Menu Icon of OS X: make it more subtle about android_notifier

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Kahil, you're our icon master - can you comment on this issue?

Original comment by [email protected] on 23 Aug 2010 at 5:00

• Added labels: Component-UI, OpSys-OSX, Usability

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Well...  Suggestions???  The icon just sits there.  Its not like it flashes or 
anything.  I followed and used OS X standards for menu icons.  The only way to 
make it more "subtle" would to make it grey, which would in turn bring up other 
complaints since grey icons in the menu bar indicate that something is 
inactive.  When there is an action item for any other icon up there, like the 
facebook notification app or others, the icon will change into a color icon.  
The Android Notifier icon does not. 

So in short, I'm failing to understand how it is so distracting. I would think 
that anyone using this little app would know that the icon in the menu bar is 
only there to indicate that the service is running.  The only thing that would 
and should distract you to get your attention would be the Growl notifications.

Remember folks, the menu icon is only there to show you that you have the 
service running.  Lots of utilities use this method, such as DropBox or 
Facebook Notifications.  Even your bluetooth and wifi services place icons in 
the menu bar for the main purpose of letting you know it is running.  The menu 
bar was designed to give a home to small apps/utilities that, while important, 
do not warrant the use and clutter of a dock icon.

Original comment by KahilYoung on 23 Aug 2010 at 5:31

• Changed state: Resolved

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Can we have the ability to turn it off? I have the program set up as I'd like 
it and I'd much rather not even know that this program is running in the 
background. If I want to modify my preferences, I can open it from my 
Applications folder. 

Original comment by [email protected] on 6 Sep 2010 at 7:33

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That's the thing though...  There is no normal application interface for the 
app.  It runs strictly from the status bar.  You can't just go into your 
application folder and manage the preferences.  The only way to know it is 
running and to manage/edit the preferences is from the status bar.  

How many things do you have running up in the status bar?  I'm sorry, I just 
don't understand what the hype/frustration is over having that one, little icon 
just sitting there.  It is no different than the volume, bluetooth, wifi, 
dropbox, search buttons that are always there.  You know they are running and 
active because they are there.  If the notifier icon is there, then you will 
know that the service is running and you will see your growl notifications.

So far no one has offered any suggestions as to what would make it more subtle 
other than removing it.  All I can suggest is to uncheck the option to have it 
automatically run when you start the OS and only run it when you need/want it 
to.

Original comment by KahilYoung on 6 Sep 2010 at 7:45

[GoogleCodeExporter]

The solution we've thought about for this (see issue 6) is to have it show up 
in the system preferences. While it's doable, I've been putting it off as it's 
a considerable amount of rework (converting from a plain app to an app + 
service + system preference).

Original comment by [email protected] on 6 Sep 2010 at 7:48

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Currently, the number of icons I have up there takes up a large amount of 
space. Programs with already long menu items are already a problem.

Original comment by [email protected] on 6 Sep 2010 at 7:51

Attachments:

• [Screen shot 2010-09-06 at 1.50.27 PM.png](https://storage.googleapis.com/google-code-attachments/android-notifier/issue-25/comment-6/Screen shot 2010-09-06 at 1.50.27 PM.png)

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A phone icon or an Android icon would both be rather more meaningful, even if 
they didn't take up any less space.

Original comment by [email protected] on 8 Sep 2010 at 1:51

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The original icon was an Android, but it was barely visible due to contrast.

Original comment by [email protected] on 8 Sep 2010 at 1:58

• Changed state: Accepted

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Issue 63 has been merged into this issue.

Original comment by [email protected] on 9 Sep 2010 at 1:04

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Here are two icons I work from the base official android robot (who is freely 
usable under CC), I changed the official color because of the contrast issues.

Other possibility is choosing a different color from green, i. e., the blue of 
the current icon.

Original comment by [email protected] on 10 Sep 2010 at 11:10

Attachments:

• android-notifier-desktop-cuerpo-entero.png
• icon-simple.png

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Ok ok ok...  I will try to come up with something that is more subtle.  I do 
have an idea that I think will work.  I will update everyone soon.  The android 
icon doesn't really work.  Once you get it shrunken down to a menu bar icon 
size, it doesn't really look good...just looks weird.  

Original comment by KahilYoung on 10 Sep 2010 at 11:23

[GoogleCodeExporter]

How about this?  It still features our current icon, but it doesn't have the 
dark colored fill that some found so distracting.

Lemme know what y'all think.  If the majority of people like it, then Rodrigo 
can issue an update one of these days.

Original comment by KahilYoung on 11 Sep 2010 at 12:07

Attachments:

• [Screen shot 2010-09-10 at 5.02.53 PM.png](https://storage.googleapis.com/google-code-attachments/android-notifier/issue-25/comment-12/Screen shot 2010-09-10 at 5.02.53 PM.png)

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Original comment by KahilYoung on 11 Sep 2010 at 5:48

• Changed state: Resolved

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I like the new icon - an Android robot in that outline style would be even 
nicer :)

Original comment by [email protected] on 11 Sep 2010 at 4:21

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lol...i tried that...  didn't look right.  once shrunken down to the right 
size, it just look like a blob.

Original comment by KahilYoung on 11 Sep 2010 at 5:51

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Original comment by [email protected] on 27 Sep 2010 at 5:29

• Changed state: Done

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Originally I was not referring to the style or colour of the icon. The one 
thing that puzzled me was the exclamation mark. This character implies that 
something *already happened* that *needs my urgend attention*.

This is the commonly used metaphor for this character.

Using an exclamation mark in an icon that is used to access "only" preferences 
without any urgent attention being needed breaks the learned usability pattern 
of the system.

Original comment by [email protected] on 31 Mar 2011 at 9:05