middle and bottom right buttons. I knew what they were supposed to do, but would someone else? If they had to stop and think, or worse, tap around just to figure it out—that wasn’t ideal.

Making Small But Meaningful Adjustments

My icons felt random, while others weren’t immediately recognizable (much like the lightning bolt and + symbol)

I went back to my design with fresh eyes. First, I changed the icons that felt too abstract. The + symbol, which I had used for notifications, became a mail icon—something more instantly recognizable and commonly used. The lightning bolt, which was supposed to lead to the user’s profile, didn’t really make sense, so I swapped it for a profile icon instead.

Spacing was another thing I hadn’t thought much about before. Some icons were too close together, making them harder to tap, especially on a smaller screen. I adjusted the spacing and grouped similar functions closer together, so they felt more connected.

Before, I saw icons as simple visuals, just tiny graphics that made an interface look nice. But now, I’m starting to see them as part of the overall experience. Looking between where I started with this design, and where I've ended up is a huge difference and one I'm excited to continue to perfect.