The OERColorado.org curriculum library has a strong visual presence. One core aspect of the site branding is the icons identifying each Subject, CTE and Community of Practice Hub on the digital library to organize collections. These icons follow a design guideline with two goals: to welcome and to identify. Each icon uses imagery from the Noun Project, whose goal is “a global visual language… that allows quick and easy communication no matter who you are or where you are.” That universality of communication supports the OERColorado goal of quickly matching users with resources using easy to identify icons. Although many icons may represent a given hub topic, those chosen must also welcome a diverse plurality of users, fostering a dialog between the efficiency gained by choosing tropes or stereotypical imagery, and the need to create a more inclusive space through more universal imagery. The iconography of the site represents a delicate balance between the specific and the universal.
Attendees of this session will be able to:- Consider how design choices can influence user behavior
- Discuss the role iconography plays in fostering belonging
- Explore how goal setting in design fosters awareness and intentionality
