If the user has to click an icon to discover its function, they will be knocked off course.

In analyzing interfaces, we should always ask how the user knows that an action is possible, and we should always require that each visible feature provide a recognizable affordance. Icons are often considered the epitome of visible affordances, but they do not always serve this function.

Users have come to expect certain functionalities and elements in their digital experience. The main navigation for example often appears as a menu across the top of the site, or it may appear as a hamburger icon that expands into the full menu. When a user clicks on a particular menu item, it then takes them to the corresponding page or section.... See more